Master of Science in NursingPsychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

The dolphin statues behind Howard Administration Building.

Why Choose Our Program?

Are you ready to take your nursing career to the next level? Jacksonville University's Master of Science in Nursing Program (MSN) prepares students for advanced practice roles in nursing. Our Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) program is designed to educate advanced practice nurses to demonstrate critical thinking and decision-making skills in caring for the mental health of individuals and families across the lifespan. Graduates, if they choose, will be prepared to continue study at the Doctorate level.

Our program:

  • Has strong clinical partnerships with leading providers and facilities
  • Is taught by licensed, practicing PMHNPs
  • We have a dedicated clinical placement team that oversees the clinical placement process and will find clinical placements in Duval, St. Johns, Clay, and Nassau counties only.

If you already have a Master of Science in Nursing, you may be interested in the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner post-graduate certificate.

START YOUR APPLICATION

virtual Information Session

Attendees will have the opportunity to meet with faculty and an admissions counselor to ask questions about our curriculum and admissions process.

Wednesday, April 10, 2024

3:00 p.m.

Register Now
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About Our Program

The MSN-PMHNP program begins one time per year, in the fall semester. The program is offered in both full-time and part-time tracks, on campus. Students will also have opportunities to learn experientially. 

Our Curriculum:

MSN Core

  • NUR 510 Nursing Theory and Research I
  • NUR 512 Organization, Delivery and Policy in Healthcare
  • NUR 514 Nursing Leadership and Advanced Roles
  • NUR 516 Information Systems and Technology for Improved Healthcare
  • NUR 520 Nursing Theory and Research II

APRN Core

  • NUR 501Advanced Health Assessment
  • NUR 502 Advanced Pathophysiology
  • NUR 504 Advanced Pharmacology

PMHNP Core

  • NUR 571 Psychiatric Assessment and Diagnostics Across the Lifespan
  • NUR 573 Psychopharmacological Management of Patients Across the Lifespan with Mental Health Disorders
  • NUR 574 Neuroanatomy for the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
  • NUR 579 Psychotherapy Across the Lifespan for Individuals, Families and Groups
  • NUR 553 Advanced Role Practicum

Graduates are prepared for the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner National Certification Exam through American Nurses Credentialing Center. After successful completion of the certification exam graduates are prepared to apply for licensure as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse in the state of Florida.

Discover a Modern Nursing EducationImmersive Learning in Healthcare

Dive into a unique learning experience, with Jacksonville University's Keigwin School of Nursing. Students will be immersed in experiential learning utilizing virtual reality labs, telepresence robots, simulation scenarios, and research, giving them first-hand knowledge of patient care.

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Immersive Learning in Healthcare

My name is Amber Santos and I am the Director of Innovation and Quality. And what that just means, is that part of my job is to bring [in] innovative active learning into our curriculum. It’s important for a nursing school to continually evolve. We can’t just do the status-quo type of learning and education that we’ve always done. We need to evolve as a school, and part of that is bringing in the technology needed for today’s students in today’s healthcare. 


We’re seeing VR explode in the training industry for a lot of different reasons. We started looking at software that’s out there for the nursing program. There’s actually a surprising number of products that tailor to this type of experience, training nurses and other medical professions. Share Care U has excellent graphics that lets you go inside the human body and see different parts of anatomy and physiology, and then a few others [that] provide simulation experiences where you’re actually in the hospital next to a patient conducting procedures. 


Virtual Reality is an immersive learning tool that we use, and once they put on those goggles they’re literally immersed into that environment. So, we can talk in the classroom about plaque buildup in our arteries and atrial sclerosis, but when they get into that VR world, this immersive world, they get to actually see it and they get to interact with it. [So] they can see how the blood flows through a vessel and how over time, plaque builds up. And then they can also click a box and see how a stent is placed into the vessel. So, it really just immerses them, and it provides a deeper level of learning and understanding. 


My name is Melissa McCray and I am the Student Success Specialist and an assistant professor with the Keigwin School of Nursing. What helps nursing students be successful in nursing school is the use of technology; that’s really a key component. What we are seeing more and more, is very tech-savvy nursing students and that’s great because when you’re in the field of nursing, technology is being introduced every day. And so it’s important that those students are educated in our nursing programs to use some of this technology and interact with that technology. Like I can spin the lungs. Sorry, I’, geeking out a little, there are a lot of secondary benefits from the type of learning we’re providing to our students. It can be just them being a little bit more familiar with the technology, so when they see it in the healthcare setting, and they see a telepresence robot rolling down the hall of the facility they’re working in, they will already have seen that and they will understand how to interact with that and communicate. They will also understand that even though that’s a telepresence robot that could be a family member on the other end, so they still have to have that caring spirit of a nurse. And part of that is worked into our simulations so that they understand that while technology is a wonderful thing, it can never replace the impact a nurse can have. The caring part of what we do. 

AdmissionsHow to Apply

  • Completed JU Application
  • Unofficial Transcripts from Colleges & Universities with All Nursing Coursework & Nursing Degrees
    • If the candidate attended a college or university abroad, an official NACES evaluation of that transcript is required. Choose the course-by-course evaluation with the GPA option.
  •  A minimum 3.0 undergraduate Nursing GPA on a 4.0 scale
  • The following may be requested of students with a GPA of 3.0 or below
    • GRE/GMAT scores
    • Letter(s) of Recommendation
  • Graduation from a regionally accredited program and CCNE, NLN, or ACEN accredited program
  • Resume or Curriculum Vitae (if applying to a Nurse Practitioner track)
  • Statement of Intent
  • Virtual Interview
  • Active U.S. Nursing License
    • Out-of-state applicants must be eligible for endorsement in Florida
    • International students must hold a current license from a U.S. state and be eligible for endorsement in Florida.
  • All international students whose first language is not English are required to submit proof of their proficiency in English, by providing scores for either: IELTS or TOEFL. If submitting score reports, they must be sent directly to Jacksonville University from the testing institutions.

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Contact Information Keigwin School of Nursing

Brooks Rehabilitation College of Healthcare Sciences

Phone: (904) 256-7000
Email: graduateadmissions@ju.edu