DNP

Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

Format & Location

On-Campus (Fairfield, CT)

A student in a Fairfield jacket with a stethoscope around her neck talks to a patient.

Start Dates

Fall (September)

Application Deadline

July 1

Completion

36-48 months

Schedule

Full-Time or Part-Time

Attend a Virtual Information Session Check for Upcoming Dates

Fairfield University's Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) for Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (PMHNP) is a clinically focused doctoral degree and the only advanced practice specialty that prepares nurses to assess, diagnose, and treat acute and chronic psychiatric disorders in children, adolescents, adults, and the elderly.

By the Numbers

Top 5%

Best Nursing Schools in the Nation
-College Factual

#1

Best Nursing Practice Doctor's Degree Schools in the New England Region
-College Factual

Top 100

Best Grad Program in Nation
-U.S. News & World Report

What You'll Learn and Do

Be on the cutting edge.

This program was the first PMHNP program in Connecticut and one of the first in the U.S. Our students receive psychotherapy and advanced trauma training with an emphasis on serving vulnerable populations and respecting the dignity of every person.

Benefit from a distinctive approach.

Fairfield Egan’s PMHNP program is based on a holistic paradigm of healing. In a holistic model, symptoms are seen as a form of communication and are useful for understanding the meaning of the dysregulation and disharmony that often occur for patients.

Feel secure in your learning.

Both relationship and resilience are overarching pantheoretical concepts that apply to all approaches of care and practice settings. Shared decision-making, evidence-based practice, reflection, and social justice are foundational to the curriculum. The Egan School faculty has woven trauma, resilience, and palliative care competencies throughout the curriculum.

Follow your interests.

DNP PMHNP graduates are prepared for leadership roles in a variety of settings some of which include academia, inpatient psychiatry, psychiatric emergency rooms, outpatient community health centers, integrated behavioral health, home care, substance misuse, skilled and extended care nursing facilities, juvenile and criminal justice, emergency or crisis, intensive outpatient programs, partial hospitals, federal facilities, and private practice.

Find Out More

Contact Us

Graduate Admission
gradadmis@fairfield.edu
(203) 254-4184

Accreditations

CCNE Accredited

Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education

In the Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies, all Undergraduate Nursing programs, Master’s Degree Nursing programs, and Doctoral programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), 655 K Street NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791.

Learn More About CCNE Accreditation
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See what the future holds.

Fairfield University's Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies programs use the latest in medical equipment, state-of-the-art facilities, and small classroom settings to provide a practical and engaging education for its students. See what opportunities await you at Fairfield Egan.

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Get hands-on experience through experiential learning.

Coupling real-life simulations and opportunities to practice in a variety of clinical settings with the depth of a Jesuit education, Fairfield University's Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies helps equip its students with the necessary skills, experience, and ethics, to make a difference in patients' lives and the healthcare system.

Learn from Industry Experts

Fairfield University’s Egan School boasts experienced faculty who inspire students to become leaders across social and healthcare environments. These students actively engage with faculty in practice, policy, scholarship, and service.

View All Faculty

Danielle Conklin
Danielle Conklin
Assistant Professor, Nursing
Karen Corcoran
Assistant Dean & Assistant Professor of the Practice, Nursing

Admission Information

From your first admission conversation to graduation and beyond, you’ll find support at every turn. The Fairfield University student support network is dedicated to meeting your needs. You’ll receive personal, academic, and financial guidance as you complete your Doctorate in Nursing Practice - Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner.

Admission Requirements

Tuition & Costs

Financial Aid

Career Outlook

The nationally-ranked programs offered by the Egan School allow graduates to pursue jobs in a range of locations with various employers.

Employers

Recent Placements

  • Bridgeport Hospital
  • Henry Ford Health System
  • Stamford Health
  • State of Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services
  • Stone Academy

The education that you will receive as a Fairfield student will more than prepare you for whatever field you desire to get into, and I personally believe that you will be a cut above the rest due to the many resources and competence of your teachers.

