Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Programs in Delaware - DE

Per statistics furnished by the Mental Health Association of Delaware (MHA), one out of every five Americans experiences mental health problems such as depression or anxiety every year. Extrapolated to local statistics, the MHA estimates that over 100,000 Delawareans are affected by mental health illnesses on a yearly basis. To help to fight these problems, registered nurses in Delaware who hold a bachelor’s degree and are concerned about the mental health of their fellow residents are turning to psychiatric nurse practitioner programs in the state.

In order to enter into such programs, one must have a Delaware issued RN license, or one issued by one of the compact states (including Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin).

PMHNP programs are offered at the graduate level, so most schools prefer that students already have undergraduate degrees when they enter these programs. Besides classroom study, PMHNP students must participate in clinical hours as mandated by the state. These internships occur in medical facilities such as Christiana Hospital in Wilmington and Newark; the Rockford Center in Newark; Nanticoke Memorial Hospital in Seaford;  Meadowwood Behavioral Health in New Castle and Kent General Hospital in Middletown and Dover.