The UofM Psychiatric-Mental Health NP MSN and its four practicums
The University of Memphis PMHNP concentration pairs 46 credits of online coursework with four precepted practicum courses and 750 clinical hours, moving from lifespan assessment through outpatient and inpatient psychiatric care to a closing residency. Each course asks for a different kind of psychiatric setting, so the preceptor plan has to cover all four. We line up PMHNP preceptors and sites that meet UofM's rules, whether or not UofM takes part in your placement.
Plan your PMHNP practicums
Give us your start term, where you live and the psychiatric practicum ahead. A placement advisor replies with preceptors and sites that fit.
The PMHNP track at a glance
Coursework is fully online, and the clinical work happens in person where you live. UofM Global describes the four practicum courses as supervised experiences in the student's own community, guided by qualified mental health preceptors. Expect up to three brief campus visits as well; the one in January 2027 is compulsory for PMHNP students along with the other NP tracks.
Getting in follows the shared MSN rules, with no extra experience minimum of the kind the acute care track sets. Keep an unrestricted RN license that covers Tennessee or the approved state hosting your practicums, and note that California is off the list for LCON's distance programs. UofM's documents disagree on the remaining states, so read the state authorization guide before you commit to a location.
Nurses without a BSN can come in through UofM's RN to MSN pathway, which starts with three undergraduate courses (NURS 3007, NURS 4108 and NURS 4111). UofM's pages differ on whether that route reaches the PMHNP: the RN to MSN page names three concentrations, while the program list and the MSN page name all five. Confirm with LCON admissions before applying.
Where the 46 credits come from
The PMHNP carries the largest specialty block of UofM's three NP concentrations.
| Block | Courses | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MSN core | NURS 7021, 7022, 7023, 7024 | 12 |
| Advanced practice core | NURS 7101, 7102 (clinical lab), 7103, 7104 | 10 |
| PMHNP specialty | NURS 7610 through 7616, plus the NURS 7619 residency | 24 |
Forty-six is what the catalog's courses add up to, yet several UofM documents print other numbers. One plan of study carries a heading of 33 total credits above courses worth 46. The catalog's PMHNP specialty heading says 18 credits over a list worth 24. The Academic Bulletin gives the MSN a 31 to 44 credit range and has no PMHNP MSN table, while the MSN page says 31 to 46. The college's program list even links the 46-credit MSN plan as the certificate curriculum.
Count the courses, and ask your faculty advisor to confirm your own plan of study.
Four practicums, 750 hours
The PMHNP clinical sequence opens with a shorter course and builds toward a 250-hour residency.
| Course | Focus | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| NURS 7612 Advanced Mental Health Assessment and Diagnosis Practicum | Assessment and diagnosis across the lifespan in a supervising preceptor's practice | 120 |
| NURS 7614 PMHNP I Practicum | Outpatient settings | 190 |
| NURS 7616 PMHNP II Practicum | Inpatient settings | 190 |
| NURS 7619 PMHNP Roles and Transition to Practice Residency | The final residency | 250 |
Seven hundred fifty is also the number the Academic Bulletin ties to national certification: it sets that many clock hours as the floor for every nurse practitioner student. The 120-hour opener is the lightest first practicum of UofM's three NP tracks, yet it still has to stretch over at least seven weeks and earn a B or better, so a preceptor with a steady weekly schedule counts for more than a big block of open days.
Unlike the FNP and AG-ACNP figures, UofM's sources agree on the PMHNP total. The PMHNP practicums page takes each course in detail, and the NP residency guide covers the closing semester that all three NP tracks share.
Matching a preceptor to each psychiatric setting
Each PMHNP practicum names a different setting, which is why a single preceptor seldom carries a student through the whole sequence.
NURS 7612spans the lifespan, so a practice that treats patients across age groups fits it best.NURS 7614centers on outpatient psychiatric care, such as a clinic or private practice.NURS 7616moves inpatient, where hospital units add their own onboarding and lead times.NURS 7619, the residency, may include up to 60 hours in a specialty area when the Track Coordinator approves beforehand.
Across the four courses, one rotation or more has to be under a nurse practitioner. If your other preceptors are psychiatrists, a PMHNP preceptor for one rotation settles that rule. The rotation rules page covers the rest of UofM's requirements.
