Florida Southern College will add a program next year offering a master’s of science in Nursing in Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and a Post-Master’s Certificate in Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner concentration.
The Lakeland school’s Ann Blanton Edwards School of Nursing and Health Sciences has received approval from Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to implement the program, Florida Southern said in a news release. The program will welcome its first cohort in January 2025.
The psychiatric program is designed to equip nurses with the advanced knowledge and skills necessary to assess and manage mental health disorders across the lifespan, the release said. It also addresses ethical, legal and cultural considerations specific to psychiatric mental health care.
Students will participate in a combination of core nursing courses, specialized psychiatric nursing classes and extensive clinical practicum experiences.
The program will use a hybrid schedule and clinical site placements. Graduates will be eligible for certification as PMHNPs through the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board and the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the release said.
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“I am proud to state that our school, which fosters an environment of teaching and learning excellence and collaborative clinical partners coupled with student success, will play a pivotal role in preparing a cadre of competent and compassionate PMHNPs capable of addressing the diverse and evolving needs of individuals experiencing mental health challenges,” Laly Joseph, dean of the Ann Blanton Edwards School of Nursing and Health Sciences, said in the release..