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Masters Specialty Area
| FYI/Facts: Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nursing Specialty | |
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The Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurse.
Recent government reports calling for the health care field to strengthen its focus on the importance of mental health and recent advances in understanding the prevention and treatment of mental disorders create exciting opportunities for advanced practice psychiatric nurses.
Advanced practice psychiatric nurses provide comprehensive patient-centered mental health care to individuals, groups and families across the lifespan. An advanced practice psychiatric nurse may function as a Clinical Nurse Specialist, Nurse Practitioner or, in some cases, both.
Psychiatric Mental Health Clinical Nurse Specialists (PMHCNS) were the first advanced practice nurses in the U.S. Today the role of PMHCNS is defined by graduate preparation in five domains: research, clinical leadership, education, consultation, and expert clinical practice. While the preparation for licensure occurs in all five domains, the practice emphasis can vary. The scope of the PMHCNS role can include psychotherapy practice as well as a focus on staff development and the systems that support patient care.
The role of Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (PMHNP) is primarily clinical and involves a full range of primary mental health care. Focus is placed on the biopsychosocial assessment, diagnosis, and management, including medication management, of patients with mental illness.
Both roles practice with a defined patient population (such as adults, elders, or children and adolescents) and work in a variety of settings, including the following:
Advance practice psychiatric nurses are developing many innovative roles to respond to the need for accessible and high-quality mental health services. For instance, they may work as specialists in settings such as jail health services, high-risk pregnancy clinics, schools, substance abuse centers and recovery programs, trauma services, and many others.
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| Definition | · | Program | · | Faculty | · | Graduates | · | Courses | · | Questions | · | Applying |
| "The training I received left me well prepared to work with a medically frail and mentally ill population
and placed me in a pioneering role in the state of California." Susanne Killing, Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, Department of Public Health, Division of Community Behavioral Health Services in San Francisco |
UCSF School of Nursing offers one of the most respected programs in psychiatric/mental health nursing in the United States -- and is the major site for this Master of Science specialty in Northern California. The curriculum has a biopsychosocial orientation, addressing mental illness as a biological event, as a personal experience, and as a social and cultural phenomenon.
Students in the advanced practice psychiatric nursing program may choose to focus on care of adults, or on care of children and adolescents.
Students interested in working with children and their families can prepare themselves for one of two roles: (1) Clinical Nurse Specialist in Child and Adolescent Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing (PMHCNS), or (2) Family Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP).
Coursework for both roles includes psychiatric assessment and symptom management, mental health in high risk families, psychopharmacology, child mental health case management, group and family therapy, child and adolescent development, and techniques for individual psychotherapy with children and youth. All students also have preparation in physical health assessment and health promotion. Clinical experience allows for specialization in infants, preschool and school aged children, or adolescents, and their families.
Coursework for students wishing to provide mental health care to adults and their families includes psychiatric assessment and diagnosis, symptom management, psychopharmacology, group and family therapy, and techniques for individual psychotherapy with adults.
All students also have preparation in physical health assessment and health promotion, with particular emphasis on health risks faced by mentally ill adults.
Three program tracks are offered:
Clinical experiences in each track complement the course work and professional focus of each area and allow students to meet individualized learning objectives while meeting licensure and credentialing requirements.
Depending on the track chosen, students are eligible for one or more of the following national certifications by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), see http://www.nursingworld.org/ancc (website):
The Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nursing program also prepares nurses for licensure in the State of California as a Nurse Practitioner or Clinical Nurse Specialist (website: http://www.rn.ca.gov/lic/lic.htm), depending on the chosen track of study.
There are opportunities for post-master's study leading to certification in Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing for those who are already advanced practice nurses. In most cases, preparing for certification will require three to six quarters of study depending on the applicant's background and the desired certification.
Classes for the post-master's certificate program leading to eligibility for ANCC certification as an Adult or Family PMHNP begin in the Fall Quarter. Please contact Dr. Beth Phoenix (beth.phoenix@nursing.ucsf.edu) for additional information.
| "The NPs at UC are trained to provide what I describe as 'gold standard' health care. . . .
I am very proud to be a graduate of an academic institution that is known worldwide and maintains a commitment to serve the underserved population." Sheila Thares, Adult Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, Santa Clara Kaiser Permanente Medical Center |
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| Definition | · | Program | · | Faculty | · | Graduates | · | Courses | · | Questions | · | Applying |
Beth Phoenix, RN, PhD, specializes in the care of severely mentally ill adults, with a focus on populations with co-occurring substance use disorders. Her research has focused on recovery in dually-diagnosed adults, and on mental health needs of inner-city homeless mentally ill individuals. She has taken leadership on both the state and national levels in developing and promoting advanced practice nursing roles in mental health. Dr. Phoenix is the Coordinator of Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing and teaches second year seminars as well as Substance Abuse and Mental Illness, and Research on Management of Psychiatric Conditions.
"Graduates of the UCSF advanced practice psychiatric nursing program are extremely well-prepared to provide care that addresses the complex health needs of clients with interacting psychiatric, medical and substance use disorders. Our clinical preceptors are excellent clinicians who develop innovative ways to care for challenging clients."
Linda Chafetz, RN, DNSc, has taught community health and psychiatric nursing in Europe and the United States, and has practiced in a variety of community and hospital settings. Her research has focused on outcomes of programs designed for severely mentally ill adults in community services, and on the factors influencing course of mental illness. Her current research is a clinical trial of a wellness model developed for mentally ill adults. She teaches courses in psychiatric assessment and psychotherapeutic techniques with adults.
