Post-Graduate APRN Certificate-Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

Program Director: Dr. Christine Johnson DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, PMHNP-BC

The North Central College Post-Graduate Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) Certificate program provides opportunities for registered nurses, who already have a MS in Nursing degree and want to advance their education and gain the specialized knowledge, skills and abilities to provide independent care as clinicians with specific populations.

Post-Graduate APRN Certificate students will join the MS in Nursing degree seeking students in their specialty track related courses. Students will learn how to perform medical diagnoses and treatment through evidence-based didactic and clinical instruction. Problem-based learning, simulation and clinical practice hours will allow students to deepen their clinical reasoning and decision-making skills. Family Nurse Practitioner coursework will provide students with instruction on primary care across the lifespan, focusing on both episodic acute and chronic care. Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner coursework will prepare students to provide a wide range of mental health services across the lifespan, focusing on the bio-psychosocial model of care.

Upon completion of the Post-Graduate APRN Certificate program, students will be eligible to sit for either the Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) or Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) board certification exam offered by both the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP).