The Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing offers a
graduate program preparing Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners
(PMHNP). This master’s program, started in the fall of 2005, began with
funding assistance from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners are advanced practice
registered nurses (APN’s) who provide a full range of psychiatric care,
including assessing, diagnosing, and managing the prevention and treatment
of psychiatric disorders and mental health problems. PMHNP’s work in
various settings, from outpatient settings such as clinics to hospitals.
The PMHNP program is coordinated by faculty member Dana
Murphy-Parker and offers both full-time and part-time studies. In addition to the MS
option, a Post-master's PMHNP certificate program exists to meet the needs of Advanced Practice Nurses (APN's)
who wish to improve their ability to meet the needs of individuals and
families with psychiatric concerns. Graduates of the Master’s and
Post-master’s program are eligible to sit for the American Nurses
Credentialing Center (ANCC) national certification exam for PMHNP and will
be capable of functioning independently practicing primary mental health
care as an advanced practice nurse. The PMHNP program is intended to
produce graduates capable of improving access to primary mental health
care for rural populations and therefore has a strong program emphasis on
rural settings of care.
There is a demand for APN's with the PMHNP credential
both nationally and regionally. Individuals living in Wyoming and the
mountain west experience rates of mental health problems significantly
higher than national norms. This is compounded by severe mental health
professional shortages, which limit access to care for rural individuals,
making the PMHNP a highly sought credential. Psychiatric disorders are
very disabling and burdensome illnesses, accounting for more than 15% of
the burden of disease in the U.S., more than the burden caused by all
cancers combined. Graduate of the PMHNP program will have the ability to
assess, diagnose, manage, and treat people with chronic and acute
psychiatric problems and disorders or those with the potential for such
disorders.
Students in the PMHNP program will take both theory
and clinical practice courses, learning a broad range of skills that will
open a variety of career opportunities. Potential employment settings
include inpatient and outpatient facilities such as hospitals;
community-based or home care centers; local, state, and federal mental
health agencies; long-term care facilities; private practices; substance
abuse and detoxification programs; emergency psychiatric service centers;
primary care offices; correctional facilities; home health agencies; and
behavioral health care companies.
For more information about the Psychiatric Mental
Health Nurse Practitioner Program, call Dana Murphy-Parker at 307-766-5358,
or e-mail at dmurphyp@uwyo.edu.
