Certificate in Mental Health and Addictions for Nurse Practitioners

The Certificate in Mental Health and Addictions for Nurse Practitioners builds upon the foundational knowledge acquired through entry to practice education and the acquisition of entry-to-practice competencies. The certificate program will equip Nurse Practitioners with the knowledge and tools to confidently assess and develop a treatment plan for individuals with mental health and/or addictions issues, across the lifespan. The program will consist of four courses offered by distance education through the University of Toronto Learning Portal. Each course will be 8 weeks in length. Learners may take the courses in any sequence and will earn a certificate by completing all four courses over a 2-year period.

An interactive and case based approach will be utilized to address mental health and addictions issues with an emphasis on critical thinking and clinical reasoning skills. Clinical experts will discuss advanced health assessment, differential diagnoses for the presenting problem, relevant pathophysiology, red flags and how to triage patients who may need a higher level of care, the relevant diagnostic approach and tests, selection of appropriate interventions and treatments, indications for consultation and referral, and strategies for communication and effective management in transitions of care.

Course content will not focus on competencies related to health promotion, quality improvement and research, leadership, education, and ethical practice. It is assumed that participants are competent at an entry level with regard to these factors and will apply as appropriate in practice.

Audience

Nurse Practitioners who wish to further develop their competency, knowledge, skill and clinical acumen in the care of clients with mental health and addictions issues. Course participants must hold current registration as a Nurse Practitioner in their jurisdiction or be a student in a nurse practitioner program.

Certificate Criteria

Participants must successfully complete all 4 courses, normally over a 2-year period, to earn the Certificate in Mental Health and Addictions for Nurse Practitioners. The passing grade of 70% is set for each course. Courses offered by the Centre for Professional Development cannot be credited towards a degree program.  

• Participants may take individual courses without completing the full certificate
• Courses may be taken in any order

Learning Objectives

At the completion of the 4-course certificate program, learners will be able to:

Available Courses

Course Format

This certificate consists of 4 courses, each 8-weeks in duration and delivered through the University of Toronto’s learning management system (Quercus).

• Each week, participants will be expected to view e-learning modules, review required readings and resources, and actively engage with learning activities that will focus on application of learning. Learning activities and assignments/examinations will provide opportunity to apply learnings and receive feedback.
• Participants can expect to allocate a ~ 5-10 hours a week for completion of a weekly module and allocate additional time for assignments. The time spent on any one module will vary from student to student based on your learning needs and style of learning
• Each week will consist of a recorded lecture by faculty who are considered expert clinicians in their field. Faculty will be available for questions through discussion board during that module.
• Each module will focus on one or more topics and integrate relevant clinical cases and focus on discussion of the appropriate health assessment, relevant differential diagnoses, pathophysiology, red flags, diagnostics and diagnostic sensitivity/specificity, therapeutic plan of care, selection of appropriate interventions and treatments, and indications for referral and/or consultation, considerations in transitions in care/discharge, and relevant role and scope issues. Additional clinical resources will be provided such as clinical practice guidelines, relevant practice standards, and clinical tools for practice. Most weeks will include an application exercise such as a learning activity quiz.