Advanced Nursing Practice (Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner), DNP
Doctor, Nurse, Practice, Psychiatric, family, nursing
This program's name has changed effective Spring 2025. The previous name was Advanced Nursing Practice (Family Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurse Practitioner).
The psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner concentration of the DNP program is an advanced nursing practice degree. This program prepares students to provide holistic, client-centered mental health care to individuals of all ages within traditional, nontraditional and culturally diverse families.
This is a hybrid program, a blend of in-person and online learning. Students are required to travel to campus for orientation once and for immersions two or three times per semester.
Core courses include pharmacology, advanced pathophysiology and advanced health assessment. Specialty courses focus on assessment, screening, diagnosis and evidence-based management of common, chronic and complex mental health conditions across the lifespan. The program highlights valid and reliable tools for screening and identification of mental health disorders as well as early interventions for these problems. Content for each disorder include epidemiology, early signs and symptoms, differential diagnosis, and sociocultural variations in evidence-based management and treatment. Management includes psychopharmacologic and therapeutic skills building that are based in motivational interviewing, mindfulness, cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy. The program emphasizes individual, group and family therapy techniques. Practicing faculty with clinical experience teach the specialty coursework and clinical experiences, which enrich learning.
In addition to advanced nursing specialty-focused outcomes, the program engages students to meet doctoral-level competencies in systems-level thinking, complexity science, quality and safety, evidence-based practice, and the development of a doctoral project within a partner organization to improve outcomes at the patient, provider or health care system level. Students are educated as leaders at the highest level of nursing practice to translate research into practice, lead in multidisciplinary teams, and engage in health care policy and advocacy to improve patient outcomes.
Focused clinical experiences are arranged for students residing in Maricopa County, Arizona. Students should expect to travel throughout Maricopa County and to surrounding counties to complete their assigned clinical placement.
Students residing outside of Maricopa County, Arizona are responsible for identifying the required number of clinical sites in their area of residence and for identifying preceptors and sites willing to accommodate clinical rotations, and the college must approve these sites before starting any clinical experience; the program office does not guarantee a clinical placement site for any student outside Maricopa County. If, during the program, faculty determine the student needs additional supervision for clinical progress in the program, the student must complete clinical experiences in the Phoenix area.
The program office offers clinical rotations in health profession shortage areas throughout the state, both in urban underserved and rural areas, that provide students multicultural experiences to enhance professional development.
As a participating National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements member, Arizona State University is authorized to offer distance education to persons located in individual state authorization reciprocity agreement member states in accordance with the council's established policies and standards. California is not a state authorization reciprocity agreement member and the California Bureau of Private Postsecondary Education does not regulate out-of-state public institutions. ASU may offer educational activities in California. There are some exceptions for specific programs at Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation.
- College/school:
Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation
- Location: Downtown Phoenix
- STEM-OPT extension eligible: No
85 credit hours including the required applied project course (DNP 707)
Required Core (13 credit hours)
DNP 704 Principles of Evidence-Based Care in Advanced Practice (4)
DNP 705 Health Care Outcomes Management (3)
DNP 708 Systems Thinking in a Complex Healthcare Environment (3)
DNP 709 Individual and Innovation Leadership in Healthcare Practice (3)
Concentration (29 credit hours)
DNP 660 Advanced Neuropsychopathology Lifespan (2)
DNP 671 Advanced Mental Health Assessment Across the Lifespan (2)
DNP 672 Psychopharmacology Across the Lifespan (3)
DNP 673 Mental Health Promotion Across the Lifespan (3)
DNP 674 Mental Health Promotion Across the Lifespan Practicum (3)
DNP 675 Management of Common Mental Health Disorders Across the Lifespan (3)
DNP 676 Management of Common Mental Health Disorders Across the Lifespan Practicum (5)
DNP 677 Management of Complex and Chronic Mental Health Disorders Across the Lifespan (3)
DNP 678 Management of Complex and Chronic MH Disorders Across the Lifespan Practicum (5)
Other Requirements (40 credit hours)
DNP 601 Theoretical Foundations for Advance Practice Nursing (3)
DNP 602 Evaluating Research for Practice (3)
DNP 604 Advanced Human Pathophysiology Across Lifespan (4)
DNP 605 Advanced Health Assessment Across Lifespan (3)
DNP 608 Applied Pharmacotherapeutics Across Lifespan (3)
DNP 609 Advanced Practice Nursing Role (1)
DNP 679 Biostatistics: Principals of Statistical Inference (3)
DNP 703 Innovation in Communication-Scholarly and Professional Writing (2)
DNP 711 Healthcare Policy and Innovation (3)
DNP 712 Clinical Residency and Management (12)
DNP 715 Dynamics and Principles of Information in Health Care (3)
Culminating Experience (3 credit hours)
DNP 707 Disseminating Evidence to Advance Best Practice in Health Care and Health Policy (3)
Additional Curriculum Information
Completion of an evidence-based doctoral applied project focused on a clinical issue relevant to advanced practice nursing is required.
