GW's post-BSN DNP in Psychiatric Mental Health: five rotations starting in semester 7
At 74 credits, the psychiatric doctorate is GW's largest post-BSN track, and its clinical work begins earliest: NURS 6245 opens in semester 7 of the part-time plan, two terms ahead of the other doctoral NP options. Five courses of 120 precepted hours run across four terms, and the final one calls for a psychiatric specialist as preceptor. You source each one where you live.
Plan your psychiatric rotations
Tell us your start year and city. Your placement advisor maps PMHNP and psychiatry preceptors from NURS 6245 through NURS 6248.
Why this track is 74 credits
Every other GW post-BSN DNP is 72 credits. The psychiatric track runs longer because its specialty block is made of more, smaller courses: two didactic courses, NURS 6242 Psychopharmacology and NURS 6243 Addiction and Change, plus five clinical courses worth 16 credits between them. The shared advanced practice courses, the eight doctoral courses and the four project courses, NURS 8489 to NURS 8492, match the other tracks.
One line on GW's own DNP PMHNP page reads "The DNP: Family Nurse Practitioner option consists of 74 credit hours." That is a copy slip on the psychiatric page: the Bulletin 2026-27 lists the PMHNP doctorate at 74 credits and the Family NP doctorate at 72. Go by the Bulletin.
Entry matches the other post-BSN options: a BSN, a current U.S. RN license with no encumbrances, a 3.0 GPA as GW's stated preference, and a fall start. GW posts a single part-time plan of 11 semesters.
The rotation calendar
| Semester | Term | Clinical course | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Year 3 fall | NURS 6245 Diagnostic Assessment Across the Lifespan, alongside NURS 6242 Psychopharmacology | 120 |
| 8 | Year 3 spring | NURS 6244 Families and Groups and NURS 6246 Individuals, taken together | 240 |
| 9 | Year 3 summer | NURS 6247 Population-Based Advanced Practice | 120 |
| 10 | Year 4 fall | NURS 6248 Integrated Application, alongside NURS 6243 Addiction and Change | 120 |
The clinical run ends in semester 10 of 11. Spring of year three is the heavy term, with two courses and 240 hours at once. NURS 6222, the gateway to every clinical course, sits in the term before NURS 6245 under GW's semester-before rule, which puts it in summer of year two.
NURS 6245 is the one course whose Bulletin entry states its hours: a practicum alongside the coursework, with 120 clinical hours as the minimum. For the content of all five, see the PMHNP clinical courses page.
The NURS 6248 preceptor rule
The general list in GW's 2021 placement guide covers nurse practitioners, MDs, DOs and CNMs who have two or more years of advanced practice behind them and an unencumbered license. For NURS 6248 the guide is stricter: the course "Must have a PMHNP/CNS preceptor." The 2021 file has dropped off GW's current pages, though it remains online, so check the rule against your syllabus.
This shapes your planning. A psychiatrist who precepted you through NURS 6245 or NURS 6246 may not qualify for the final course, so identify a PMHNP or CNS for fall of year four well before that term's request date. Physician assistants do not appear on GW's preceptor list at all. See preceptor requirements for the full rules.
Line up your NURS 6248 PMHNP or CNS preceptor early. It is the one psychiatric course where GW's 2021 guide names the preceptor's role.
Virtual CLASI now, one campus event from Fall 2027
Primary care and acute care students travel for CLASI; psychiatric students take it online. GW's DNP PMHNP page requires you to "participate in a virtual CLASI to prepare you to enter clinical immersion," completed alongside NURS 6222. The NURS 6222 and CLASI page explains the intensive.
The change comes at the end. Beginning in Fall 2027, GW requires everyone taking NURS 6248 to come to campus for a simulation-based learning event. On the posted plan, NURS 6248 falls in fall of year four, so anyone who started in fall 2024 or later reaches it in fall 2027 or after and should expect one trip. GW's FAQ names VSTC in Ashburn as the usual venue for on-campus work, and the NP On-Campus Events Dashboard will carry the date.
Older text still embedded on that page mentions possible faculty site visits during rotations; GW does not say whether those happen by video or in person.
