The UCSF Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing (Psych) Specialty Area offers opportunities to provide mental health care for clients across the lifespan. The curriculum reflects important advances in understanding about mental disorders, including their prevention and treatment, and has evolved to respond to special needs of vulnerable populations in the community.

The program is consistently rated in the top three graduate psychiatric nursing programs in the United States, and was recently awarded a training grant to prepare students to deal with the mental health needs of children and adults affected by trauma.

Program Focus and Courses

The curriculum has a biopsychosocial orientation, addressing mental illness as a biological event, as a personal experience, and as a social and cultural phenomenon. Courses focus on current theories of psychiatric illness; advanced physical and psychiatric assessment; psychopharmacology; and psychosocial and psychotherapeutic treatments for individuals, groups, and families.

Clinical experiences allow students to meet individualized learning objectives in a variety of mental health settings serving children and adults. Clinical placements also include programs that treat substance abuse and faculty practices to promote overall health and wellness for people with severe mental illness.

Students interested in psychiatric liaison and consultation may complete residencies in a variety of health agencies including schools, general hospitals, public health departments, and home care agencies.

UCSF students in psychiatric/mental health nursing complete a series of core mental health specialty courses, as well as a supervised clinical practice in the specialty. Students who complete the Integrated Psychiatric/ANP Curriculum also meet requirements for Adult Primary Care.

Resources/Links

• Two-page printable program information summary
  psych.pdf   (Adobe/Acrobat .PDF document)
• CHS Program Information Booklet, includes Psych. curriculum details
  overview.doc   (.PDF document)

Psych Faculty