Capstone Certificate in Post-Graduate Psychiatric Nursing

The UWMadison School of Nursing offers this hybridPost-Graduate Psychiatric Nursing Capstone Certificate. It providesthe opportunity for nurses who already holda master's or doctoraldegree in advanced practice nursing to gain skills and knowledge to be an expert mental health practitioner.

The certificate programrequires aminimum of 18 credits. It begins in summer and takes a year and a half to complete. Students spendthe first summer takinga 3-credit psychopharmacology course. During the fall/spring/fall semesters, studentstake one foundation course and one application course, whichbrings together classroom and online learning with clinical experiences. Students spend a full day on campus every other week for class meetingsandspend two to three days per week in clinical placements. This blended approach provides access to courses even for those who live outside of Madison, with readings and discussions online.

Students work two full days per week in clinical practice. Faculty will actively seek to secure a clinical placement that provides a balance of skills and breadth of professional experience across the full lifespan of patients, while doing their best to accommodate the student's family and professional responsibilities.Students will be expected to travel for their clinical placement.

The Post-Graduate Psychiatric Nursing Capstone Certificate will be completed in just 18 months.

Further detail, including current tuition and costs, is available at the program's website or by contacting the School of Nursing.

UWMadison School of Nursing
Signe Skott Cooper Hall
701 Highland Avenue
Madison, WI 53705
Phone: 608-263-5200

1. Conduct a comprehensive and systematic assessment of health and illness parameters in complex situations, incorporating diverse and culturally sensitive approaches.
2. Design, implement, and evaluate therapeutic interventions based on nursing science and other sciences.
3. Develop and sustain therapeutic relationships and partnerships with patients (individual, family, or group) and other professionals to facilitate optimal care and patient outcomes.
4. Demonstrate advanced levels of clinical judgment, systems thinking, and accountability in designing, delivering, and evaluating evidence-based care to improve patient outcomes.
5. Guide, mentor, and support other nurses to achieve excellence in nursing practice.
6. Educate and guide individuals and groups through complex health and situational transitions.
7. Use conceptual and analytical skills in evaluating the links among practice, organizational, population, fiscal, and policy issues.

A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or a comparable degree from an international institution is required. International applicants must have a degree comparable to a regionally accredited U.S. bachelor’s degree. You must have completed your undergraduate degree, or similar, before starting graduate school.

A minimum undergraduate grade-point average (GPA) of 3.00 on the equivalent of the last 60 semester hours (approximately two years of work) or a master’s degree with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 is required. Applicants from an international institution must demonstrate strong academic achievement comparable to a 3.00 for an undergraduate or master’s degree. The Graduate School will use your institution’s grading scale. Do not convert your grades to a 4.00 scale.

Every applicant whose native language is not English, or whose undergraduate instruction was not in English, must provide an English proficiency test score. TOEFL scores must be submitted electronically via ETS. IELTS scores can be submitted electronically or by paper.  Our office address is: UW-Madison Graduate School, Office of Admissions, 232 Bascom Hall, 500 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI 53706.  Your score will not be accepted if it is more than two years old from the start of your admission term. Country of citizenship does not exempt applicants from this requirement. Language of instruction at the college or university level and how recent the language instruction was taken are the determining factors in meeting this requirement.

Applicants are exempt if: