DNP Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Programs

What Do You Learn in a DNP in Psychiatric Mental Health?

A Psychiatric mental health NP aims to prepare students to work as advanced practice nurses with a focus on the assessment and treatment of patients with mental health disorders. These individuals provide holistic care as a first step by using psychiatric assessments to develop treatment plans for patients. They may provide medications or therapeutic modalities.

Students who enroll in a program for psychiatric DNP career paths may learn a great deal about mental health across all generations, from children through adults as well as elderly and family units. They typically engage in theory and supervised clinical experiences to develop valuable skills. Students study a range of topics, such as those that focus on psychodynamics, development, family systems, and neurobiological models. Topics may also include culture, race, and ethnicity as well.

Those who graduate from these programs could warm in a range of settings. This may include working in acute care settings, day treatment programs, substance abuse treatment programs, women and children shelters, and community mental health centers. They may also engage in liaison settings and private practices.

Psychiatric Mental Health DNP Courses May Include

A PMHNP DNP is likely to take courses on motivational theories, learning methods, neuroscience, behavioral change theories, and much more. They may have the chance to choose courses that interest them while also finishing required courses to meet graduation requirements. Here are some of the courses that may be found in these educational programs.

Research for Evidence-Based Practice

The topics in this course may include research processes and how to use research evidence. Learning how to ask the correct questions to gather information from patients to more properly diagnose may be covered.

Advanced Pharmacology

In this course, the interactions and purposes of prescribing different medications may be covered. Some of the other topics such as dosage based on a number of different factors and how to properly prescribe as necessary.

Advanced Pathophysiology

In this course, students may be introduced to topics such as epidemiology, risk factors, and clinical manifestations. Other topics may include mechanisms of disease and evaluation strategies.

Transition to the APRN Role

In this course, students may learn to increase their responsibilities and knowledge in the role of an APRN. Topics may include practice, ethical principles, and quality outcomes.

Applied Epidemiology Biostats Nursing

In this course, students may learn to interpret and apply various epidemiology biostatistics. Other topics may include performing and developing research.

Leadership in Evolving Healthcare Environments

In this course, students may be introduced to a number of facets of leading in various health care environments. This may include topics such as a vision statement and setting goals.

Find Funding

Completing a graduate degree program may require some financial support. Financial aid is available to those who qualify. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average cost for a graduate program in 2019-2020 was $19,792. Considering this, many students may wish to pursue any available funding available to them. There are several types to consider.

Scholarships

One of the options for some students is to use any scholarships they win. Scholarships do not require repayment. Students typically have to apply to them, meet the criteria, and then be selected out of a range of people. Many scholarships have limitations on the number of people who may receive the funding.

Still, it may be worth it for some students to look into this option for their psychiatric mental health NP. Consider some nursing scholarships at Unigo. Here are a few examples:

Is a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner a rewarding career?

Those working as psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners may do much of the same work as those who are nurse practitioners. However, their focus is on mental health aspects of the field of medicine. These providers may diagnose and treat chronic and acute conditions either on their own or as a part of a healthcare team. They may prescribe medicine. They are generally registered nurses who are licensed within the state they operate in to provide these services.

Their day-to-day work often includes creating, maintaining, and detailing patient medical records and health care plans. They may work to develop treatment plans after assessing the health needs of a patient. They may focus on developing care plans based on professional practice guidelines, standards of care, and scientific rationale. Their work often involves analyzing and interpreting a patient’s medical history, physical findings, diagnostic findings, and other valuable data to create diagnoses.

NPs may diagnose and treat complex as well as unstable patients, including those facing emergency situations. They may also work with other providers to assess and create treatment plans for patients.

To do this type of work, individuals need to finish graduate school in the field of their focus, in this case, as a psychiatric mental health provider. They may need 5 or more years of experience in the field. They may have some need for on-the-job education, but many occupations require applicants to have skills in place to provide care.

Important skills for psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners according to O*NET are:

• Active Listening – 78 – Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Complex Problem Solving – 78 – Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
• Critical Thinking – 78 – Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

2020 Median Annual Salary for Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

The following are the 2020 median salaries for those who worked as nurse practitioners in each state for 2020 based on data provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.