Q. How are courses offered and can I take courses on-line or with Blackboard?
A. N.500 Theories & Concepts and N.530 Research Design & Methods are on-line. N.526 Ethical, Legal, & Policy Health Issues is partially on-line with the expectation of being present for two class sessions (two consecutive days each time) at the beginning and end of the semester. N.586 Advance Health Assessment is mostly on-line and having seven direct contacts with the instructor. The second year courses have a clinical component (N.540 APMH Promotion Prevention, N.541 APMH Rehab Recovery, N.555 Role Dimensions: Sem. & Pract.) which students should plan on doing in their own community. Students will arrange for clinical preceptors that will supervise medication management, client assessments, and therapy sessions (individual & group). Courses (N.540, N.541, N.555) are approximately once a month in Grand Forks with some additional class hours at the beginning of the term. Expect to do 180 clinical hours in 10 weeks during the first term (N.540), and 225 clinical hours in 10 weeks during the second term (N.541). In addition, the N.555 Roles course has 7.5 hours of clinical activities during the first term.
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Q. What is the purpose of the program?
A. The program prepares advanced practice nurses to work in clinics, hospitals and the community with adults, couples/families, or children and adolescents with mental health issues including mental health promotion and prevention. At graduation, students are eligible to write national certification exams for the clinical nurse specialist or nurse practitioner. There is a special emphasis on vulnerable and diverse populations and interdisciplinary practice.
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Q. What can I do with a Masters in Psych-Mental Health?
A. Depending on which exam you write and in which state you want to practice, you can do therapy and medication management in an independent practice with the supervision of a collaborating psychiatrist.
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Q. Which can I do – Full-Time or Part-Time study?
A. You can do either full-time or part-time study for the first two semesters. In the second two semesters, the clinical portion of the courses equals full-time study. Summer study eases the load and makes the course work more flexible.
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Q. Where can I take courses to learn about the two required treatment modalities?
A. The UND Counseling Department offers Individual, Group, and Couples/Family Therapy on campus in the fall and spring terms and off campus in the summer if there are enough students interested. These courses are not on-line. There is a lab component to them.
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Q. Do I have to be at the University in Grand Forks, North Dakota to take this specialization?
A. Most students do not live in Grand Forks but take course on-line or through Blackboard or some combination of these distance methods and a one to two day monthly visit to the campus. Some courses are completely delivered through distance methods.
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Q. How do I find a clinical site?
A. Student usually find a clinical site in or near their own community. Some students have used several sites to gain a variety of experiences such as med management, diverse therapy approaches, or group opportunities.
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Q. Who can precept me in the clinical area?
A. Preceptors must be certified advanced practice psych-mental health nurses, licensed social workers masters level, psychologists, or psychiatrists. The agency(s) also signs a contract of agreement. They are chosen in conjunction with the psych-mental health nursing clinical supervisor at the College of Nursing.
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Q. When are applications being accepted?
A. Applications are accepted all year. Once the application is complete, the CON graduate offices will contact you to setup an interview with faculty. You are notified by mail of acceptance to the program and you are assigned a temporary advisor. Full-time students are admitted once per year in the fall. Part-time students may begin any semester that courses are offered once accepted. Applications are available at http://www.nursing.und.edu/
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