Newswise — The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) Graduate School of Nursing's Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners program welcomed its first five students in May.
Directed by MAJ Robert Arnold, NC, USA, and LCDR Pamela Herbig, NC, USN, both psychiatric clinical nurse specialists, the program is designed to prepare students for the military environments in which they will work.
According to Arnold, director and associate professor of the program, the students are inspired by "the differences and commonalities that each student, regardless of branch of service or clinical specialty brings to the advanced practice nursing table."
The curriculum was designed by Arnold with assistance from COL Kathryn Gaylord, NC, USA, psychiatric nurse practitioner and consultant to Army Surgeon for Psychiatric Nursing; Dr. Diane Seibert, assistant professor, GSN; Retired COL Linda Wanzer, NC, USA, program director; and Dr Karan, Co-Chair of the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners program at University of Maryland. The program is overseen by a USU curriculum committee.
The first year includes core courses from the Family Nurse Practitioner program and the second, a psychiatric clinical rotation. The rotations will be completed at National Naval Medical Center, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and Washington D.C.'s Veterans Medical Center.
Located on the grounds of Bethesda's National Naval Medical Center and across from the National Institutes of Health, USU is the nation's federal school of medicine and graduate school of nursing, and also offers several graduate programs in the biomedical sciences and public health. The university educates health care professionals dedicated to career service in the Department of Defense and the U.S. Public Health Service.
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