One possible post-master's degree certificate option is a program in psychiatric and mental health nursing. Various schools offer certificates in this field. One example is the program offered online by Drexel University. Psychiatric nursing certificate programs focus on training registered nurses to provide care to those who are suffering from mental illness. The program requires 23 credits for completion. Courses include Psychopharmacology, Psychiatric Conditions of Primary Care, Theoretical Foundations of Mental Health Nursing, Management and Care of Patients with Chronic and Acute Mental Illness and Management of Mental Health Care Among Special Populations.
Drexel University
3141 Chestnut St.
Philadelphia, PA 19104
215-895-2000
drexel.edu
With the rise in demand for nurses, nurse educators will become increasingly important as well. Schools like the Saint Francis Medical Center (SFMC) College of Nursing and Western Carolina University (WCU) offer online certificates to train nurse educators. Western Carolina's program is offered as part of a consortium of North Carolina schools. Students can take courses from any of the schools, but they receive the certificate from Western Carolina University. SFMC offers a nine and a 15 credit hour certificate in the field, while WCU offers a program that requires 18 credit hours. Both programs are offered entirely online making it convenient for students to complete courses while continuing to work in the field. The University of Massachusetts offers a similar online program. Typical courses in a nurse educator certificate program include Teaching and Curriculum Development, Identifying and Measuring Outcomes for Nursing Education and Advanced Instructional Methods in Nursing Science.
Saint Francis Medical Center
College of Nursing
511 NE Greenleaf St.
Peoria, IL 61603
309-655-2201
sfmccon.edu
Western Carolina University
109 Cordelia Camp Bldg
Western Carolina Univ.
Cullowhee, NC 28723
828-227-7398
wcu.edu
University of Massachusetts
333 South Street
Shrewsbury, MA 01545
508-856-5203
umassonline.net
Texas Tech University offers a post-graduate nursing certificate program in acute care nursing. The program is designed to train nurses to provide specialized care for those who are chronically ill or have a critical illness. The certificate program requires 27 credit hours for completion as compared to the 48 hours required for the master of science degree in the same field. Courses include those in Advanced Practice Nursing Care, Acute Care Concepts and Diagnostic Skills, Application of Pathophysiology, Pharmacotherapeutics and Advanced Health Assessment.
Texas Tech University
School of Nursing
3601 4th St.
Lubbock, TX 79430
806-743-2730
www.ttuhsc.edu
T: 806.743.2730