Post-Graduate (PG) Nursing Certificates
The purpose of the PG Nursing Certificate programs is the following:
- Provide an educational route to specialization in an area other than that obtained in the master’s program.
- Strengthen or broaden the clinical, teaching, or leadership capabilities of masters prepared nurses who are planning a role expansion or role change.
The PG Nursing Certificate allows the learner to receive credit for prior graduate work while taking coursework that advances career opportunities.
Because of the efficient design, both MSN and DNP degree-holding students can take advantage of the PG Nursing Certificate option by adding it to their degree program or by taking the block of specialty courses alone.
The PG Nursing Certificate student is eligible for the same certification exams offered in each specialty and may have the same employment opportunities.
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PG PMHNP)
The Post Graduate Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Certificate (PG PMHNP) program prepares the graduate nurse to assess, diagnose, manage, and treat individuals and populations across the lifespan—from children to older adults—who have mental health conditions. By completing the PMHNP Certificate, practitioners are prepared in physical and psychosocial assessments, emergency crisis psychiatric care, psychotherapy, prescribing psychotropic medications, and providing health promotion and disease prevention interventions while building patient-centered holistic relationships with patients and their families within communities, clinics, hospitals, and diverse settings.
Graduates who complete the PMHNP PG Nursing Certificate are eligible to apply and take the examination for the following national certifications:
- Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner - Board Certified (PMHNP-BC) by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)
- Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse - Board Certified (PMH-BC) by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)
Admissions Requirements
See Application for Admissions .
Role Specialty Learning Outcomes for PMHNP
- Perform comprehensive health assessments that incorporate diagnostic reasoning and the interpretation of diagnostic procedures.
- Engage patients and families in planning for health promotion, prevention of disease or disease progression, and symptom management.
- Apply critical thinking in the diagnosis and problem identification of complex issues related to clinical practice, individuals, populations, and systems of care.
- Provide ethical, patient-centered care based on best evidence, clinician expertise, patient preference and circumstances.
- Evaluate outcomes of care using individual and aggregate data.
- Implement the role of a PMHNP in a professional, respectful, and ethical manner.
Note on Accreditation and Licensure
Graduates of the Post Graduate Nursing Certificate program with a specialization in Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner must hold a master’s or doctoral degree or a postgraduate certificate from a nurse practitioner program accredited by CCNE or ACEN in order to be eligible for the national certification exam which is required in order to practice as a certified PMHNP in most states. Graduates should take the exam that aligns with their role specialty (PMHNP-BC or PMH-BC). The Post Graduate Nursing Certificate program with a specialization in Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) program at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655 K Street NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791. While the Post Graduate Nursing Certificate PMHNP program is designed to lead to licensure, authorization, endorsement, or other state credential necessary to practice as a nurse practitioner, it is the prospective student’s responsibility to understand, evaluate, and comply with all requirements relating to nursing practice in the state in which he or she intends to practice and/or resides, as requirements vary widely. Prospective students are advised to carefully review, evaluate, and understand the requirements of the applicable licensure board in the state in which they intend to relocate. USAHS makes no representations or guarantees that completion of coursework or programs will permit an individual to obtain state licensure, authorization, endorsement, or another state credential. For more information about the requirements to practice, students should contact the appropriate Board of Nursing or state agency.
Classification codes for which program is intended to prepare graduates: Nurse Practitioners (29-1171); Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary (25-1072); Registered Nurses (29-1141); Medical and Health Services Managers (11-9111)
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