Drexel PMHNP clinical courses, NURS 592 to NURS 595

Every PMHNP clinical course pairs advanced psychiatric theory with a concurrent practicum, and the catalog titles and descriptions show a different population or skill at the center of each quarter. Read the focus column as your guide to which preceptor fits which term.

All four are 5.0-credit courses inside the 52.0-credit MSN, and the 640 total is the catalog's own figure. The clinical hours overview explains which Drexel tracks state per-course hours and which, like this one, do not.

Because the focus shifts every term, check with your track director before planning all four courses around one psychiatric preceptor. An adult psychiatric practice fits NURS 592. NURS 593 adds special populations and psychiatric care alongside medical care. NURS 594 turns to children and adolescents, and NURS 595 centers on individual, family and group psychotherapy, so a preceptor who prescribes but does little therapy may cover only part of what that course expects.

Drexel's preceptor list covers NPs, certified nurse midwives and physicians in approved specialties, each holding current board certification after at least a year of practice. For this track that points to psychiatric NPs and psychiatrists. The full rule is on the preceptor requirements page.

NURS 592 opens only after you earn a B or better across the MSN core and the advanced practice foundations, with NURS 555 as the PMHNP pharmacology course in that set. Drexel's PMHNP page also describes an online orientation, required of every student and held several months before clinicals start, that walks through what the clinical courses demand. In the sample plan that matches NUPR 520 in Fall of year two; the NUPR 520 guide covers what it introduces.

NURS 592 also contains the track's On-Campus Intensive, a four-day block at the start of the summer quarter, so your first psychiatric preceptor days share a quarter with the OCI. Entry to the track already asks for at least one year of psychiatric nursing experience, which helps when you approach preceptors. Details on every intensive are on the OCI page.

For the post-master's route, Drexel keeps the clinical side identical: NURS 592 to NURS 595 and 640 hours, inside 34.0 quarter credits over roughly two years. Applicants need a year of psychiatric nursing, the same as MSN applicants. Certificate students bring advanced pathophysiology, advanced pharmacology and advanced physical assessment with them from a prior master's, or take those courses at Drexel before NURS 592.

Nurse practitioners who are already board certified in another population may have part of the sequence waived through a Gap Analysis, which Drexel performs when you apply. The certificate's next start is Fall 2027, so incoming certificate students will take the semester courses below rather than the quarter ones. The post-master's certificate page compares all nine NP certificates.

The 2027–28 catalog keeps PMHNP at four clinical courses, each 5.0 semester credits in a 43.0-credit MSN, and gives them one shared title with a numeral.

The new titles no longer say which population each course centers on, so ask how the adult, child and psychotherapy content is spread before you commit a preceptor to a term. NURS 592 sits in summer on the quarter plan, and Summer 2027 is a seven-week transition term. The semester conversion guide explains what to raise with your advisor.

Location rules matter as much as specialty. Eleven states are closed to Drexel NP enrollment, and residents of New York may enroll but must complete every clinical hour outside New York State. For Washington, the state commission's approval of Drexel practice experiences names the PMHNP MSN but none of the certificates, so a certificate student there should ask Drexel before searching. The state authorization page lists every restriction by program.

Your RN license has to fit as well, and Drexel's pages differ on it. Program pages ask for Pennsylvania licensure before clinicals; the compliance office also allows a multistate license held in your primary state of residence, plus a license in any clinical state outside the compact. The Pennsylvania RN license page sets out both versions and what to confirm.

We plan your four PMHNP quarters around their different centers of gravity: adult psychiatric care first, special populations and integrated care next, a preceptor with child and adolescent patients for NURS 594, and therapy-rich practice for NURS 595. Each preceptor we bring you is a psychiatric NP, psychiatrist or other clinician who meets Drexel's rules, licensed and board certified, with room in their week for your hours.

Along with the match, you get the paperwork Drexel's clinical contracting and compliance teams ask for: CV, license, board certification and the site contact for the affiliation agreement. Drexel signs off on every placement; we make sure the file we send is complete and in line with its rules before anyone at Drexel opens it. Should a preceptor step back partway through a quarter, the replacement search starts immediately. See our PMHNP placement service.