Ashley Neal ’22

News & Highlights

More Egan News

Frequently Asked Questions

The Doctor of Nursing Practice is a practice-focused doctorate comparable to advanced clinical degrees in other health disciplines such as Medical Doctor (MD), Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD), Doctor of Public Health (DrPH), and Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT). The degree represents the highest academic preparation for nursing practice, focusing on expanded scientific knowledge related to providing comprehensive direct care across all settings. Grounded in clinical practice, the DNP moves the focus of advanced practice nursing from the level of the individual patient to the population level by using a cross-population perspective to assess, manage, and evaluate common problems.

According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), safe nursing practice in today's increasingly complex healthcare system requires improved translation of scientific evidence into practice. With a DNP, you'll be able to assume a leadership role in an increasingly complex healthcare system during this critical era of healthcare reform.

The future of nursing rides on the DNP, and the shift in the industry is occurring right now. Members of AACN voted in 2004 to support advanced practice nursing at the doctoral level. This means that the DNP is the preferred degree for students wishing to be a nurse practitioner (NP), clinical nurse specialist (CNS), nurse midwife (CNM), or nurse anesthetist (CRNA); it will soon be required in some areas of advanced practice such as nurse anesthesia. For more information on the DNP, visit AACN.

The primary difference between the two is that a PhD is research-focused and the DNP is practice-focused. The PhD is specifically designed to teach students how to conduct original investigation that advances the knowledge of a discipline. In contrast, a DNP is comparable to clinical doctorates in other health disciplines such as pharmacy, physical therapy, and medicine. DNP students focus on advanced practice areas of specialization, acquiring a population perspective in addressing common patient problems within a specialty. DNP students complete a DNP Project that applies existing knowledge to address a clinical problem. The DNP Project results in a publishable paper that demonstrates the effectiveness of a clinical innovation on patient outcomes.

Fairfield University offers:

  • Personalized attention & strong faculty-student mentorship opportunities
  • A rigorous, experiential, and inspirational academic experience
  • A reputation for graduating highly skilled nurse practitioners
  • Stellar on-site technological resources
  • A state-of-the-art simulation laboratory
  • Exceptional media resources available onsite and remotely
  • In keeping with our Jesuit mission, an emphasis on the ethical, legal, and socially just implications of patient-centered care

We accept applications for family or psychiatric nurse practitioner specialties as well as nurse-midwifery and nurse anesthetists.

The National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties is responsible for developing the nurse practitioner competencies. This is true for both MSN and DNP preparation.

Upon completing the program at Fairfield University, a certified Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner can work with clients across the lifespan and in all clinical settings including acute care, community clinic, Federally Qualified Health Centers, corrections facilities, academic health centers, and private practice.

Students can transfer up to 9 core credits if the courses are similar. Evaluation of transfer credits are approved by the Assistant Dean for Graduate Studies.

BSNs who pursue the DNP on a full-time basis will take 3 years; and 4 years if they do so part-time. The approximate cost is $70-75,000 for the program, depending on the tuition rate per credit which could change slightly over those years.

Yes, many of our students attend school part-time while working full-time; we have both full-time and part-time curricular plans available.

View the Fairfield's Egan School of Nursing graduate admission requirements.

The GRE exam is not required for the Nurse Practitioner or Nurse Anesthesia Tracks. For BSN applicants that have earned a GPA below 3.0, or MSN applicants that have earned a GPA below 3.2, GRE scores may strengthen your application by demonstrating your ability to achieve the academic standards required at the doctoral level.

The Egan School has developed a special program allowing certified Family Nurse Practitioners to complete all required didactic and clinical coursework as well as DNP coursework as full-time students in 2 years and as part-time students in 3 years.

Email or call Dr. Karen Corcoran or (203) 254-4000, ext. 2708 for more information.

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