Advance Your Nursing Practice with a Specialized Certificate
Are you an MSN-prepared nurse practitioner who wants to expand your knowledge and impact in health care? If so, the online Post-Master’s Nursing Certificate program at the University of Michigan-Flint is for you!
UM-Flint’s post-MSN certificate program enables you to serve your patients, organization, and community in a new specialty area. With two specialization options, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) and Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP), the certificate program prepares you to sit for the respective exam.
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Why Earn a Post-Master’s Nursing Certificate at UM-Flint?
100% Online Completion
The Nursing Post-Master’s Certificate didactic coursework can be completed fully online. Designed for busy working nurse practitioners, the online learning format provides maximum access and flexibility for students to attend classes from anywhere in the country.
Clinical Site Visit Completed in Your Area
In addition to the flexible online coursework, you will benefit from the practical hands-on experience of clinical site visits where you care for patients under the close supervision and mentorship of experienced nurses, nurse practitioners, and physicians. You may complete your clinical practicum close to your home with the help of our clinical coordinator.
Accreditation
The University of Michigan-Flint’s Post-Master’s Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Certificate and Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Certificate are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
Online Post-Master’s Nursing Certificate Specialization Options
Earn your certificate in as little as three semesters (12 to 16 months), 100% online. You may choose one of the following nursing specialty areas:
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Certificate
Acquire the specialized knowledge, skills, and experiences to provide mental health services for a diverse population of patients across their life spans. The online post-graduate PMHNP certificate program allows you to complete the required coursework in as little as four semesters while continuing to work.
Students in this program are required to complete clinical hours for children, adolescents, and adults. 504 hours of practicum within Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner are required in the curriculum:
- 170 hours: Children aged 17 and under
- 300 hours: Adults aged 18-65
- 34 hours: Older adults aged 65 and over
Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Certificate
Prepare to provide care and improve outcomes for acutely ill patients with complex and often chronic illnesses across the adult life span. This post-master’s certificate program enables graduates to fill open positions in acute care settings.
Besides online courses, the AGACNP certificate program requires students to complete at least 504 clinical hours for adult patients. A total of 18 credits are required in the program curriculum.
Note that the first and third clinical acute care practica (NUR 861 and NUR 865) must be completed in the state of Michigan—no exceptions.
Review the full AGACNP Certificate curriculum.
Academic Advising
At UM-Flint, our dedicated advisor is here to assist our students and steward their educational journeys. As a student of the online Post-MSN certificate program, you have full access to our academic advising service. Connect with your advisor and book an appointment today.
What Can You Do with the Specialized Post-MSN Certificates?
After completing the Nursing Post-Master’s Certificate, you are eligible to sit for the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner certification examination or the Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner certification examination. The University of Michigan-Flint proudly maintains a record of an 86–100% test pass rate on the first attempt!
Career Outlook for Critical Care NPs and Psychiatric NPs
Acute care providers in the adult population and psychiatric nurse practitioners are highly in demand. According to the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis (NCHWA), the national demand for Critical Care NPs and Psychiatric NPs will grow by 16% and 18%, respectively.
Given the rising needs in these two health care areas, the graduates of the certificate program can pursue meaningful and rewarding careers serving in veterans’ medical centers, hospitals, emergency departments, rehabilitation centers, skilled nursing facilities, physicians’ offices, and other settings.
The average annual salary of Psychiatric NPs is $126,390, and the average annual salary of Adult Gerontology Acute Care NPs is $114,468.
Admission Requirements
You must meet the following requirements to be eligible for admission:
Post-Master’s Psychiatric Mental Health Certificate Applicants
- Master of Science in Nursing from a regionally accredited institution with an overall GPA of 3.2 on a 4.0 scale.
- Current unencumbered license as a nurse practitioner (in a specialty other than the discipline you want to study).
- Current unencumbered RN license in the United States.
Post-Master’s Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Certificate Applicants
At least 1 year of full-time experience as a registered nurse with preferred experience in intensive care units such as Medical, Surgical, Neuro, Trauma, Burn, Cardiac ICU. It is preferred that the applicant have working knowledge of invasive hemodynamic monitors (e.g., pulmonary artery, central venous pressure, and arterial), mechanical ventilation, and vasopressor titration. Consideration may be given to applicants who do not fully meet the above intensive care skills in such units as Perioperative Unit/Pre-op/PACU, Step-down, Emergency departments, and other specialty units such as Cath lab on an individual basis based on experience and an interview with the Lead Faculty of the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Program.
- Master of Science in Nursing from a regionally accredited institution with an overall GPA of 3.2 on a 4.0 scale.
- Current unencumbered license as a nurse practitioner (in a specialty other than the discipline you want to study).
- Current unencumbered RN license in the United States.
- A letter to verify ICU skills/experience from the Candidate’s Nurse Manager will be requested prior to the beginning of the acute care track.
