GW's PMHNP clinical courses: NURS 6244 to NURS 6248
GW's Psychiatric Mental Health NP tracks divide 600 precepted hours evenly among five clinical courses numbered NURS 6244 to NURS 6248, at 120 hours apiece. The numbering misleads: the plans open with NURS 6245, two courses share one semester, and NURS 6248 at the end needs a PMHNP or CNS preceptor. Planning for all five at once is the surest way through.
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Five courses in the order GW's plans run them
| Course | Title | Credits | Hours | Term on the fall-entry MSN plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
NURS 6245 | Psychiatric/Mental Health Diagnostic Assessment Across the Lifespan | 4 | 120 | Year 2 fall, with NURS 6242 Psychopharmacology |
NURS 6244 | Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing with Families and Groups Across the Life Span | 3 | 120 | Year 2 spring |
NURS 6246 | Psychiatric/Mental Health Advanced Practice Nursing with Individuals Across the Life Span | 3 | 120 | Year 2 spring |
NURS 6247 | Population-Based Psychiatric/Mental Health Advanced Practice Nursing Across the Life Span | 3 | 120 | Year 2 summer |
NURS 6248 | Integrated Application of Psychiatric/Mental Health Advanced Practice Nursing | 3 | 120 | Year 3 fall, with NURS 6243 Addiction and Change |
The MSN is part-time only on GW's website: eight semesters for fall entry, nine for spring entry. The spring-entry plan keeps the same order but moves 6244, 6246 and 6247 a year later, so 6248 still lands in the fall of year three.
Why the run starts with NURS 6245
NURS 6245 is the diagnostic assessment course, and it opens clinical practice for every PMHNP option. The Bulletin's description runs the coursework alongside a practicum that preceptors and faculty supervise together, and it sets 120 clinical hours as the floor. GW's plans pair it with NURS 6242 Psychopharmacology, so you learn to assess and to prescribe in the same term.
A preceptor who does psychiatric intakes and diagnostic evaluations suits this course well: an outpatient psychiatric practice, a community mental health center or a psychiatric evaluation service. GW's 2021 clinical placement guide lists settings for each PMHNP course; your syllabus carries the current version, so check it before you commit.
The same guide's credential list, NP, MD, DO or CNM with two-plus years in an advanced practice role, means psychiatrists and PMHNPs both qualify for the early courses. The preceptor requirements page covers the general rule.
The double semester: NURS 6244 and NURS 6246 together
Both GW plans place NURS 6244 and NURS 6246 in the same spring term, which makes it the busiest PMHNP semester at 240 precepted hours. The two courses look at different sides of practice: 6244 works with families and groups, while 6246 focuses on advanced practice with individuals.
That pairing raises a practical question GW does not answer publicly: can one preceptor cover both courses in the same term? GW's CORE rules count Site Prospector entries by preceptor, site, rotation and term, so two courses may mean two entries even at one site. Ask your Clinical Experience Faculty how your cohort handles it before the request deadline.
A practice that runs group or family therapy alongside individual medication management is the easiest single-site fit. Otherwise, plan on two preceptors for that spring.
The spring with NURS 6244 and NURS 6246 needs 240 hours. Line up enough preceptor time for both courses before the term begins.
NURS 6248: a PMHNP or CNS preceptor, and a campus day
The final course carries GW's one track-specific preceptor rule for psychiatric students. GW's 2021 clinical placement guide says NURS 6248 "Must have a PMHNP/CNS preceptor." A psychiatrist who precepted you earlier cannot fill this course on credentials alone; you need a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner or a clinical nurse specialist.
That rule makes 6248 the placement to secure earliest, even though it comes last. Limiting the pool to PMHNPs and CNSs shrinks your options, and GW itself cautions that desirable sites fill up well over a year in advance.
Starting in Fall 2027, the 6248 term also includes a simulation-based learning event on campus, a real shift for a track whose CLASI is virtual. The OSCE and skills assessment guide explains how GW's on-campus events fit together. The plans also pair 6248 with NURS 6243 Addiction and Change.
DNP and certificate students
The post-BSN DNP PMHNP uses the same five courses at the same hours. On GW's November 2024 plan, NURS 6245 falls in the fall of year three, the seventh semester, and NURS 6248 in the fall of year four. The DNP PMHNP page covers the program's 74 credits and its indirect hours.
Post-master's PMHNP certificate students start sooner. GW's certificate page says clinical rotations begin with the first course, NURS 6245, and that students complete requirements in their own communities. That means a certificate student needs a preceptor lined up before the first semester starts, not after. The PMHNP certificate page has the entry details.
Every option shares the same 6248 rule and the same Fall 2027 campus event.
Why PMHNP students choose us
Five courses can mean five placements, and the last one has the narrowest preceptor pool. We map the whole run at once: a diagnostic assessment setting for 6245, family, group and individual work for the double spring, a population-focused setting for 6247, and a PMHNP or CNS for 6248, secured well ahead.
Behind each match sits a document set built for GW: the preceptor's license and CV or bio, the practice's authorized signer for the affiliation agreement, and a short rationale linking the setting to the course. Nothing is missing when the Site Prospector entry goes in, and GW's program director decides on a finished file. If a preceptor leaves partway through the five courses, our search restarts immediately. The how it works page walks through it; the contact form gets you started.
Questions GW students ask
Can a psychiatrist precept me for NURS 6248?
Not under GW's 2021 clinical placement guide, which requires a PMHNP or clinical nurse specialist preceptor for NURS 6248. Psychiatrists, as MDs or DOs, fit the general credential list and can suit the earlier PMHNP courses. For 6248, plan on a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner or a CNS, and confirm current rules with your course.
Why do GW's plans pair NURS 6242 with NURS 6245?
The plans list NURS 6242 Psychopharmacology as a companion to NURS 6245, the first clinical course, so prescribing knowledge arrives as you start assessing patients. They pair NURS 6243 Addiction and Change with NURS 6248 in the same way. Keep those pairings in mind if you ever need to change your plan with your academic advisor.
Do PMHNP students go to campus for CLASI?
CLASI is virtual for this track, according to GW's DNP and certificate PMHNP pages, and no course on the PMHNP plans is flagged as on campus. The on-campus requirement GW names for PMHNP students is the NURS 6248 simulation-based event, starting Fall 2027. The NURS 6222 and CLASI page explains what CLASI covers for every track.
Can I keep the same preceptor for several PMHNP courses?
GW does not publish a limit, and because CORE entries are tied to a single term, the same preceptor still needs a fresh entry each semester. A practice that fits several course focuses can carry you through more than one course. For 6248, the preceptor must be a PMHNP or CNS.
How many clinical hours do GW PMHNP students need?
Six hundred precepted hours in every option, 120 in each of the five clinical courses. The MSN is 50 credits, the post-BSN DNP 74 and the certificate 22. DNP students also complete 500 indirect practice hours under the Bulletin 2026-27, counted separately from the precepted clinical total.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-24
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