Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) — Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies (CAGS)

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Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies (CAGS) Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) Certification Pass Rates

• 2024 American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) board exam results: 100% of MCPHS MSN PMHNP and CAGS PMHNP students who took the ANCC board certification exam passed on the first attempt which is above the national average.
• 2025 American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB) exam results: MCPHS PMHNP and CAGS PMHNP certification exam results are Not Reported (NR) by AANPCB due to less than 3 testers.

The clinical preceptorship is an exciting and rewarding experience. Clinical preceptorship is the opportunity for the student to integrate and practice the skills and knowledge they have acquired through their courses and expand their role to an advanced practice level. During each of these clinical preceptorships, the student develops the advanced practice nursing knowledge, skills, and competencies they will use as primary care family nurse practitioners and psychiatric mental health providers. All students are expected to demonstrate knowledge, critical thinking, clinical skills, and competencies in the primary care or mental health practice setting aligned with the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculty (NONPF) Core Competencies and AACN Essentials (2021).

Required Clinical Preceptorship Hours

All students in the MSN FNP, MSN PMHNP, AD-MSN FNP, AD-MSN PMHNP, CAGS-FNP, and CAGS-PMHNP are required to complete a total of 750 direct patient care hours under the supervision of an approved preceptor and assigned clinical faculty member.

Students are expected to evenly distribute their clinical hours from the beginning of the semester through the final week as outlined in the course schedule, to ensure a balanced and comprehensive clinical experience. Clinical attendance outside the semester calendar requires prior approval from the Program Track Director and is determined on a case-by-case basis. Each student’s clinical schedule is subject to approval by the clinical faculty and course coordinator.

Please note that Primary Care Family Nurse Practitioners typically work Monday through Friday during business hours. Students in the FNP track should be prepared to complete their clinical preceptorships during this timeframe.

Non-Massachusetts Residents/Out-of-State Preceptorships

Students who do not reside in Massachusetts or intend to complete their clinical rotations outside the state may encounter additional state-specific restrictions or procedures that affect their ability to attend clinical hours. Students are required to inform the Clinical Coordinator for the Graduate Programs and the Program Track Director if they will complete their clinical rotation in any state other than Massachusetts or their home state of record, as reflected in their Student Account at the time of application. Students must notify the Student Services Specialist or Track Director if they plan to move to another state to ensure their program's delivery will not be affected.

FNP Appropriate Settings

• Family Practice
• Internal Medicine
• Age and Gender Specific Populations for partial hour fulfillment:
• Pediatric Offices
• Women's Health/OBGYN Clinics
• Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF)
• Long Term Care Facilities
• Rehabilitation Settings

Other alternative sites may be considered for partial hours toward specialty clinical allowance with prior approval from the Program Director, FNP Track.

Potential Alternate Sites:

• Emergency rooms or inpatient settings, such as with a hospitalist
• Urgent care
• Hospice/Palliative care services
• Specialty outpatient clinics

PMHNP Appropriate Settings

• Community Mental Health Centers
• In-patient psychiatry
• Private psychiatric practice
• Outpatient Psychiatry Clinics
• Psychiatric Consult Services
• State Psychiatric Facilities
• Urban Nurse-Managed Clinics
• Veterans Administration Psychiatric Facilities

Other alternative sites may be considered for partial hours toward specialty clinical allowance with prior approval from the Program Director, PMNHP Track.

Potential Alternate Sites:

• Psychopharmacology Clinics
• Residential Substance Abuse Facilities

Clinical Clearance Requirements

For students to attend their clinical preceptorships, all clinical onboarding requirements must be completed by the dates established by the Clinical Operations Coordinator for the Graduate Programs.

Additional Information

Download the MSN Graduate Student Handbook [PDF] for additional information on clinical preceptorship.

MCPHS accepts nursing students into its programs from the following states:

Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington D.C.

Admission into a nursing program is dependent on program availability in the state where the student is physically located at the time of matriculation. If a student moves to a different state after matriculation, continuation within the program will depend on the availability of the program within the new state where the student is physically present. It is the student's responsibility to notify the University of a change in physical presence. Program availability is subject to change.

