Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner | University of Iowa

Skills & Competencies

Skills developed through this program

Auto-populatedfrom O*NET via SOC 29-1171.00

Skills

Active ListeningCritical ThinkingReading ComprehensionSocial PerceptivenessWritingComplex Problem SolvingMonitoringActive LearningSpeakingJudgment and Decision MakingService Orientation

Knowledge

English LanguagePsychologyCustomer and Personal ServiceMedicine and DentistryBiologyTherapy and CounselingSociology and Anthropology

Abilities

Written ComprehensionProblem SensitivityInductive ReasoningOral ExpressionWritten ExpressionDeductive ReasoningOral ComprehensionSpeech RecognitionNear VisionInformation OrderingSpeech ClarityFluency of Ideas

Tasks

Maintain complete and detailed records of patients' health care plans and prognoses.
Develop treatment plans, based on scientific rationale, standards of care, and professional practice
Provide patients with information needed to promote health, reduce risk factors, or prevent disease
Maintain confidentiality of records relating to clients' treatment.
Encourage clients to express their feelings and discuss what is happening in their lives, helping th
Counsel clients or patients, individually or in group sessions, to assist in overcoming dependencies
Guide clients in the development of skills or strategies for dealing with their problems and coping with triggering factors.
Respond to client communications by monitoring voicemail and email, returning phone calls, and making follow-up calls for missed appointments.

Technology

Medical softwareData base user interface and query softwareSpreadsheet softwareInternet browser softwareOffice suite softwareElectronic mail softwareProject management softwareEnterprise resource planning ERP software

Tools

AngiocathsApnea monitorsArgon lasersArterial blood gas monitoring equipmentArterial line cathetersAutomated external defibrillators AEDBack bracesBilevel positive airway pressure BiPAP ventilatorsBinocular light compound microscopesBiopsy punchesBlood drawing syringesCarbon dioxide CO2 lasersCardiac monitorsCardiopulmonary resuscitation CPR face shieldsChest tubesDesktop computersDigital medical thermometersFlatbed scannersNotebook computersPersonal computersSphygmomanometers

Work Values

RelationshipsAchievementSupportIndependenceWorking ConditionsRecognition

Career Pathways

Occupations this program prepares you for

Auto-populatedfrom O*NET + BLS

Occupations matched to this program, with median wage, top wage, growth, and openings
SOC	Occupation	Method	Wage	Growth	Openings
Match confidence: high29-1171.00	Nurse Practitioners	title_inference	$129,210 median$169,950 top	+40.07%	12,840
Match confidence: medium21-1014.00	Mental Health Counselors	title_inference	$57,480 median$96,620 top	—	—

Program Pathways

Credentials this program stacks toward

No program pathways.

What You'll Learn

Key competencies developed through this program

Auto-populatedfrom NSX Competency Framework

Mastery: proficient (Level 3)(based on Post-Baccalaureate Certificate)

Complex, unstable, and comorbid patient presentations — diagnose and manage autonomously, leading collaborative care with physicians, specialists, and interdisciplinary teams.
Individualized treatment plans — design and refine plans across the full scope of NP practice, integrating scientific rationale with patient-specific factors and cost considerations.
Advanced patient education interventions — develop and execute tailored counseling strategies that address health literacy, behavioral risk factors, and chronic disease self-management.
Comprehensive diagnostic reasoning — interpret multi-system clinical data, laboratory results, and imaging independently to generate accurate differential diagnoses for non-routine cases.
Emergency and high-acuity conditions — assess, stabilize, and initiate evidence-based treatment under urgent conditions in emergency department or inpatient collaborative environments.
Pharmacotherapy decisions — prescribe based on comparative efficacy, safety profiles, and formulary cost-effectiveness within full legal prescriptive authority across diverse patient populations.
Longitudinal chronic disease programs — oversee and optimize population-level management of conditions such as heart failure and type 2 diabetes using outcomes monitoring and protocol adjustment.
Inductive and deductive clinical reasoning — apply systematically to resolve ambiguous or rare presentations, drawing on biomedical science and clinical experience.
Interprofessional coordination — lead care conferences and cross-disciplinary communication strategies to ensure seamless patient transitions across care settings.
Clinical data analysis and reporting — use spreadsheet and database software to track patient outcomes, identify trends, and inform quality improvement actions.

Program Details

Detailed information about this program

No detailed information available.

Requirements

What you need to earn this credential

No requirements listed.

Financial Aid

Eligible funding programs

No funding information available.

Scholarships

No scholarships listed.