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Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Residency Program (PMHNP)

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We seek registered nurses who are mission-centric, compassionate, resilient, and possess effective interpersonal skills to be effective change agents.
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The PMHNP Post Graduate Residency Program at VA Northern California Health Care System (VANCHCS) is 12th month program. VANCHCS Residency Program operates from two VA training facilities: Mather (Sacramento) and Martinez (San Francisco’s East Bay). Selected candidates will have to choose which site they would prefer to train at for the year (a preference is not a guarantee).
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Program Mission

The mission of the NPR program is to prepare novice PMHNPs to work as independent practitioners within the VA Health Care System. Residents will be provided the opportunity to accelerate their growth beyond entry-level professional competence in patient-centered care, operational services, and to further the development of leadership skills that can be applied to address the complex needs of the Veteran population in any practice setting.

Program Goals

The overarching goal of the Residency Program is to provide newly graduated, licensed, and board-certified NPs a foundation for practice that is embedded in scientific knowledge, clinical expertise, and professionalism. The Residency Program hopes to recruit, educate, and retain NPs that will improve the quality and accessibility of health care services and accessibility for Veterans.

Program Objectives

  1. Integrate evidence-based knowledge, ethical principles, and clinical excellence in advanced practice nursing while caring for the Veteran population
  2. Develop the role of the independent advance practice nurse with commitment to excellence and quality outcomes
  3. Develop collaborative skills through interprofessional relationships and the team-based care approach
  4. Integrate quality, efficiency, and cost effectiveness while supporting awareness of the complex health care delivery system
  5. Provide new NPs with depth, breadth, volume and intensity of clinical training necessary to serve as primary care or mental health providers in the VA.
  6. Train new NPs to a model of Veteran-Centric care that is compassionate, valued, and effective in promoting health and preventing illness

For the cohort starting Winter 2023:

  • Applications accepted September 1, 2022-October 15 2022
  • Interviews conducted November 1, 2022-November 11, 2022
  • Decisions sent no later than November 23, 2022
  • Residency begins February 13, 2023

For the cohort starting Summer 2023:

  • Applications accepted February 1, 2023-March 30 2023
  • Interviews conducted April 15, 2023-April 30, 2023
  • Decisions sent no later than May 5, 2022
  • Residency begins August 14, 2022

Description: The program is designed to provide the resident with advanced competencies in a complex, Veteran-centric, health care environment leading to specialized clinical and leadership skills. Specifically, the program provides training in culturally sensitive, patient-centered care using empirically based best practices and interprofessional collaboration.

Training domains include:

  • Professional role development and career management
  • Clinical assessment and case formulation
  • Clinical Documentation
  • Treatment planning and patient engagement
  • Mental Health Treatment, including evidence-based pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy, alternative and complimentary approaches
  • Consultation and interprofessional communication skills
  • Patient-Centered Cultural Competency (with emphasis on Military and Veteran culture)
  • Clinical Scholarship, Leadership, and Program Development and Evaluation

Under the clinical supervision of nurse practitioners and psychiatrists, residents will provide care via face-to-face, telehealth, and video to Veterans onsite at Mather or Martinez.

  • Outpatient Mental Health
  • Substance Use Disorders
  • Primary Care/Mental Health Integration
  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
  • Psychotherapy (Martinez only)
  • Inpatient Psychiatry (Mather only)

Each resident will rotate through multiple settings, providing a comprehensive experience designed to prepare the graduate to work and lead in a complex healthcare environment.  In addition to pharmacotherapeutic treatment, residents will be provided supervised experience in evidence-based psychotherapy.

Residents received protected time for didactic sessions. These sessions are lead by industry experts from inside and outside the VA. Past topics have included:

  • Addiction and Trauma
  • Motivation Interviewing and Motivational Enhancement
  • Diversity: Bias in Charting
  • Substance Use Disorders and Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders
  • Coping with Patient Death
  • Mental Health Care for Transgender Veterans
  • Food, Metabolism, and Psychiatric Disease
  • Psychodynamics of Addictions
  • Transference, Countertransference, and Clinical Boundaries

Stipend and benefits:

  • Stipend: $90,532
  • A comprehensive benefits package that includes paid vacation, sick leave, paid holidays, and health benefits
  • Hiring preference for open positions upon completion of the residency
  • Active and ongoing professional development which includes recruitment into open positions in VA NCHCS and other VA facilities

For further information, please contact the Program Director:

Staff profile
Jey Sanchez

Applicant Qualifications

  • U.S. Citizen,
  • Graduate of an accredited advance practice psychiatric nursing program within the past 12 months,
  • Never have worked as a PMHNP,
  • Hold national credentialing as PMHNP through ANCC or eligible for ANCC board exam completion within 90 days of employment,
  • Licensure: Current, full, active, and unrestricted registration as a registered nurse in a State, Territory or Commonwealth (e.g., Puerto Rico) of the United States, or the District of Columbia. Current DEA with prescriptive authority/furnishing license (or eligibility to apply for as above),
  • Proficient in written and spoken English,
  • Pass a background/security investigation as required by the Veterans Health Administration,
  • Random drug testing may be required.

Application Requirements

  • Application checklist
  • Curriculum vitae
  • One page cover letter including:
    • Interest in completing a PMHNP residency,
    • How it fits in with your career aspirations,
    • Include specific interests in Veterans health care,
  • Unofficial transcripts (redact sensitive information),
  • Application for Health Professions Trainees VA form 10-2850D (omit SSN),
  • Three (3) letters of recommendation: one from:
    • an academic instructor
    • from a preceptor
    • from a place of employment

Combine the above request documents INTO ONE PDF and send via email to:

VANCHCS PMHNP Residency Application Check List (PDF)
Staff profile
Annaliza Batt

For those seeking preceptors to complete clinical hour requirements for a graduate program please contact:

Staff profile
Charlie Dharmasukrit

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

What is the difference between commencement and conferral?

Commencement is the day you walk across the stage with your fellows. It is a day to celebrate your academic achievement, this typically takes place a week or two after your last day of class/finals. Conferral is the day your school has officially awarded you your degree. Depending on this institution, this can be a few to several weeks after your commencement.

Why is this important?

Your degree must be conferred before the residency start date. Every school has a different timeline on when they will confer degree. Some schools on quarter systems have degree conferrals 4 times a year, whereas other schools may have them 2 or three times a year. To start the residency, the school must have awarded your degree, and you must be able to prove this via official transcript. For instance, if your last final is January 20th, and your commencement is February 5th, your degree conferral may not be until after the residency start date of February 15th—making you ineligible for the spring cohort. However, you would be eligible for the subsequent summer cohort in August.

Please confirm with your school as to when your degree will be conferred.

Will I need to have my license and board certification by the start date?

We understand that some new grads may not have enough time between their graduation and the residency start date to receive their authorization to test for boards or may still be waiting for their state board of nursing to issue their license after passing boards. Residents who find themselves in this situation will be given a 90-day waiver.

What is the 90-day waiver?

This waiver allows residents to start in the residency while waiting to complete components of their certification/licensure process. Should a resident fail to attain either one of these items, their participation in the residency will be terminated at the end of the 90 days. OAA does not grant extensions to these waivers, therefore, we suggest that you take your test as soon as possible; in case you fail you will have enough time to retest.