- Current certification as an Advanced Cardiac Life Support Provider (ACLS) prior to the start of the acute care track.
- Current certification as a Basic Life Support Provider (BLS). An unencumbered RN License to practice.
- All students will be required to come to campus each semester (3 total) for on ground learning and skills activities during the acute care program in NUR 861, 863, and 865. Time on campus can vary between 1-2 consecutive days.
- If the student is not a Michigan resident, the student will be required to have a Michigan Nursing license and will attend clinicals in Michigan the first and third semester, the second may be in the state of residency if the state and facility allow the student to attend out of state universities and there is an existing contract with the University of Michigan, Flint.
*The School of Nursing will substitute the requirement of one year of full-time experience in a critical care unit and replace with: one year of full-time experience as a registered nurse with preferred experience in such units as ICU, CCU, Perioperative Unit/Pre-op/PACU, Step-down, Emergency departments, and other specialty units such as cath lab. If you have questions regarding this, please contact the SON graduate advisor, Julie Westenfeld at [email protected].
Additional Information
- A gap analysis of the coursework from your previous graduate program will be completed prior to admission. This analysis does not guarantee acceptance of prior coursework by board certifying bodies, after certificate completion. Integrated courses (e.g. a course that combines pharmacology and pathophysiology) taken at other universities are unlikely to be accepted for board certification and a student may need to retake these courses.
- Students may be asked to supply the syllabi for some prior graduate courses including advanced pathophysiology, pharmacology and health assessment. It is highly suggested that you have access to these documents for review.
State Authorization for Online Students
In recent years, the federal government has emphasized the need for universities and colleges to be in compliance with the distance education laws of each individual state. If you are an out-of-state student intending to enroll in the online Nursing Post-Master’s Certificate program, please visit the State Authorization page to verify the status of UM-Flint with your state.
Applying to the Post-Master’s Nursing Certificate Program
Students can apply in one of two ways to be considered for admission to the Post-Master’s Nursing Certificate program. You can apply through the UM-Flint online application (see below) or through NursingCAS. (If applying via UM-Flint online application, supporting materials may be emailed to [email protected] or delivered to the Office of Graduate Programs. NursingCAS applicants must upload all documents into NursingCAS.) We highly recommend using the UM-Flint online application instead of NursingCAS to save time and money.
- Application for Graduate Admission (utilizing UM-Flint online application)
- $55 non-refundable application fee (receive a waiver for the application fee by attending one of our webinars; this is not applicable to the NursingCAS application)
- A completed supplemental application located within your Applicant Portal
- Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended. Please read our full transcript policy for more information.
- UM-Flint transcripts will be obtained automatically
- For any degree completed at a non-US institution, transcripts must be submitted for an internal credential review. Read the following for instructions on how to submit your transcripts for review.
- If English is not your native language, and you are not from an exempt country, you must demonstrate English proficiency.
- Curriculum vitae or résumé
- Copy of current Nursing License (submit either a license verification printout or a photocopy of your license)
- Professional Goal Statement describing your career objectives and areas of clinical interest. The statement should be a one-two page typewritten document in APA format, double-spaced, that describes your reasons for pursuing the Graduate Nursing Certificate and should reflect a strong sense of career direction. The statement should relate past experiences to advancing a career in nursing. Include your:
- purpose for undertaking or continuing graduate study
- reasons for wanting to study at UM-Flint
- professional plans and career goals
- Also, please describe any past achievements in nursing including:
- professional organization memberships, awards, scholarships, nominations, certifications, committee/project work, other accomplishments you wish to include
- You also may explain any special circumstances applicable to your background and elaborate on any scholarly publications, achievements, abilities, and/or professional history
- Three letters of recommendation are required from any combination of the following sources:
- Faculty from a recent nursing program
- A supervisor in an employment setting
- An Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, Physician’s Assistant, MD or DO.
- Phone/in-person interview may be required
- Students from abroad must submit additional documentation.
This program is a certificate program. Admitted students will not be able to obtain a student (F-1) visa to pursue this degree. Other nonimmigrant visa holders currently in the United States please contact the Center for Global Engagement at [email protected].
Application Deadlines
Submit all application materials to the Office of Graduate Programs by 5 p.m. on the day of the application deadline:
- Psychiatric Mental Health Certificate admits for the winter semester
- Winter deadline: August 15
- Adult Gerontology Acute Care Certificate admits for the spring semester
- Summer deadline: August 15
International students are required to apply earlier than the deadlines posted here. For more information, please visit the International Students page.
Earn a Post-Master’s Nursing Certificate Online
Ready to expand your nursing practice to Psychiatric Mental Health or Adult Gerontology Acute Care and improve the health care outcome for your patients? Apply to UM-Flint’s online Nursing Post-Master’s Certificate program or request information today to learn more!