The Johns Hopkins School of Nursing Announces New DNP Track in Psychiatric Mental Health

The Johns Hopkins School of Nursing (JHSON) will launch the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner track as part of its top-ranked Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program with first students starting in fall 2022. Students will gain skills to become psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners and learn how to evaluate and treat mental health across the lifespan and in wide variety of settings.

“This is an especially important offering within our school and a critical move to equip nurses at the highest level in a specialization that is increasingly needed,” says Interim Dean Marie Nolan, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN. “As Doctor of Nursing Practice graduates, our students will be leaders in practice, have advanced knowledge in mental health care, and will be leading the future of care in mental health.”

The three-year program offers online instruction with opportunities for onsite simulation, networking, and mentorship from faculty and peers. The curriculum and clinical opportunities enhance students’ skills in physical and psychosocial assessment, clinical decision-making, health promotion, and disease prevention. Graduates will be prepared to provide integrated mental health care to those with mental health, substance use, and co-morbid mental and physical conditions. They will be prepared to write prescriptions, order diagnostic tests, and provide brief- and long-term treatment, prevention, and recovery services.

“Mental health is a foundational component of one’s collective health and must be considered even when we’re treating our physical conditions,” says Tamar Rodney, PhD, MSN, RN, PMHNP-BC, CNE, director of the psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner track. “Those who serve as mental health nurse practitioners will make a difference to people’s mental, physical, and emotional health. They will impact many levels of care and be a much needed asset within any organization.”

Graduates of the program will have the knowledge and skill to lead quality improvement projects and informed care in settings ranging from inpatient hospital to primary care and specialty behavioral health centers. They will also be able to take the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Psychiatric Mental Health Certification.

Applications for fall 2022 open on August 13, 2021.

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Located in Baltimore, the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing is a globally-recognized leader in nursing education, research, and practice. In U.S. News & World Report rankings, the school is No. 1 nationally for its master’s programs, and No. 2 for DNP programs and its online MSN Healthcare Organizational Leadership options. JHSON is ranked No. 1 for total NIH funding among schools of nursing for fiscal year 2020. In addition, the school is ranked by QS World University as the No. 3 nursing school in the world, No.1 by College Choice for its master’s program, and No. 1 by NursingSchoolHub.com for its DNP program. For more information, visit www.nursing.jhu.edu.