Bruin Brief 2022-06-03: PMHNP Post-Master’s Certificate Program

PMHNP Post-Master’s Certificate Program at UCLA SON in partnership with other UC Schools

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Figure 1. Infographic from NAMI website

Background: Why was program created?

Mental illness affects 1 in 5 US adults and 1 in 6 US youth (aged 6-17) each year. Many of us are working to maintain our own wellness and mental health, and shoring up our students, friends, family, and colleagues as well. Because mental health is both personally and professionally vital to our School of Nursing, we want to build mental health into the curriculum and support wellness in our co-curricular activities, too.  Everyone in our community contributes to this effort. Some faculty teach mental health content in their courses or through NCLEX prep classes. Other faculty and staff work alongside the formal curriculum, and create a healthy, functional, supportive work environment where we can care for ourselves and each other.

The PMHNP Program co-hosted by UCLA SON
Our School takes part in a post-master’s psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner program (PMHNP). This program launched in 2020 to prepare more mental health professionals. Three schools of nursing within the University of California system (UCSF, UCLA, and UC Davis) launched a one-year certificate program for advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) who were not yet PMHNPs but were prepared to add that credential to their skill mix. Because the new program is mostly online — there are just three in-person sessions — it gives APRNs across the state the opportunity to gain PMHNP certification without relocating. Students can remain in their own communities to complete the clinical training portion of the curriculum. At this point, the majority of the APRN students seeking PMHNP program entry live within the UCLA SON catchment area, and we are the critical access point to PMHNP clinical education.

If you haven’t yet watched the 5-minute YouTube video about the PMHNP program, it’s a good way to get enthused about this effort.

PMHNPs can address the mental health provider shortage
You may already know that PMHNPs are advance practice registered nurses with additional certification who can diagnose and treat mental health and substance use disorders as well as prescribe and manage psychiatric medications. They also conduct counseling crisis intervention, and family and couples’ therapy. Under their licenses, PMHNPs can provide care in a wide range of settings, including primary care clinics, where many people receive their mental health care. Compared to physicians, nurse practitioners are more likely to serve rural and underserved populations.

Inadequate training opportunities for mental health professionals creates a bottleneck in the mental health workforce. California’s psychiatrist workforce is projected to decrease by one-third by 2028 while population needs continue to increase. As the number of psychiatrists declines, PMHNPs can play a critical role in the behavioral health workforce.  In recent years, California was graduating only 75–80 people from PMHNP programs annually. In a 2019 report, the California Future Health Workforce Commission called for the rapid development of a PMHNP program to recruit and train 300 new PMHNPs by 2025, which would nearly double the current pipeline of these clinicians.

UCLA SON is an active partner in preparing PMHNPs through this partnership
Both staff and faculty contribute to the preparation of nurses with mental health expertise. One way the UCLA SON staff take part is by securing clinical placements for students, including those accepted into the post-master’s PMHNP program. LaWanda Bowles-Costello has expanded her role in the APRN clinical placement office to take on the cultivation of new PMHNP training sites.  This year, she worked to find new placements. Ramez Soliman has also assisted in this effort by verifying student clinical readiness and immunization compliance, as well as preparing affiliation agreements. Part of his role is shuttling those agreements through the legal and risk management systems at UCLA to ensure student placements can start on time.  

Faculty also participate in the PMHNP program, as both graduates of the program and teachers within the program. Three of our faculty are recent graduates of the PMHNP certificate program. Rodney Fox, PhD, AG-ACNP, FNP, PMHNP,  Stacey Green, DNP, AOCNP, GNP-BC, PMHNP-BC, and Darah Wilson, RN, MSN, FNP-BC, PMHNP-BC, are lecturers with PMHNP credentials. Their expertise in two (or more!) advanced practice specialty roles builds capacity in our School in many ways, across both prelicensure and MSN-APRN programs.

As of July 1, Kathleen McDermott, DNP, RN, MSN, APRN, PMHNP will be joining the School of Nursing as a half-time Adjunct Faculty member. She will teach in the PMHNP program, along with Stacey Green, and mentor students, work with academic administration to secure placements, and participate in scholarship and service within the School.  Below is a snapshot of Dr. McDermott’s professional and personal background.

In addition to the PMHNP program, courses in other educational programs also incorporate mental health and wellness.  For example, Dr. Catherine Carpenter just received notice from the Semel Institute that the nutrition courses she teaches to prelicensure students (Fall N152B and Winter N252B) in the test kitchen will be supported with a grant from the UCLA Equity in Mental Health Grant. These innovative courses help students develop cooking skills and hands-on nutrition experiences that benefit their own families and prepare them to promote patient well-being, too.

How you can help with mental health preparation of nurses: PMHNP clinical placements are not sufficient

This year, we anticipate needing up to 30 secured student placements, with site affiliation agreements in place by January 2023.  We had 12 functioning placements in January 2022, so we need to more than double our capacity as soon as possible for PMHNP placements in Southern California.

If you know of a psychiatric or mental health site, preceptor, or placement possibility, please email LaWanda Bowles-Costello and help her connect. The tip line is open!

Where can I learn more about the PMHNP program?

If you would like to apply to the PMHNP program or refer someone to the program, please visit the UCSF School of Nursing website.

Can I help recruit students to the PMHNP program?

Yes, please share a two-page fact sheet that describes the program in more detail.

Lauren Clark
Professor and Shapiro Family Endowed Chair in Developmental Disability Studies

Associate Dean, Academic Programs
Mobile: (801) 503-4755
nursing.ucla.edu