Drexel University Online

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MSN Adult Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

Curriculum

This is a 55 credit graduate degree program. It is designed for part-time attendance by working nurses.

*Please note the Consensus Model for APRN Regulation was released in 2008 to provide a uniform approach to advanced practice licensure, accreditation, certification, and education with a target date of 2015 for full implementation. Subsequently, the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties adopted the term “ population focus” to describe the scope of preparation for nurse practitioners. The new recognized population foci include across the lifespan Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurse Practitioner under which the Adult Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurse Practitioner falls.  

As a result, the American Nurse Credentialing Center announced the upcoming title change from “Adult Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurse Practitioner” to “Family Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurse Practitioner” and is creating a new exam to reflect the new competencies that is expected to launch in 2013. The Adult Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurse Practitioner exam will then be retired and all students will need to meet the requirements of the new exam. Current Adult Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurse Practitioners will maintain their certification, but if their certification lapses they will have to meet the new criteria to be able to sit for the “Family Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurse Practitioner” exam.  

Therefore, Drexel’s Adult Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program is undergoing a curricular revision to become compliant with the new requirements. The revised curriculum is anticipated to be approved and in place by 2013.  

Current students will be notified in writing once the proposed curriculum is approved and the impact of the changes on their individual course of study. 


Core Courses (18 Credits)
INFO 526Information, Innovation & Technology in Advanced Nursing Practice3.00 credits
NURS 500Confronting Issues in Contemporary Health Care Environments3.00 credits
NURS 502Advanced Ethical Decision Making in Health Care3.00 credits
NURS 527Evidence Based Approaches to Practice3.00 credits
RSCH 519Introduction to Biostatistics3.00 credits
RSCH 523Methods for Health Research3.00 credits

Support Courses (14 Credits)
NURS 548Advanced Pathophysiology3.00 credits
NURS 549Advanced Pharmacology3.00 credits
NURS 550Advanced Physical Assessment & Diagnostic Reasoning4.00 credits
NURS 555Psychopharmacology3.00 credits
NURS 664Professional Issues for Nurse Practitioners1.00 credits

Clinical Courses (20 Credits)
NURS 592PMHNP1: Theoretical Foundations of Psychiatric Mental Health5.00 credits
NURS 593PMHNP II: Management and Care of Clients with Acute and Chronic Medical Illness5.00 credits
NURS 594PMHNP III: Psychiatric Conditions in Primary Care5.00 credits
NURS 595PMHNP IV: Management and Mental Health Care of Special Populations5.00 credits

Electives (3 Credits)

Course Descriptions

INFO 526 Information, Innovation & Technology in Advanced Nursing Practice - 3.00 credits

This course is designed to provide an in-depth introduction to information systems and technologies that support practice and improve patient care and outcomes. Development of information management and technology skills (which meet ANA Informatics Competencies) will be incorporated throughout the course. Content is directed toward assisting the student in understanding the relationship between patient care and complex information and data issues involved in clinical practice.

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NURS 500 Confronting Issues in Contemporary Health Care Environments - 3.00 credits

Confronting Issues in Contemporary Health Care Environments examines Health care policy and policies in terms of contemporary issues related to advanced practice nursing, health care access, quality and cost. The focus of this course is the critical analysis of health policy and legal issues.

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NURS 502 Advanced Ethical Decision Making in Health Care - 3.00 credits

This is a course for masters students who have already had some experience in ethical decision making, both academically in the classroom and in practice. This course will take an interdisciplinary focus, as ethical decision making at this level rarely ever is the decision of a single discipline. A variety of ethical topics will be analyzed from various perspectives and depths in an effort to more broadly and more profoundly address the moral difficulties that the advanced practice practitioner in an interdisciplinary environment is likely to encounter.

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NURS 527 Evidence Based Approaches to Practice - 3.00 credits

This course focuses on using research to guide evidence-based practice. Communication, collaboration, and decision making skills from a multidisciplinary approach essential to collect, evaluate, and apply research to practice will be emphasized. During this course the student will learn to (1) conduct efficient, thorough searches of the research literature; (2) evaluate the quality of a body of research through an appraisal of design, methodology, and data analysis; (3) summarize the findings from an overall body of research; and (4) apply research evidence to issues of current nursing practice.

