Psychiatric Mental Health

The mission of this program is to graduate exceptional and therapeutic clinician leaders facing an increasingly-complex healthcare landscape and to train exceptional clinicians, exemplary critical thinkers, and effective therapeutic communicators with populations across the lifespan.

Our program will set you apart with opportunities for certifications in specialty areas, a course in addiction, novel psychotherapeutics, a specialty immersion and exceptional psychiatric mental health training opportunities.

The School of Nursing also offers the Blake Scholars Program - a post-graduate certificate program for those interested in pediatric and adolescent psychiatric mental health. Click here to learn more.

To be considered for admission to the program, you must submit the following items:

• A baccalaureate degree from an accredited nursing program (CCNE, NLNAC)
• Unencumbered RN license in the state of Georgia or a multi-state RN license

Competitive applicants will have direct patient care experience of a minimum of one (1) year of full time employment as a registered nurse in psychiatric and mental health, behavioral health or equivalent similar care setting with a psychiatric mental health population focus. Preference will be given to applicants with psych RN experience.

If you’d like to proceed with applying prior to one year of RN practice, we strongly advise that your application, personal statement, and recommendations speak specifically to the relevant experience that you believe make you a competitive applicant.  

Admissions Checklist

• Application for Admission
• $50 Application Fee
• Official transcripts from each school attended
• Resume
• Personal statement
• 2-3 References (preference for at least one to be a nursing supervisor)
• Students with international nursing degrees must provide an evaluation from Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (www.cgfns.org) for previous nursing coursework.
• Students with international transcripts for non-nursing degrees must provide an evaluation from World Education Services (www.wes.org) for previous non-nursing coursework.
• TOEFL, IELTS, or Duo-lingo scores are required if English is a second language. Read Emory University's accepted tests policy.

DNP Applicants Must Provide

Personal Statement: Describe why you want to be a student in the Emory DNP program along with a brief statement of your project interests for practice ,process, or systems-based health and healthcare improvement, with an emphasis on your psychiatric nursing interest, experience, and career goals (500 words).

Essay:

• Describe your professional strengths and opportunities for growth
• Describe a time you experienced a professional setback, how you dealt with it, and what you learned
• Describe how you currently manage your work-life balance and how do you anticipate this will change when you begin a graduate/doctoral program?

Three References: References are preferred from professional colleagues, supervisors, or faculty who can speak specifically to the applicant’s professionalism and experience.

Post-Graduate Certificate Applicants Must Provide

Personal Statement: Describe your psychiatric nursing interest, experience, and your career goals. Please answer the following essay questions in your personal statement.

• Describe your professional strengths and opportunities for growth
• Describe a time you experienced a professional setback, how you dealt with it, and what you learned
• Describe how you currently manage your work-life balance and how do you anticipate this will change when you begin a graduate/doctoral program?

Three References: References are preferred from professional colleagues, supervisors, or faculty who can speak specifically to the applicant’s professionalism and experience.

Shortages of qualified, mental health professionals are at crisis levels locally, statewide, nationally, and globally. This crisis disproportionately affects the pediatric and adolescent populations. Through Emory's Blake Scholars Program, you can advance your career to meet the needs of the most vulnerable among us and help close the gap in access to mental health care for our youngest populations.

The program provides full tuition for nurse practitioners enrolled in the School of Nursing post-graduate certificate psychiatric mental health nursing program with a focus on child and adolescent behavioral and mental health. Graduates of the program will have an additional opportunity to complete a year-long child and adolescent behavioral and mental health fellowship.

Click here to learn more.