Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Programs in Kansas - KS

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), as of 2010, 95,000 adults and 31,000 children in Kansas have serious mental health problems. Yet the mental health system in Kansas currently provides only 15% of these citizens in need with services. Psychiatric nurse practitioner programs in Kansas are seeking to improve these statistics. These graduate education programs are designed to educate professionals in the state who are already licensed registered nurses and wish to become mental health practitioners.

A mental health or psychiatric nurse practitioner is educated in the full range of psychiatric services, including providing primary mental health care services, per the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN).

Some educational programs prepare psychiatric nurse practitioners to provide services to one segment of the population, such as adults or children. All psychiatric nurse practitioner programs will offer classes either online or in a campus setting, and combine this classroom time with real-life clinical experience.

Courses in health promotion, prevention, assessment, diagnosis, care planning and treatment implementation are balanced with practicums that take place in medical facilities across Kansas. Some of these may include general medical facilities such as Via Christi Regional Medical Center, Saint Francis Health Center and Wesley Medical Center. Other clinical practicums may take place in specialized mental health facilities in Kansas including KVC Psychiatric Hospital, Osawatomie State Hospital and Rainbow Mental Health Facility.