About the Program

The Master of Science with a major in Nursing Program’s PMHNP track,  through an interprofessional learning model, will graduate PMHNPs who will be prepared to provide quality, holistic, scientifically sound, and patient-centered care while optimizing the health and well-being of diverse populations and communities for the betterment of humanity.

The focus of the PMHNP track is to prepare PMHNP graduates who will provide patient-centered quality care to individuals and families across the lifespan. The PMHNP role includes providing primary mental health care to patients seeking mental health services in a wide range of settings. Primary mental health care provided by the PMHNP involves relationship-based, continuous and comprehensive services, necessary for the promotion of optimal mental health, prevention, and treatment of psychiatric disorders and health maintenance. This includes assessment, diagnosis, and management of mental health and psychiatric disorders across the lifespan. (NONPF, 2011, 2012).

Through the values of leadership, scholarship, collaboration, innovation, excellence, global health, humanism, learning, courage and diversity, advanced practice nurses who complete the curriculum of the respective track of the Master of Science program will:

1. Integrate critical analysis from the sciences and humanities to improve advanced practice nursing and health outcomes.
2. Develop innovative practice by integrating principles of change throughout health care systems.
3. Apply investigative skills in the translation of new knowledge to improve practice and health outcomes.
4. Demonstrate proficiency in the use of improvement sciences and peer review to achieve measurable health outcomes, including, but not limited to, value-based health care.
5. Apply technology and scientific health information to coordinate and deliver personalized health care to a diverse global population.
6. Advocate strategies to impact the ethical, legal, and social factors of global health care policy.
7. Collaborate as leaders and members of the interprofessional team to maximize communication and coordination of care to achieve optimal health outcomes.
8. Provide a full spectrum of evidence-based health care services throughout the life cycle of the population served to optimize health outcomes.
9. Demonstrate professionalism, accountability and ownership while providing patient-centered care that recognizes diversity and respects consumer preferences.

Admission Requirements

1. BS in Nursing from an accredited institution with a GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale for baccalaureate nursing degree and subsequent graduate work.
2. An unencumbered New York state RN license.
3. Nursing clinical experience: minimum of one (1) year current clinical experience.
4. Verification of a basic health assessment course.
5. Verification of a statistics course.
6. AHA Certification: current copy of BLS certification.
7. A resume that includes relevant work experiences (including dates of employment by month and year), evidence of community service, examples of leadership and commitment to the profession of nursing, and memberships in professional nursing organizations.
8. Three letters of recommendation submitted through the online recommendation form, accessible through the online application.  Letters can be from the following sources, attesting to the applicant’s capacity and potential for master’s study:
   1. The director or a faculty member from the most recent academic program attended (if applicant has been a nursing student in the last 5 years);
   2. The applicant’s current employer; and
   3. A person who can attest to the applicant’s professional work.
9. A pre-admission interview.
10. Essays, one of which to be written on-site following interview.
11. Comprehensive background check.
12. Student Health Requirements: Proof of physical examination within one year of application, student NP liability insurance and health insurance, current immunizations for MMR, Chickenpox, Hepatitis B, Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis.

Total Program Requirements – Semester Hours: 48

Graduation Requirements

Students enrolled in the PMHNP track of the MS program are required, in accordance with regulatory and educational standards, to perform direct advanced practice clinical care hours. These credit-bearing clinical hours are a component of each of the four clinical courses in which the student is placed with an appropriate preceptor.  The PMHNP track of the MS program requires students to perform 720 direct care hours.

Project included in NUR 218 

Having the skills to manage a team, evaluate critical problems and execute solutions is required to be an effective advanced practice nurse. This course engages students on planning and carrying out a pilot project of significant importance that is a current problem or initiative for their health care organization.

The student should identify the interprofessional team members that they would lead for this pilot project. The aspects of the proposed project include:

1. Diagnosing the critical problem.
2. Defining an appropriate scope of work driven by the literature and needs of the learner’s organization.
3. Identifying institutional expectations.
4. Develop potential recommendations for change based upon the literature.
5. A proposal of the proposal (see proposal development/outline from Research Design course). Submit to faculty for approval, via Turnitin Blackboard.
6. Collect data and evaluate outcomes
7. Final paper is submitted using Turnitin in Blackboard.
8. Present project and outcomes to a panel of health care executives, “putting it all together.”

With a focus on practice inquiry, the scholarly work of the project should begin early in the program, during the Research Methods and Design  course, and be developed and conducted through the course of the program. It is required for proposed projects to be identified in collaboration with a health care executive in the student’s organization and the student’s faculty adviser, to reinforce their linkage with tangible practice or administrative problems. The student will demonstrate knowledge of advanced practice nursing concepts in an interprofessional environment.

Cumulative Exam upon completion of NUR 284