School of Nursing Leads in Mental Health Care Education

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) an estimated 12 billion working days are lost globally each year to depression and anxiety at an annual cost of 1 trillion dollars in lost productivity. Skilled and compassionate mental health practitioners are needed more than ever as it becomes clear that mental healthcare is a vital component of both personal and professional well-being. Duke School of Nursing is working to help address this challenge by training students to support mental health needs with our leading Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP), ranked #1 by 2024 U.S. News & World Report. 

Our Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) MSN program prepares students to provide comprehensive, integrated, and family-centered psychiatric and mental health advanced practice nursing for patients of all ages. 

“Mental health and physical health represent two sides of the same coin,” says Sean P. Convoy, DNP, PMHNP-BC, associate professor in the PMHNP program. “True wellness cannot exist without the fundamental recognition of and response to both sides of the coin.”

Alysha Cunningham, a current Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) student who previously completed the PMHNP MSN program, was drawn to this field due to her own experiences of having her mental health overlooked by healthcare providers.

“I spent a whole year of my youth enduring the feelings of loss and grief and hopelessness before a physician finally addressed my mental well-being,” said Cunningham. “This personal experience motivated me to assist others dealing with similar health challenges, helping them find their own sources of strength and hope.”

Students in this or any other MSN program in the School of Nursing have the option to earn a Pediatric Behavioral and Mental Health (PBMH) specialty certificate aimed at addressing the mental health care crisis that threatens children and adolescents across the country. The certificate is also open to practicing nurse practitioners and students pursuing a DNP degree.

Meanwhile, students who already have a master’s degree might instead pursue a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) Post-Graduate Certificate at the School.

Shana Freeman successfully completed this certificate program in Spring 2024, a few years after earning the Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner Post-Graduate Certificate, also from the School of Nursing. She decided to pursue the second certificate after seeing a great need for mental health services for the perinatal population.

“DUSON has changed my life in so many ways and has provided me with indispensable opportunities and connections. I’m grateful for it all,” said Freeman.

Michael Elizabeth Kennedy, who also earned the PMHNP Post-Graduate Certificate, was likewise motivated by personal encounters with a lack of mental health care.

“My community is grossly underserved regarding psychiatric and mental health care,” said Kennedy. “As an APRN with over a decade of acute care experience, I see the gap in care and have advocated unsuccessfully for change. I am willing to become the change needed to do the right thing for my community and bridge the increasingly complex healthcare culture.”

“Duke University School of Nursing prepares graduate students for advanced practice psychiatric–mental health nursing by helping them acquire the necessary context to care,” says Convoy. “In that regard, we are not merely interested in what our students know. Actually, we are more interested in what our students can do. We train our students to the standard of doing under the premise that they might one day care for someone that we love.”

In a world where the demand for psychiatric-mental health nursing professionals continues to rise, it is more important than ever to equip nurses with the education they need to provide quality mental health care. Duke University School of Nursing is proud to be a leader in training nurses who are ready to meet that demand.