When each practicum lands
Spread over back-to-back fall, spring and summer terms, the PMHNP plan takes eight terms for fall entrants and seven for spring entrants. NURS 7612 opens the clinical sequence in a spring term: term five for fall starters, term four for spring starters, roughly 17 or 12 months after the first class.
The outpatient practicum, NURS 7614, comes straight after in the summer, and the inpatient course and residency follow. That pace leaves little room between courses, so the preceptors for the first two practicums are best confirmed together.
Since the preceptor agreement form needs the Office of Community Partnerships and Practice's sign-off ahead of day one, a January start to NURS 7612 means the paperwork moves during the fall. Timing for every entry term is on the first clinical course guide.
Grade and clearance rules for PMHNP students
Every PMHNP practicum description carries the same line: a B or better to progress. Each clinical course is paired with a didactic companion; the two are completed in one semester, and a repeat of either brings the other back too.
- Clearance items live in DISA Complio, and each clinical site's onboarding runs through myClinicalExchange (Complio guide).
- Each fall and spring clinical term calls for a fresh drug screen dated in the 30 days before it begins, and the background check is renewed annually.
- Your practicum calendar goes to clinical faculty for approval by the second Monday of term, and edits need a week's written notice.
- A course's hours stretch across seven weeks at minimum, and hours at your own employer need compelling circumstances plus faculty and administration approval.
Why PMHNP students choose us
Psychiatric placements take matching at every step, and we plan the whole PMHNP sequence rather than one course at a time.
- Lifespan practices for
NURS 7612, confirmed to see the age range the course expects. - Outpatient and inpatient psychiatric sites planned together, so the summer practicum is ready before the spring one begins.
- A nurse practitioner preceptor placed in your plan to meet UofM's NP rotation rule.
- A complete preceptor agreement file: the preceptor's license, certification and practice details, plus the site's information.
- A fresh search right away if a practice or unit pulls out mid-plan.
Every preceptor and site still needs UofM's sign-off. We assemble the paperwork so the reviewers find each item present, current and aligned with LCON's requirements. Share your start term and town in the form below.
Questions UofM students ask
Is the University of Memphis PMHNP program online?
All classes run online, and UofM offers no campus-based PMHNP. Practicums are in person in your own community. You also make at most three short trips to campus for intensives, one to three days each, with dates published six months or more ahead, and the January 2027 one is on every PMHNP student's calendar.
How many clinical hours does the UofM PMHNP require?
Seven hundred fifty, spread across four courses: 120 in the assessment and diagnosis practicum, 190 each in the outpatient and inpatient practicums, and 250 in the residency. The PMHNP graduate certificate uses the same courses and the same total, and 750 is also the catalog's minimum across all NP tracks.
Can a psychiatrist precept a UofM PMHNP student?
UofM's published rules set one firm condition: a nurse practitioner must precept at least one of your rotations. Beyond that, the Bulletin lists no further preceptor qualifications, so check each preceptor with your clinical faculty before the agreement form goes in. Tennessee's board expects a preceptor licensed at or above the level the student is working toward.
Will I need a collaborating physician as a PMHNP in Tennessee?
Yes, under current law. A Tennessee NP who prescribes files a notice naming a collaborating physician, and 2024 bills that would have let experienced psychiatric NPs practice without one did not pass. The Tennessee NP practice guide explains how that arrangement also shapes who can precept you.
Can I do PMHNP hours at the behavioral health agency where I work?
Only with compelling circumstances, and in that case faculty and program administration sign off on the placement and keep a record of it. Without that, UofM expects your practicum hours at a site other than your employer. A different agency in the same area usually gives you the outpatient or inpatient setting you need without the extra approval step.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-27
We check these pages against UofM's 2026-27 catalog, the LCON Academic Bulletin, program pages and licensure disclosures. Your clinical faculty and your plan of study have the final word.
Whether UofM helps or you start alone, we find the preceptor.
Tell us your UofM concentration, your next practicum and the town you train near. We find preceptors and sites that fit the course and prepare what the preceptor agreement form needs, early enough for approval before the first clinical day.
- Preceptors matched to the rotation rules: an NP preceptor, family practice for FNP, inpatient and critical care for AG-ACNP
- License, certification and site details ready for the preceptor agreement form, with your Complio items in order
- Across the Mid-South, Tennessee and the states UofM serves
Start your placement plan
Your concentration, your town and your next clinical semester is all we need to begin.