Hours: the doctoral rule, and a rare agreement
For the psychiatric doctorate, the two most recent Bulletins agree. Both the 2025-26 and 2026-27 editions ask for 600 hours of direct clinical work and 500 hours of indirect DNP practice, whereas for the other post-BSN tracks the older Bulletin said 500 direct. GW's website expresses the same total differently: a 1,100-hour minimum after the bachelor's, with 600 under an approved preceptor and 500 folded into coursework.
The 600 direct hours are the five 120-hour courses. CORE expects one patient or more for every hour you log, all of it between the first and last day of the semester. GW has not said how the 500 indirect hours are divided among the project courses, so each project syllabus is where you confirm your share. The DNP practice hours page compares the figures across all four tracks.
Planning four terms of psychiatric preceptors
- Year 2Decide where you will rotate. GW's placement pages warn that sites are often booked more than twelve months out, so open conversations about fall of year three while you are still in year two.
- Spring of year 2Have the
NURS 6245preceptor confirmed. GW's website sets May 1 for fall clinical requests, which comes beforeNURS 6222starts in summer, so ask the Clinical Placement Team when your CORE access will open. - Fall of year 3While you log
NURS 6245hours, secure preceptors for the two spring courses; GW's website sets October 1 for spring requests. - Spring of year 3 onwardSummer requests are due February 1 and the following fall's by May 1. That second May 1 is the date for your
NURS 6248PMHNP or CNS preceptor.
CORE wants a fresh Site Prospector entry whenever the preceptor, the site, the rotation or the term changes. The 2026 CORE deck's priority dates can differ from the website's, so check CORE's Document Library for your term and see the request deadlines page.
Why psychiatric DNP students work with us
Your plan needs psychiatric preceptors in four consecutive terms, including one term with two courses at once. Your placement advisor maps the whole run from NURS 6245 to NURS 6248 and lines up PMHNPs and psychiatrists near you whose practices fit each course: diagnostic assessment, family and group work, care of individuals and population-based practice.
We secure the NURS 6248 PMHNP or CNS early and assemble every Site Prospector package, from license and CV to the name of the site's signing official, checked against GW's rules before your program director sees it. The decision is theirs; the completeness is ours. If a preceptor drops mid-sequence, the replacement search starts right away.
Use the form below with your start year and city, and your advisor will build the plan around semester 7.
Questions GW students ask
Can a psychiatrist precept GW PMHNP students?
Yes, for most courses. Physicians with an MD or DO appear on the eligible list in GW's 2021 guide, provided they have two years or more of advanced practice and a current license. The exception is NURS 6248, which the guide reserves for a PMHNP or CNS preceptor. Confirm current rules with your course before you commit.
Is the DNP PMHNP offered in spring?
No, GW's post-BSN DNP tracks start in the fall only. GW's MSN in Psychiatric Mental Health admits in both fall and spring, and its part-time plans start clinicals much sooner, in semester 4 for fall entrants or semester 6 for spring entrants. Compare the two in our MSN PMHNP guide.
How many preceptors will I need across the five PMHNP courses?
GW publishes no number. Each course needs at least one approved preceptor, and every preceptor gets a CORE entry of their own for each term they supervise you. Whether one clinician can cover more than one course, including the two spring courses, is a question for your Clinical Experience Faculty.
Can I complete the PMHNP doctorate from outside the DC area?
Yes, across most of the country. Coursework is online, rotations happen near home, and you need an RN license for each state where you see patients. GW's State Authorizations page names the exceptions: no online applicants from five states (Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Dakota, Wisconsin), New York residents only with clinicals elsewhere, and Arizona excluded from every DNP. Details: state authorizations.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-24
We check these pages against GW's Bulletin and GW Nursing's own program and clinical pages. Your course, CORE and GW's Clinical Placement Team have the final word.
GW asks you to find your own site and preceptor. Hand that search to us.
Tell us your GW program, where you live and which clinical course is next. We find preceptors who fit the course and prepare the license, bio and site details GW's review asks for, so your Site Prospector goes in complete.
- Preceptors matched to the course: family practice for
NURS 6230toNURS 6232, older-adult primary care for AGPCNP, psychiatric care for PMHNP - License, bio or CV and the site's agreement signatory ready for your CORE submission
- Close to home, in DC, Maryland, Virginia or wherever you live and hold your RN license
Start your placement plan
Your program, city and next clinical term is all we need to begin.