Aspiring Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner

[Bubbagouda]

I am currently a psychiatric nurse. I want to become a psychiatric nurse practitioner and I'm looking into various programs. Any suggestions on a reputable online program that is financially affordable? 

[PsychNurse24, BSN, RN]

My daughter will graduate from Walden University’s PMHNP program in 10 days.  I have a year left.  We researched a lot of online schools and decided on Walden.  Good luck!

[MentalKlarity, BSN, NP]

Walden is under investigation by the US Dept of Justice and may end up losing accreditation or close altogether. They are currently being sold by their shareholders to another for-profit education group hoping to cash in, but that sale seems to be on hold pending the results of the investigation. There is no guarantee that Walden will make it through, and even if it does, it will certainly have an even worse reputation. 

There are quite a few non for profit online PMHNP programs, though they tend to have tougher requirements and on campus intensive sessions for hands on practice (as they should!). Samford University, for example, offers an FNP/PMHNP joint degree program that is reputable. Vanderbilt has an online PMHNP. Frontier and Pace have online PMHNP programs as well. These are all reputable programs that will stand up to scrutiny.

[CommunityRNBSN, BSN, RN]

I second the motion to go to a reputable brick-and-mortar school that offers some or all of its program online. (That is different from a true “online school.”) I just started a PMHNP program at a well-regarded university in my state. I have not had to visit the campus at all— the classes are on Zoom for the moment and may continue in some hybrid form forever. But I have professors whose office I could visit if I needed to, and an actual office where I can go if I have problems that need to be solved face-to-face.