The Graduate Diploma in Mental Health Nurse Practitioner is a 30-credit program offered by the Ingram School of Nursing in McGill University's Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. It is completed in combination with either the Master of Science (Applied), Non-Thesis in Nurse Practitioner: Mental Health, or the Graduate Certificate in Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, depending on the applicant's entry point. The program develops the competencies required for the advanced-practice nursing role of mental health nurse practitioner, including the assessment, diagnosis, care, and treatment of mental illness across primary, secondary, and tertiary care settings. Students combine graduate coursework with supervised clinical training in mental health care settings, building on prior nursing education and clinical experience. The diploma is offered alongside four other nurse practitioner diploma specialties at McGill: adult care, neonatal, pediatric, and primary care.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: Applicants need a Bachelor's of Nursing, or a Master's of Nursing degree comparable to McGill's, a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 out of 4.0 in nursing studies, and a current Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec (OIIQ) licence or equivalency; nurses licensed outside Quebec must additionally show Canadian healthcare-context nursing experience, eligibility for Quebec licensure, and the ability to communicate in French, since the program includes mandatory clinical placements in Quebec institutions. Applicants whose nursing degree was earned outside Quebec need 12 credits of university-level biological science content (physiology, pathophysiology, pathology, pharmacology). Applicants need at least 3,360 hours (about two years full-time) of clinical nursing experience within the last 5 years, including one year of experience in a mental-health setting, whether in-hospital or an ambulatory/outpatient clinic. Required documents include transcripts, two referee reports, an annotated CV, an employer letter confirming hours, proof of licensure, and written NP essay answers.