Miami’s new MSN-PMHNP program helps meet national need
Online program launches this fall; also includes summer skill session
Miami’s new MSN-PMHNP program helps meet national need
Online program launches this fall; also includes summer skill session
Miami University routinely works with clinical agencies and hospital partners to identify the needs of local communities and how the university can best support those demands.
Through those close ties, a new Master of Science in Nursing is scheduled to launch this fall. Miami’s Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (MSN-PMHNP) program will help fill a growing healthcare demand and build on the university’s strong Family Nurse Practitioner foundation.
The online program plans to enroll six students in its initial cohort, according to Stephanie Nicely, chair of Miami’s Department of Nursing.
"We are seeing growing interest in psychiatric-mental health nursing among our graduates,” Nicely said. “As awareness of the connection between mental health and overall health continues to increase, the demand for qualified mental health providers has never been greater. This program will help address that need and make a meaningful impact in our communities.”
Miami launched its Family Nurse Practitioner program in 2022. At the time, specialty areas of focus were identified, including the MSN-PMHNP track.
Students will take core online classes in the Family Nurse Practitioner program with additional classes specific to psychiatric mental health. A summer skill session on the Oxford campus is also included.
Nicely noted the skill session has become a hallmark of the Family Nurse Practitioner program.
“When we ask our current students the reasons they selected Miami, they highlight the flexibility of being online, as well the strong clinical experiences in the community and the opportunity to practice those skills on campus with standardized patients in our simulation center during the summer months,” Nicely said.
Ideally, the MSN-PMHNP program would include up to 10 students per cohort. The graduate Nursing program currently serves 79 students and features a 100% certification pass rate.
There are six enrollment sessions per year for the MSN-PMHNP program, twice each in the fall, spring, and summer.
“These are working professionals, and our goal is to make graduate education accessible when they are ready to pursue it,” Nicely said.
According to the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis, as of Dec. 2, 2025, 40% of the United States population lives in a mental health professional shortage area. The center also projected substantial shortages by 2038 for roles such as addiction counselors, marriage and family therapists, mental health counselors, psychologists, mental health and substance use disorder social workers, adult psychiatrists, child and adolescent psychiatrists, and school counselors.
“The shortage of mental health providers is a critical challenge facing communities across the country,” Nicely said. “We feel this program will help address that need. We are confident that we are developing a rigorous curriculum that combines flexible online learning with supervised clinical practice and hands-on experience.”