EDUCATING THE NEXT GENERATION OF PSYCHIATRIC – MENTAL HEALTH NURSE PRACTITIONERS

Cohen Veterans Network continues to advance the field of veteran’s mental health by entering into a groundbreaking partnership with the Duke University School of Nursing (DUSON). Together the organizations have received a federal Health Resources and Services Administration grant of $2M over four years to fund the collaboration.

Crystal Shelton

Crystal Shelton

Initially, this partnership will provide opportunities for up to six Duke University School of Nursing Psychiatric – Mental Health Nurse Practitioner students to gain invaluable experience through intensive clinical placements at Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinics across the country. That number will grow to 10 students in each of the next three years. Duke nursing students are also eligible for up to $20,000 in academic scholarships if selected for this program.

“There is a critical shortage of prescribing providers in mental health. In some areas, the access to qualified providers is so limited the focus is simply on availability. It is a secondary problem to think about the qualifications and training providers might have,” said Crystal Shelton, CVN senior vice president for Clinical Programs. “This collaboration is so significant because we will be able to immediately impact access to highly-trained providers and we share a mission with Duke to contribute to long-term workforce development for well-trained providers across the nation.”