Nursing Post-Master's Certificates

Strengthen Your Career With Specialized Skills
Salve Regina University's post-master’s certificates in family nurse practitioner and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner broaden your career opportunities in two high-demand fields of health care. Through didactic and experiential learning, we build on your previous training to provide preparation for national certification as a family nurse practitioner or as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner.
Purpose-Driven Education
With a focus on patient-centered care, Salve's nursing programs prepare you to address the future health needs of various populations. Guided by Salve’s mercy mission, we seek to develop compassionate, professional nurses who are liberally educated, ethically grounded and clinically competent health care providers.

Family Nurse Practitioner Post-Master's Certificate
Family nurse practitioners are advanced practice nurses who provide independent and collaborative health care based on evidence, scientific knowledge and science-based theory. Our post-master's certificate addresses a growing need for practitioners to provide high-quality patient care across the lifespan.
Our family nurse practitioner certificate is an accessible and intensive program designed for professionals who hold an M.S. in nursing and wish to transition their career to an advanced practice family nurse practitioner.
This program is delivered online in a thoughtful blend of synchronous and asynchronous class meetings. A 40-hour skills-based colloquium on Salve's Newport, Rhode Island campus is also required. This combination offers the flexibility required for working adults while also fostering personal connections with faculty that are the hallmark of the Salve experience.
After completing 39 credits of coursework and a minimum of 750 clinical hours, you will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination for family nurse practitioners. Qualified graduates are also eligible to progress seamlessly into our Doctor of Nursing Practice program.
Program Features
Complete the post-master's FNP program in as little as 24 months with 39 credit hours and 750 clinical hours.

$31,239 for nurses from partner institutions. $33,072 for nurses from non-partner institutions.
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Certificate
Today's health care providers are faced with immense mental health issues presenting in populations from pediatric to geriatric. Our psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) certificate addresses a growing need for nurse practitioners who can provide high-quality mental health care across the lifespan.
The PMHNP certificate is an accessible and intensive program designed for professionals who hold the M.S. in nursing and wish to transition their career to an advanced practice psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner.
This program is delivered online in a thoughtful blend of synchronous and asynchronous class meetings. A 40-hour skills-based colloquium on Salve's Newport, Rhode Island campus is also required. This combination offers the flexibility required for working professionals while also fostering personal connections with faculty that are the hallmark of the Salve experience. We utilize academic and clinical settings to equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to provide holistic, innovative and comprehensive mental health care.
After completing 30 credits of coursework and a minimum of 750 clinical hours, you will be eligible to sit for the national certification exam for psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners. Qualified graduates are also eligible to progress seamlessly into our Doctor of Nursing Practice program.
Program Features
Complete the post-master's PMHNP program in as little as 24 months with 30 credit hours and 750 clinical hours.

$24,030 for nurses from partner institutions. $25,440 for nurses from non-partner institutions.
Certificate Information
Post-master's certificate in family nurse practitioner
Our family nurse practitioner certificate is designed for registered nurses who hold a master's degree from an accredited institution. Students complete 11 courses (39 credits) and a minimum of 750 direct, supervised clinical hours across the lifespan. After earning the post-master's certificate, graduates are prepared to sit for the national certification examination for family nurse practitioners.
Post-master's certificate in psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner
Our psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner certificate is designed for registered nurses who hold a master's degree from an accredited institution. Students complete eight courses (30 credits) and a minimum of 750 direct, supervised clinical hours across the lifespan. After earning the post-master's certificate, graduates are prepared to sit for the national certification examination for psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners.
CCNE accredited
The baccalaureate degree programs in nursing, master's degree program in nursing and Doctor of Nursing Practice program at Salve Regina University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. These programs are also accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education.

Meet Our Experts
Recognized for their expertise, compassion and vast knowledge, our nursing faculty encourage students to continue their development as health care providers and members of the global health partnership.

Dr. Sharon Stager
- Associate professor

Kimberly Bissell
- Adjunct professor

Carolynn Hastie
- Adjunct professor

Jean Ann Helger
- Assistant professor

Dr. Olivia Krampen
- Adjunct professor

Dr. Shelley Lynch
- Lecturer
- Associate graduate program director

Dr. Kelly O'Connor
- Lecturer

Helen Price
- Lecturer
- Associate graduate program director