{"id":75199,"date":"2026-03-12T07:56:45","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T11:56:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/?p=75199"},"modified":"2026-07-16T08:47:37","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T12:47:37","slug":"utcs-first-pmhnp-cohort-prepares-to-bridge-a-mental-health-gap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/utcs-first-pmhnp-cohort-prepares-to-bridge-a-mental-health-gap\/","title":{"rendered":"UTC\u2019s first PMHNP cohort prepares\u00a0to bridge\u00a0a mental health gap\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_75208\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" ><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"880\" height=\"660\" data-attachment-id=\"75208\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/utcs-first-pmhnp-cohort-prepares-to-bridge-a-mental-health-gap\/cohort-1-1\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/Cohort-1-1.jpg?fit=1280%2C960&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1280,960\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-title=\"Cohort 1 1\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/Cohort-1-1.jpg?fit=880%2C660&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"wp-image-75208 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/Cohort-1-1.jpg?resize=880%2C660&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"The first cohort of UTC\u2019s Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program stands outside Gordon L. Davenport Hall, wearing white lab coats and posing in a line against a brick wall on a sunny day.\" style=\"max-width: 100%;\"style=\"max-width: 100%;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/Cohort-1-1.jpg?w=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/Cohort-1-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/Cohort-1-1.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/Cohort-1-1.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/Cohort-1-1.jpg?resize=580%2C435&amp;ssl=1 580w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/Cohort-1-1.jpg?resize=610%2C458&amp;ssl=1 610w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 880px) 100vw, 880px\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nurse Practitioner Program Director Amber Roach\u00e9 (left) and PMHNP Program Director Jason Peter (right) stand with the first cohort of PMHNP students at their White Coat Ceremony. Photo courtesy of Dr. Jason Peter.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Nine students may not sound like a lot.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">But in a specialty facing shortages, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga\u2019s first Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) cohort will soon expand mental health access in the region.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The program began last fall. After a semester of online courses, the students are on campus pursuing their Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degrees. The eight-semester program requires 1,050 hours of supervised clinical experience and prepares students to sit for national board certification.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Dr. Jason Peter, Mary B. Jackson assistant professor and director of the PMHNP program, said the need for psychiatric providers locally has grown more urgent. He said the program was created after years of conversations with <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">local providers who wanted UTC to offer a psychiatric mental health track.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cA lot of psychiatrists are retiring,\u201d Peter explained. \u201cI really think that mental health nurse practitioners are going to bridge the gap in patient care because there won\u2019t be as many psychiatrists available.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cWith the rising mental health concerns in our society, coupled with retiring psychiatrists, mental health nurse practitioners are just going to be in great need and it\u2019s just going to continue to increase.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">****************************<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/01\/answering-the-call-in-mental-health\/\"><strong>Click here<\/strong><\/a> to read about PMHNP students Christine Macias and Douglas Wilson.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">****************************<\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The first three semesters teach the foundations of a DNP and NP degree including assessment skills, health promotion and research methods. Psychiatry-specific coursework will begin in the fall.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Students will eventually study evaluation, diagnosis and management of psychiatric mental health clients, followed by psychopharmacology and principles of individual group and family counseling. The program requires 150 clinical hours dedicated specifically to therapy.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cPsychiatric nurse practitioners can be therapists,\u201d Peter said. \u201cI think that psych NPs who do provide more therapy are more effective because the evidence-based practices\u2014therapy and meds together\u2014are what work best for treatment.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Career paths for PMHNP graduates are wide-ranging. Providers may work in outpatient clinics, inpatient behavioral health units, child and adolescent programs, geriatric psychiatry, substance use treatment centers or community mental health organizations.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Many PMHNP programs across the country are entirely online. Peter said UTC\u2019s hybrid modality is still very flexible but provides the in-person component that is important for this program.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cWhat sets our program apart \u2026 we have individualized attention. We have smaller classes and faculty support, and we do have face-to-face lectures for those important topics,\u201d he said.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">The smaller cohorts allow faculty to work closely as they move through their doctoral projects, which are focused on improving psychiatric care and can be chosen by the students.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cI\u2019m so excited to see what all of them are going to come up with as far as the practice changes they\u2019re going to try to implement with their project ideas,\u201d he said.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Peter acknowledged that the program is rigorous. Students are balancing coursework, clinical hours and, in many cases, part-time work in psychiatric settings. It is, however, designed to be doable.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cHow do you eat an elephant?\u201d he joked. \u201cOne bite at a time &#8230; It looks big and overwhelming at first, but we help you break it up into little bits and pieces so that it\u2019s more manageable.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"font-weight: 400\">Learn more<\/h4>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.utc.edu\/enrollment-management-and-student-affairs\/admissions\/visit\">Visit UTC<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.utc.edu\/college-of-nursing\/nurse-practitioner\">UTC Nurse Practitioner programs<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2025\/05\/utc-to-launch-psychiatric-mental-health-nurse-practitioner-program\/\">UTC to launch psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner program<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/01\/answering-the-call-in-mental-health\/\">Answering the call in mental health<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.utc.edu\/apply\">How to apply<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nine students may not sound like a lot.\u00a0But in a specialty facing shortages, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga\u2019s first Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) cohort will soon expand mental health access in the region.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"more-link-wrap\"><span><a class=\"more-link button text\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/utcs-first-pmhnp-cohort-prepares-to-bridge-a-mental-health-gap\/\"><span>Continue Reading <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2000,"featured_media":75210,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[64,70,15,56,4936,3,122493,7712,83654,661],"tags":[126500,123827,126501,127069,122279,123828,124776,123829,125648,125649],"class_list":{"0":"post-75199","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-academics","8":"category-campus","9":"category-college-of-health-education-and-professional-studies","10":"category-college-of-nursing","11":"category-community","12":"category-education","13":"category-faculty-and-staff","14":"category-health-and-wellness","15":"category-news","16":"category-students","17":"tag-christine-macias","18":"tag-creating-the-mocs-experience","19":"tag-douglas-wilson","20":"tag-goal-1-2-enhance-learner-success-strategic-plan-2030","21":"tag-jason-peter","22":"tag-leveraging-our-special-place-as-chattanoogas-university","23":"tag-mocs-learn-mocs-do-mocs-lead","24":"tag-operating-with-excellence","25":"tag-pmhnp","26":"tag-psychiatric-mental-health-nurse-practitioner-program","27":"entry"},"yoast_head":"<!-- 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