The American Nurses Credentialing Center has recommended a minimum of 1,000 postbaccalaureate practicum hours for all students completing a Doctor of Nursing Practice. This program includes 1,125 practicum hours, exceeding the ANCC requirement.
When approved by the student's supervisory committee and the Graduate College, this program allows up to 30 credit hours from a previously awarded master's degree to be used for this program.
Other requirement coursework may be substituted with approval of the academic unit if the student is in an approved concurrent program.
Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and the Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation.
Applicants are eligible to apply to the program if they have earned a bachelor's or master's degree in nursing from a nationally recognized, regionally accredited institution.
Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 hours of their first bachelor's degree program, or applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in an applicable master's degree program.
All applicants must submit:
- graduate admission application and application fee
- official transcripts
- three professional letters of recommendation
- resume
- goal statement
- admission essay
- proof of English proficiency
Additional Application Information
An applicant whose native language is not English must provide proof of English proficiency regardless of their current residency per the Graduate College requirement and all requirements for the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools.
A current unencumbered RN license in the state in which the student plans to do clinical practicums is required. All students are also required to have an unencumbered Arizona RN license or an unencumbered compact state RN license as mandated by the Arizona State Board of Nursing. The RN license must remain unencumbered throughout enrollment in any nursing program.
An interview with program faculty is required.
One year of clinical experience working in the student's specialty population is preferred.
Health and safety requirements include passing disposition on a background clearance and satisfactory completion of a substance screen.
An admission examination is not required.
Any deficiency courses determined by the student's unique gap analysis must have been completed in the past five years to be eligible for credit.
Session | Modality | Deadline | Type |
---|---|---|---|
Session A/C | In Person | 12/15 | Priority |
The Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation prepares graduates for excellence upon entering the workplace. Doctor of Nursing Practice graduates are prepared to practice at the most advanced level of nursing.
Graduates have the knowledge and training to provide health care for patients across the lifespan in a wide variety of settings. This broad base of comprehension and clinical expertise enables them to participate effectively and lead within clinical, community and academic arenas.
Career examples:
- business owner
- community advocate
- nurse practitioner
- professor
ASU programs that may lead to professional licensure or certification are intended to prepare students for potential licensure or certification in Arizona. Completion of an ASU program may not meet educational requirements for licensure or certification in another state. For more information, students should visit the ASU professional licensure webpage.
Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation
|
MERCC 250
nursingandhealth@asu.edu
602-496-0937
3 year programs
These programs allow students to fast-track their studies after admission and earn a bachelor's degree in three years or fewer while participating in the same high-quality educational experience of a 4-year option. Students should talk to their academic advisor to get started.
Accelerated master's
These programs allow students to accelerate their studies to earn a bachelor's plus a master's degree in as few as five years (for some programs).
Each program has requirements students must meet to be eligible for consideration. Acceptance to the graduate program requires a separate application. Students typically receive approval to pursue the accelerated master’s during the junior year of their bachelor's degree program. Interested students can learn about eligibility requirements and how to apply.