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Certificate - Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
The Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner certificate prepares students to provide primary mental health care services to groups, patients and families across the lifespan.
Program at a Glance
- Time to complete: 1 year with full-time summer, fall, spring semester enrollment
- Entry options: Full-time or part-time
- Application deadline: Apply by April 1 for a summer start
- Format: Online program
- Credit hours: 24 total
- DNP option: View our Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner DNP
Need more information? Join a 30‑minute info session for an overview of KU graduate nursing programs, admissions, and the application process.
Can’t join us at these times? Email soninfo@kumc.edu to schedule a one-on-one conversation with a nursing academic advisor.
Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Specific Courses
Those in the Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) certificate take these courses. Contact Student Affairs, soninfo@kumc.edu, if you have questions.
What PMHNP Students Learn
Conduct developmentally appropriate, culturally responsive, and trauma-informed psychiatric evaluations.- Develop skills in interviewing, differential diagnosis, and clinical reasoning through simulated and case-based learning.
- Assess vulnerabilities, personal and community-level influences, and resilience factors that influence mental health.
- Apply psychopharmacology concepts for treating psychiatric disorders across the lifespan.
- Examine neurobiological mechanisms, neurotransmitter systems, and the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of psychotropic medications.
- Examine typical and atypical development and analyze the impact of biopsychosocial, environmental, and contextual factors on pediatric mental health conditions.
- Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams and families to ensure individualized, contextually appropriate interventions.
Ready to take the next step?
All applications must be received by April 1, 2027 for summer 2027 admission.
Not sure you’re ready to apply? Request information to receive details about admissions requirements, program format, and upcoming info sessions.
Clinical Practice Preceptors, Sites and Experiences
Clinical practice sites are generally located in the Kansas City metropolitan area but may extend across the state of Kansas and to other communities where students are located.
In academic year 2024-2025, KU School of Nursing had at the graduate level:
- 98 clinical sites
- 156 preceptors
During your clinical experiences you’ll obtain a beginning level of competence in completing health assessment and comprehensive evaluations, documentation according to federal and state requirements, and apply advanced clinical reasoning to holistic person-centered care.
Accreditation & Recognition
The KU School of Nursing is nationally accredited and state approved. See accreditation details.
Accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
Approved by the Kansas State Board of Nursing