The geriatric neuropsychiatry certificate curriculum will help you master the techniques and methods needed to deliver the highest quality care for your older adult patients:
There is a current shortage of nurses and nurse practitioners specialized in the field of geriatric neuropsychiatry in the U.S. This means that dementia-related illnesses are not being treated with the interdisciplinary approach needed to ensure high quality of life outcomes.
Saint Mary’s and GuideStar offer a geriatric neuropsychiatry certificate that combines neurology/neuroscience, neuropsychiatry, geriatrics and psychiatry to prepare students to fill this gap. As a student in our certificate program, you’ll learn that just because a patient is showing symptoms that look psychiatric, that doesn’t mean that the underlying causes fall entirely into that category.
When you join our advanced nursing program, you’ll benefit from our exclusive partnership with GuideStar Eldercare, which works with facilities across Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Texas. Combined with the exceptional need for specialized nurse practitioners, this means that you’ll have plentiful opportunities across the country for rewarding careers as a nurse with this advanced and groundbreaking training.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that job opportunities for nurse practitioners will grow up to 38 percent by 2032, more than seven times the national average for all other occupations. The subfield of geriatric nursing is expected to grow even more as the Baby Boomer generation continues to age.
Individuals are living longer than ever and staying active later in their lives. This increase in life expectancy is contributing to a rise in dementia-related illnesses across the country. Unfortunately, there is a severe shortage of nurses and nurse practitioners who are specialized in diagnosing and treating geriatric neuropsychiatric illnesses such as dementia.
To bridge this gap, Saint Mary’s College has partnered with GuideStar Eldercare to create a geriatric neuropsychiatry certificate for advanced practice nurses. These initiatives equip graduates with specialized skills to provide older adult patients with the care and attention they need to lead healthy, independent lives.
GuideStar and Saint Mary’s College believe that the traditional model of providing care to individuals diagnosed with dementia only addresses part of the underlying problem. Too often, providers find the symptom and treat only that symptom. The GuideStar program at Saint Mary’s trains nurse practitioners to properly diagnose and identify age-related illnesses, and treat their patients using a combination of neurology, neuropsychiatry and gerontology.
GuideStar Eldercare uses neurology-based behavioral health interventions to develop effective person-centered approaches to treat a wide range of psychological and psychiatric brain disorders. When you join our certificate program in geriatric neuropsychiatry, you’ll learn to approach neurological illnesses through a multidisciplinary lens that looks at the patient as an individual with unique medical needs. This specialized training will help you improve not only patients’ lives but the healthcare system as a whole.
GuideStar Eldercare is at the vanguard of providing cutting-edge, research-backed geriatric care around the country. Working nurse practitioners who pursue the Geriatric Neuropsychiatry certificate, or Saint Mary’s nursing students who add a geriatric neuropsychiatry specialty to their DNP, benefit from the vast built-in network of facilities that work with GuideStar Eldercare — including Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Texas.
With the high demand for nurse practitioners and the need for professionals specially trained in this innovative field, this means that this advanced certificate can lead to many career opportunities around the U.S.
When you study geriatric neuropsychiatry at Saint Mary’s College, you’ll learn how to become a nurse practitioner who helps aging patients live independent lives, as well as how to decrease misdiagnoses, pharmaceutical mismanagement and reliance on antipsychotic medications.
Fall 2024 or January 2025
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| NURS 619 | Social Determinants of Health: Individuals and Families | 3 |
| NURS 745 | Policy, Regulatory Compliance in the Care of Older Adults Course Credit: 3 credits | 3 |
| NURS 735 | Geriatric Neuropsychiatric Pathophysiology & Differential Diagnosis | 3 |
| NURS 737 | Geriatric Neuropsychiatric Pharmacology | 3 |
| NURS 740 | Palliative Care for Individuals and Families | 3 |
| Total Credits | 15 | |
Students in the course will investigate how culture and the social determinants of health contribute to and impact individuals and families within the geriatric neuropsychiatric disease continuum.
This course provides an in-depth discussion of complex physiologic and pathophysiologic concepts related to geriatric neuropsychiatric processes in adults and older adults. Emphasis is on integrating scientific concepts as a basis for understanding interrelationships among complex physiologic and pathophysiologic processes and developing differential diagnoses for individuals in the neuropsychiatric continuum.
This course examines the principles of pharmacology and drug therapy for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses who provide care to adults and older adults experiencing geriatric neuropsychiatric diseases. Content will include legal, ethical, and social considerations related to prescribing medications to individuals with these disease states.
This course examines the principles of palliative care across the lifespan for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses. Content will include pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions legal, ethical, and social considerations related to the delivery of palliative care measures for individuals across the lifespan.
This course is designed to assist students in envisioning and analyzing their leadership role as an APRN who practices within the eldercare environment. The content will focus on analyzing selected local, state, national, and global health programs and policies. Students will develop an understanding of the underlying values and socio-political and economic issues that influence the context of eldercare. Strategies are considered for designing and leading the implementation of public, professional, and institutional policies relating to local, regional, national, and international health care and its delivery.
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