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RSCH 519 Introduction to Biostatistics - 3.00 credits

This is an introductory course which focuses on the fundamentals of biostatistics for health sciences graduate students. Excel-based and SPSS assignments will be used to supplement the content.

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RSCH 523 Methods for Health Research - 3.00 credits

The course is designed to provide professional graduate students with the skills necessary to evaluate the relationship between practice and published research. The course content includes an overview of research concepts, ethics in research, literature searches and reviews, quantitative and qualitative research methods and designs, and data collection, analysis and interpretation techniques. An interdisciplinary team of faculty teaches the course using a problem solving approach. When feasible, concepts and problems are addressed by students in interdisciplinary teams. Through evaluation of published research in an interdisciplinary context, the skills of evidence-based practice are developed.

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NURS 548 Advanced Pathophysiology - 3.00 credits

Building on a foundation of normal physiology, students are exposed to the major disturbances of normal function and the basic mechanisms involved in disease of the major organ systems. The course includes discussion of the general aspects of the common human pathophysiological conditions and syndromes.

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NURS 549 Advanced Pharmacology - 3.00 credits

This course is designed to build on prior pharmacologic study of actions and effects of drugs on the human system across the life span. Students will study pharmacologic mechanisms of action, effects on organ systems, routes of administration, pharmacokinetics, therapeutic uses, considerations related to age and physiologic state, adverse reactions, contraindications, and drop interactions.

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NURS 550 Advanced Physical Assessment & Diagnostic Reasoning - 4.00 credits

This course is designed to introduce the experienced clinical nurse to advanced clinical history taking and physical assessment for adult and pediatric patients. Course content focuses on concepts, theory and practice obtaining comprehensive health histories for patients of all ages and states of health.

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NURS 555 Psychopharmacology - 3.00 credits

This course presents current scientific knowledge of psychopharmacology and its application to clinical problems commonly seen in a variety of settings. The course addresses advanced concepts in neuroscience, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics and the clinical management of target psychiatric symptoms related to psychopharmacologic treatment of various psychiatric disorders.

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NURS 664 Professional Issues for Nurse Practitioners - 1.00 credits

This required course is the application and integration of the role and competencies of the nurse practitioner. The roles of the nurse practitioner as clinician, educator, researcher, expert, and leader are presented and explored. Interpretation and application of professional issues, practice issues, legislative issues, certification issues, insurance issues, legal issues and ethical conflict resolution in advanced nursing practice are explored and integrated into a model of interdisciplinary collaborative practice.

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NURS 592 PMHNP1: Theoretical Foundations of Psychiatric Mental Health - 5.00 credits

This course introduces conceptual models and theories related to the practice of psychiatric mental health nursing. Models of personality development and individual functioning provide a theoretical basis for understanding the development of psychopathology and the selection of appropriate therapeutic strategies.

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NURS 593 PMHNP II: Management and Care of Clients with Acute and Chronic Medical Illness - 5.00 credits

This course focuses on assessment, diagnosis and management of common mental disorders, of schizophrenia and severe and persistent mental illness. The role of the PMHNP in various models of community mental health will be addressed. Analysis of health care systems and advocacy to improve patient/population outcomes will be discussed.

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NURS 594 PMHNP III: Psychiatric Conditions in Primary Care - 5.00 credits

This course focuses on assessment, differential diagnostic process, and management of psychiatric conditions common in primary care settings such as eating disorders, anxiety, substance abuse and depression. Students will critically analyze clinical strategies and interventions in health promotion, health maintenance, and prevention of common psychiatric problems in primary care. Group therapy as a therapeutic modality will be addressed.

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NURS 595 PMHNP IV: Management and Mental Health Care of Special Populations - 5.00 credits

Course focuses on assessment, diagnosis and management of common psychiatric conditions in older adults, women and minorities. Issues on health disparity in mental health care in these populations are discussed. The role of advanced practice psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner in consultation-liaison is addressed. Students will analyze societal, systems, legal and ethical issues which affect the advanced practice psychiatric nursing role in the delivery of care to older adults, women and minorities.

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