Sandra J. Weiss, RN, DNSc, PhD, FAAN, has a Ph.D. in Biological and Developmental Psychology as well as a nursing doctorate (DNSc.) in Child and Family Mental Health Nursing. She also has a long history as a clinician, including work on child and adolescent psychiatric units, serving as a clinical nurse specialist in community mental health and crisis intervention, and having her own private practice. Her research interests include: a) family mental health; b) prevention and early intervention with high-risk infants and children; and c) the interaction between biological and environmental factors in the etiology of mental illness, especially for children who experience early physical or psychological trauma. She teaches Theories of Mental Illness, Psychotherapeutic Interventions with Children and Adolescents, Advanced Developmental Science, and Research Methods for Studying Psychological Factors.
Gerri Collins-Bride, RN, MS, ANP has practiced as an ANP for 20 years, including 12 as the Administrative Nurse Practitioner for the UCSF General Internal Medical Practice. She specializes in primary care of psychiatrically disabled adults and adults with developmental disabilities. Ms. Collins-Bride is the clinical director of the UCSF Nurse Practitioner Practice at Progress Foundation, a faculty practice that provides primary care services to clients with psychiatric disease and serves as a major clinical residency site for students in the integrated Psychiatric CNS/ANP program. In 1996, she received the Golden State Nurses Foundation Award for Innovations in Practice for her work with the Progress Foundation. She oversees the primary care components of the integrated program.
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Susanne Killing
"I feel fortunate to be one of the first psychiatric nurse practitioners working for the Department of Public Health, Division of Community Behavioral Health Services in San Francisco. Currently I have a very exciting practice working with mentally ill older adults in the Tenderloin and South of Market areas of the city. As a psychiatric nurse practitioner I do mental health assessments and medication evaluations, manage medications, provide crisis services, conduct group and individual therapy sessions, provide case management services, provide outreach services to clients and provide education and consultation to community members and other service providers.
"In addition to all of this, our clinic is collaborating with a primary care clinic to begin to proved integrated health and mental health services to a select population that have difficulty accessing medical care.
"UCSF's School of Nursing has a great vision and desire to provide services to the underserved community. The Adult Nurse Practitioner/Psychiatric Mental Health dual program is a great example of UCSF's commitment to thinking outside of the box in how to provide services to the severely mentally ill with medical needs. The training I received left me well prepared to work with a medically frail and mentally ill population and placed me in a pioneering role in the state of California."
Sheila Thares
"Training to be a psychiatric nurse practitioner at UCSF has benefited me in many ways. For example, the UCSF program enables every candidate to provide a comprehensive history and physical exam. The NPs at UC are trained to provide what I describe as "gold standard" health care and this is our foundation. I am very proud to be a graduate of an academic institution that is known worldwide and maintains a commitment to serve the underserved population. For example, while becoming an NP I became familiar with working with transgender and homeless communities and in my current position I strive daily to meet the standard of care my professors taught me to provide.
"My professional practice currently incorporates rounds as a "consultant" to RNs and MDs for withdrawal liaison services and psychiatric evaluations in the medical-surgical, ER, and ICU at Santa Clara Kaiser Permanente Medical Center. I spend the remainder of the day in our outpatient clinic providing the above services as well as educating patients, family members and groups, mentoring other NPs, designing programs, and completing administrative duties. It all adds up to what for me is a meaningful and often poignant career."
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| Definition | · | Program | · | Faculty | · | Graduates | · | Courses | · | Questions | · | Applying |
Curriculum information is available from the following web page.
Q: What kinds of jobs are available for Psychiatric/Mental Health (PMH) nurses with a master's degree?
A: Advanced practice PMH nurses work in a variety of settings, including inpatient and emergency psychiatric services, outpatient mental health clinics, psychiatric home care and substance abuse treatment. Psychiatric consult/liaison nurses provide consultation on psychiatric issues and brief treatment in general medical units and primary care clinics. Some master's-prepared PMH nurses have private psychotherapy practices, or work in group practices with other mental health professionals.
Q: What's the difference between a Psychiatric/Mental Health Clinical Nurse Specialist (PMH-CNS) and a Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMH-NP)?
A: There is considerable overlap between the roles in Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing -- both PMH-CNSs and PMH-NPs have expertise in advanced health assessment, psychiatric assessment, and psychotherapeutic management of mental health problems and psychiatric disorders. Typically, the PMH-NP role has a greater focus on psychiatric diagnosis, including the differential diagnosis of medical disorders with psychiatric symptoms, and on medication treatment for psychiatric disorders. PMH-CNS roles may focus on providing leadership to others in the mental health workforce, including functions such as staff education and training, and program development and quality improvement. A PMH-CNS may also focus on individual, group or family psychotherapy.
The way these roles are defined varies from state to state. Some states do not distinguish between roles and license all master's-prepared psychiatric nurses under a single advanced practice licensure. In California, PMH-NPs are eligible for prescriptive authority and PMH-CNSs are not.
Q: What is the job market like for advanced practice psychiatric nurses?
A: Demand for master's-prepared nurses is strong, and should continue to be strong. Since people with psychiatric disorders are disproportionately likely to suffer from medical illnesses such as diabetes and asthma, nurses' training in advanced health assessment and health promotion makes them ideal for providing comprehensive care for physical and mental health problems. Also, a significant and growing psychiatrist shortage has increased interest among employers in hiring psychiatric nurses with prescriptive authority.
Q: Can the Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nursing program be taken online or through other distance learning modalities?
A: No. Although we are incorporating more online teaching and learning into our program,
there are no plans to institute a completely online program.
| Quick-Links: Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nursing | ||||||||||||
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| Definition | · | Program | · | Faculty | · | Graduates | · | Courses | · | Questions | · | Applying |
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