Curriculum & In-Person Experiences

NURSING@SIMMONS

The Nursing@Simmons curriculum is designed to prepare licensed registered nurses with a BSN or a bachelor’s with a major in Nursing to become clinical experts who are able to serve the holistic needs of their patients and meet the challenges that are presented in today’s mental health care settings.

The academically rigorous curriculum focuses on developing evidence-based psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) skills, appraising evidence and critiquing research, enabling you to apply what you learn in the clinical setting. Coursework focuses on promoting mental health and well-being, as well as assessing, diagnosing, and managing mental health disorders across the lifespan among diverse populations. Provider mental health and self-care are intentionally included to support your overall wellness.

Nursing@Simmons students will complete 47 course credits and a minimum of 672 clinical hours. Full-time students complete the program over a period of six terms. Part-time students complete the program over a period of seven terms. For all students, each term lasts 14 weeks with cohorts starting in January, May, and September.

The full-time program can be completed in as few as 24 months. The part-time program can be completed in as few as 28 months.

Learn more about what you need to be successful in Nursing@Simmons and how building both evidence-based skills and the ability to evaluate research will prepare you for clinical practice.

What do you bring to this educational endeavor?…

Here is what we recognize in you:

Microbiology and biology, 
anatomy and physiology, 
and chemistry

Arithmetic, statistics,
and interpreting quantitative
research

Fundamentals of nursing, 
human health and function, 
and patient assessment

Time management and organization, 
self-discipline, 
and self-motivation

As a Nursing@Simmons student, you will use case study analysis to gain a thorough understanding of psychiatric disorders across the lifespan.

The foundational courses will help you think critically and act like an advanced practice nurse. You will take courses focused on advanced pharmacology, advanced pathophysiology, and advanced health assessment, which will require knowledge of basic anatomy and physiology. You will learn about which medications to prescribe and why, and you will perform a live physical assessment to demonstrate your skills.

In addition to building foundational knowledge, you will learn and apply research methods that will teach you how to appraise qualitative and quantitative interdisciplinary research. The research component of the program fosters your ability to apply critical thinking to help you to better answer questions from patients.

Nursing@Simmons PMHNP specialty courses will help prepare you to:

We position you for success through incorporating a variety of learning modalities, including case based learning, interactions with faculty and peers within live sessions specifically structured for adult learners, and high quality virtual patients to support didactic concepts. This methodology promotes critical thinking while interacting with course content that includes addictions, perinatal substance use, pregnant, pediatric, adolescent, adult, and geriatric populations with mental health disorders.

Clinical courses help you process and perform as a PMHNP. During clinical rotations, you will practice the skills you have learned throughout the foundational and PMHNP specialty  courses while providing care to individuals with mental health disorders across the lifespan among diverse populations.

In addition to learning to conduct a head-to-toe physical examination, you will:

Request more information about Nursing@Simmons or speak with an Admission Counselor at 1-855-461-7466.