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For RNs who have a Bachelor’s or Higher Degree

The Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) program is a full time, cohort model designed to be completed in 3 years (8 semesters). A total of 74 credits are required to complete the program. The PMHNP program prepares nurses with advanced clinical judgment and practice skills to provide holistic psychiatric-mental health care to individuals, families, and groups across the life span.

In addition to core advanced practice nursing courses, specialty courses provide students with a foundation in psychiatric-mental health advanced practice nursing care that includes psychotropic medication management; individual, group and family psychotherapy; crisis intervention; care coordination and consultation. Special emphasis is placed on the delivery of care to vulnerable populations in an evolving healthcare delivery system.

This program offers 810 supervised clinical hours in a variety of settings across the life span. The DNP curriculum includes 225 supervised hours for completion of the DNP project. The supervised clinical hours with the DNP project hours complete the 1,000 supervised hours required to obtain the DNP degree. Students are prepared to take the PMHNP certification exam after completion of the program.

Nursing Licensure and State Authorization

Once the student has completed the DNP degree and successfully obtained national certification in their respective field, the graduate is eligible to apply to the Hawaii Board of Nursing to practice as an APRN within their respective specialty in the State of Hawaii. UH Manoa School of Nursing & Dental Hygiene is unable to vet the professional licensure requirements outside of the State of Hawaii and recommends the student contact the respective professional licensing board to determine the licensure requirements in the state in which the student will practice.

Curriculum

*The curriculum listed is for information purposes and may vary depending on the year of enrollment

Note: Sequence of courses may change due to availability of courses. Enrollment in equivalent courses in other UH schools or offered by NEXus may be taken to ensure timely student progression. Students participate in a mandatory orientation during the first week of instruction each semester.

Year 1
30 credits
Fall
12 credits
NURS 613 Pathophysiology for Advanced Practice (3)
NURS 629 Pharmacology for Nurses in Advanced Practice (3)
NURS 662 Leadership, Role Identity, and Organizational/System Change (3)
N642 Healthcare Information and Technology (3)
Spring
9 credits
NURS 612 Advanced Assessment & Clinical Reasoning (2)
NURS 612L Advanced Assessment & Clinical Reasoning Lab (1)
NURS 631 Advanced Psychopharmacology Across the Lifespan (3 cr)
NURS 683 Psychobiology of Mental Health Disorders (3 cr)
Summer
9 credits
NURS 640 Chronic Illness Management (3)
NURS 684 Theory: Psychiatric-Mental Health Advanced Practice Nursing Across the Lifespan 1 (3 cr)
NURS 684L Clinical: Psychiatric-Mental Health Advanced Practice Nursing 1 (3 cr)
Year 2
27 credits
Fall
10 credits
NURS 685 Individual Psychotherapy for Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (3 cr)
NURS 684L Clinical: Psychiatric-Mental Health Advanced Practice Nursing 1 (3 cr)
NURS 730 Principles of Evidence Based Practice for Advanced Nursing (3)
NURS 776 Doctor of Nursing Practice Project (1)
Spring
10 credits
NURS 686 Psychiatric-Mental Health Advanced Practice Nursing Across the Lifespan 2 (3 cr)
NURS 686L Clinical: Psychiatric-Mental Health Advanced Practice Nursing 2 (3 cr)
NURS 735 Effective Program Evaluation for Quality Improvement (3)
NURS 776 Doctor of Nursing Practice Project (1)
Summer
7 credits
NURS 687 Family & Group Psychotherapy for Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (3 cr)
NURS 686L Clinical: Psychiatric-Mental Health Advanced Practice Nursing 2 (3 cr)
NURS 776 Doctor of Nursing Practice Project (1)
Year 3
17 credits
Fall
10 credits
NURS 688 Theory: Psychiatric-Mental Health Advanced Practice Nursing Across the Lifespan 3 (3)
NURS 688L Clinical: Psychiatric-Mental Health Advanced Practice Nursing 3 (3)
NURS 607 Applied Biostatistics and Epidemiology for Nurses in Advanced Practice (3)
NURS 776 Doctor of Nursing Practice Project (1)
Spring
7 credits
NURS 688L Clinical: Psychiatric-Mental Health Advanced Practice Nursing 3 (3)
NURS 740 Health Policy & Economics (3)
NURS 776 Doctor of Nursing Practice Project (1)

Total Number of Credits: 74 credits

Curriculum effective for DNP cohorts entering: Fall 2024

Current students refer to STAR for their individualized curriculum pathway.

Contact

Picture of Aeza Hafalia, M.Ed
Aeza Hafalia, M.Ed
DNP Program Coordinator & NEXus Campus Staff Coordinator

Contact for applicants and current students in the DNP program and the NEXus Program.

Email: dnpnurs@hawaii.edu

Nancy Atmospera-Walch School of Nursing
University of Hawaii at Manoa
2528 McCarthy Mall, Webster Hall 201
Honolulu, HI 96822
Ph: 808-956-8401
Fax: 808-956-5977

Schedule an Advising Appointment
via Star Balance
Picture of Christine Loui, MSN, APRN-Rx, ACNS-BC, PMHNP-BC
Christine Loui, MSN, APRN-Rx, ACNS-BC, PMHNP-BC
Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Specialty Program Coordinator & Instructor

Nancy Atmospera-Walch School of Nursing
University of Hawaii at Manoa
2528 McCarthy Mall, Webster Hall 406
Honolulu, HI 96822
Phone: 808-956-5523
Fax: 808-956-3257
Email: chrisnm@hawaii.edu

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