NURS 754 and 755: the PMHNP certificate practicums
Liberty's 2026-27 catalog builds the PMHNP post-graduate certificate on two practicums: NURS 754 Adult/Gero (4 credits, 224 hours) and NURS 755 Pediatrics/Family (5 credits, 280 hours), 504 hours in all. The online program page lists NURS 768, 769 and 770 instead. Until Liberty settles that, confirm your course list before you line up preceptors.
Starting the PMHNP certificate?
Tell us your start term, which course list your advisor confirmed and where you live.
The certificate courses in the catalog
The certificate serves nurses who already have a graduate degree, MSN or DNP, in an approved advanced practice specialty. The catalog version totals 18 credits, must be finished within two years, and every course has to be taken through Liberty. This is the only Liberty NP program where the catalog states hours for each practicum course.
| Course | Title | Credits | Hours | Population or purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
NURS 754 | Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Practicum I Adult/Gero | 4 | 224 | Adult and geriatric clients: interviewing, screening, diagnostics, and episodic, acute and chronic care |
NURS 755 | Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Practicum II Pediatrics/Family | 5 | 280 | Pediatric clients and families |
NURS 751, 752, 753 | PMHNP didactic courses | 3 each | None | Neurobiology and diagnosis, psychopharmacology, psychotherapy |
NURS 745, 746 | Gate courses | 0 | None | Practicum requirements are submitted here |
NURS 821 | PMHNP comprehensive exam | 0 | None | Cannot be replaced by NURS 820 |
The conflict: 754 and 755, or 768 to 770?
Liberty's own pages describe the certificate two ways. The catalog, effective for fall 2026 starters, lists NURS 754 and NURS 755, 18 credits and 504 hours. The online certificate page, updated in September 2026, lists 19 credits and required courses NURS 751, 752, 753, 768, 769, 770 and 821, with no hours stated. An undated PMHNP FAQ adds a third credit count, 17.
The two structures are not interchangeable. The catalog pair splits by population, adults and older adults first, then children and families. The online trio are the doctoral PMHNP practicums, and NURS 770 lists NURS 711, 712 and 713 as prerequisites, which could matter if your earlier degree's pharmacology, pathophysiology or assessment courses were not lifespan-wide. The doctoral trio is described on the PMHNP practicum page.
No Liberty source gives hours for a certificate built on NURS 768–770. Ask your advisor which structure your start term uses, keep the answer in writing, and plan hours from it. The certificate program page covers admission and format.
Do not assume the 224 and 280 split applies if your registration shows NURS 768, 769 or 770. Ask first.
How the certificate practicums run
Liberty's undated PMHNP FAQ fills in what the catalog leaves out, and it matches the catalog's 504-hour plan. Each practicum runs a full semester, 16 weeks in spring and fall and 14 in summer. NURS 754 and NURS 755 cannot be taken in the same semester, and every didactic course must be passed first.
On those figures, 224 hours over a 16-week term averages 14 hours a week, and 280 hours averages 17.5. A 14-week summer term pushes both higher, which is worth knowing before you ask a preceptor for a schedule.
The FAQ explains 504 as 224 adult and geriatric hours plus 280 pediatric and family hours, above the 500 precepted hours CCNE requires. By the FAQ's account, the program takes three semesters, about a year to eighteen months, and calls for 30 or more hours of study each week. The online page lists 8-week courses with some 16-week courses, and next starts of January 18, May 17 and August 23, 2027.
Preceptors, prescribers and telehealth
The FAQ names PMHNPs and psychiatrists as the approved preceptors and says Liberty approves every site and preceptor before placement. It also requires half of each practicum's hours with a prescriber: 112 of the 224 in NURS 754, and 140 of the 280 in NURS 755.
NURS 755 centers on children and families. If your NURS 754 preceptor does not see pediatric patients, you will need someone else for the second course, so begin that search while NURS 754 is still running rather than after it ends.
Telehealth sites are allowed for up to 50% of PMHNP practicum hours, and the certificate page carries the same rule. Liberty does not say whether telehealth hours count toward the prescriber half. Confirm that with the practicum team before you plan a term around a telehealth preceptor, and see the telehealth hours page for the open questions.
Admission and clearance before day one
For the certificate, the checks start at admission and continue through the Gate courses. Before your first practicum hour, expect to have:
- Admission basics: an RN license issued by an approved state, plus a master's or doctoral degree in an approved advanced practice specialty, earned at a CCNE- or ACEN-accredited school
- A review of your earlier pharmacology, pathophysiology and health assessment courses; if they did not cover the lifespan, up to three more courses may be required
- The AHA BLS card (Healthcare Providers, with AED), background check, drug screen and Immunization/Physical Exam Form
- Gate courses
NURS 745andNURS 746completed, every placement step done and full compliance - A practicum state other than California, New York, Washington, DC or a U.S. territory
Seats are not unlimited: the certificate page warns that Liberty may cap enrollment to protect practicum placement, which can mean a wait list or a later start for eligible applicants. The clinical clearance page lists the compliance items in detail.
Two populations, two searches
The two practicums serve different populations, so you may need a different preceptor for each. We search for both, in person near you or by telehealth within Liberty's 50% limit, and help you prepare the preceptor documents and site details the Gate courses call for. For NURS 755, we start the pediatric and family search while you are still logging adult hours in NURS 754. If a preceptor withdraws mid-term, we keep looking.
If your advisor confirms that your plan uses NURS 768–770 instead, we search against that structure. Liberty approves each placement, and every lead we bring suits the population its course covers. Send us your start term and the course list you are on.
Questions Liberty students ask
How many clinical hours is Liberty's PMHNP certificate?
The 2026-27 catalog says 504: 224 hours in NURS 754 Adult/Gero and 280 in NURS 755 Pediatrics/Family, and Liberty's undated FAQ gives the same split. The online program page, though, lists NURS 768–770 and no hour total, so confirm with your advisor which structure applies to your start term.
Can I take NURS 754 and 755 in the same term to finish faster?
Not according to Liberty's PMHNP FAQ, which says the two practicums cannot run in the same semester and that every didactic course must be passed first. Each practicum lasts a full term, 16 weeks in fall or spring and 14 in summer, so the practicum phase takes at least two terms.
Why might Liberty waitlist a PMHNP certificate applicant?
Liberty caps certificate enrollment when it needs to, citing practicum placement and student success, so an eligible applicant can still land on a wait list or be offered a later term. Liberty does not publish how the cap is set or how long a wait runs, so ask admissions about your term if you are offered a later start.
How much of the PMHNP certificate can be telehealth?
Up to half of PMHNP practicum hours may be at telehealth sites, a rule that appears on the certificate page. Liberty does not say whether the limit applies to each practicum separately. Keeping both NURS 754 and NURS 755 at half telehealth or less avoids a problem under either reading until the practicum team confirms.
What if my earlier NP degree did not cover the lifespan?
Liberty reviews your earlier pharmacology, pathophysiology and health assessment courses to see whether they covered the lifespan. If they did not, up to three more courses may be required before the practicums. Liberty's doctoral versions are NURS 711, 712 and 713, but the certificate page does not name which courses it would assign.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-23
We check these pages against Liberty's own published sources. The practicum team and Liberty's current handbook have the final word.
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- Matched to your track: FNP, PMHNP, DNP or MSN
- Paperwork ready for the Gate course and the site contract
- In person near you, or telehealth where your track allows it
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