MSN Student End of Program Learning Outcomes (EPLOs)

1. Demonstrate expert clinical reasoning and decision-making by integrating comprehensive assessment, diagnostic acumen, and evidence-based therapeutic management to deliver safe, culturally sensitive, and compassionate patient-centered care across diverse populations and practice settings.
   Domains 1: Knowledge for Nursing Practice, and 2: Person-Centered Care (AACN Essentials, 2021)
2. Collaborate with interprofessional teams to drive system-based practice using advanced communication, leadership skills, and knowledge of social determinants of health to optimize care coordination and enhance patient and population health outcomes.
   Domains 3: Population Health, 6: Interprofessional Partnerships, 7: Systems-Based Practice, and 10: Personal, Professional, and Leadership Development (AACN Essentials, 2021)
3. Critically appraise, synthesize, and apply current research and evidence-based guidelines to inform clinical practice and policy, enhancing patient care and improving health outcomes at individual and population levels.
   Domain 4: Scholarship for the Nursing Discipline (AACN Essentials, 2021)
4. Cultivate a robust professional identity by integrating effective communication, lifelong learning, mentorship, compassionate care, and ethical practice to enhance the standards of advanced nursing practice.
   Domains 9: Professionalism, and 10: Personal, Professional and Leadership Development (AACN Essentials, 2021)
5. Propose quality improvement initiatives that enhance clinical practice, patient safety, and healthcare delivery systems by employing reflective, data-driven strategies for continuous personal and organizational development.
   Domains 5: Quality and Safety, 7: Systems-Based Practice, and 8: Informatics and Healthcare Technologies (AACN Essentials, 2021)

Physical, Technical, and Professional Standards

All graduate students must have abilities and skills in the following areas: cognitive, communication, observation, motor function and endurance, and behavioral. Reasonable accommodation may be made for some disabilities. However, students must perform independently, with or without accommodation.

Cognitive: Intellectual, Conceptual, and Quantitative Abilities

• Follow policies and procedures of MCPHS and the cognitive requirements of the clinical sites hosting the faculty and students for learning.
• Comprehend and follow assignment directions, rubrics, and course syllabi developed by faculty
• Demonstrate ability to achieve course and program outcomes.
• Demonstrate ability to comprehend, integrate, and apply knowledge.
• Develop and refine problem-solving skills crucial to practice as a nurse.
• Access, analyze, and synthesize subjective and objective data to develop nursing diagnoses and comprehensive plans of care.
• Engage in effective problem-solving and accurately prioritize patient needs in a prompt and timely fashion.
• Utilize current evidence, clinical judgment, and patient preferences to systematically assess, analyze, implement, and evaluate healthcare interventions.
• Promote safe, culturally competent, quality care across the lifespan.

Communication

• Must be able to communicate effectively with patients, families, and members of the healthcare team through oral, written, and interpersonal means.
• Must be able to obtain information, describe patient situations, and perceive both oral and non-verbal communication (including the ability to understand normal speech without seeing the speaker’s face).
• Must be able to speak, comprehend, read, and write in English at a level that meets the need for accurate, clear, and effective communication. Examples include but are not limited to giving clear oral reports; reading watches or clocks with second hands; reading graphs; reading and understanding documents printed in English; writing legibly in English; discriminating subtle differences in medical terminology.

Observation

• Must be able to observe a patient accurately. Examples include but are not limited to listening to heart and breath sounds; visualizing the appearance of a surgical wound; detecting bleeding, unresponsiveness, or other changes in patient status; detecting the presence of foul odor; and palpating an abdomen.
• Must be able to detect and respond to emergency situations, including audible alarms (e.g., monitors, call bells, fire alarms).

Motor Function and Endurance

• Must have sufficient strength and mobility to work effectively and safely with patients and carry out related nursing care.
• Must be able to complete assigned periods of clinical practice, including up to 12-hour shifts, including days, evenings, nights, and weekends.
• Must be able to respond at a speed sufficient to carry out patient assignments within the allotted time.
• Must be able to tolerate physically taxing workloads.

Behavioral

• Must possess the mental and emotional health required for total utilization of intellectual abilities.
• Must be able to respond and function effectively during stressful situations.
• Must be capable of adapting to rapidly changing environments and respond with flexibility in uncertain situations.
• Must be able to interact appropriately with others (patients, families, members of the healthcare team) in various healthcare contexts.

Physical Requirements in Clinical Setting

Students must meet all physical, technical, and professional standards to attend classes/lab/clinical. Clinical agencies may have additional, or agency-specific, technical standards, which take precedence over MCPHS standards. In such instances, the program will attempt to provide a comparable alternative learning experience, but if that is not possible, students may not be able to progress in the program or complete program requirements.

Download the MSN Graduate Student Handbook [PDF].