Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Jen Durward was born and raised in Havre on the Montana Hi-Line. Giving back to this community that she still calls home is deeply personal for Jen. Growing up, she saw a need for quality psychiatric-mental health care. Her older sister, nicknamed Hope by her grandmother, was born with neurological and physical challenges.

Her beloved red-headed sister continues to prove every day that she is a survivor who won’t let her challenges hold her back. Jen is inspired by her sister every day, who helps her realize that she, too, can provide hope to those who need it most.

Jen earned her undergraduate degrees in nursing from Montana State University-Northern in Havre. As a full-time Registered Nurse, she worked in the Behavior Health Unit at Northern Montana Hospital, where she earned her Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing Certification (RN-BC). Jen’s work in behavioral health provided valuable experience in dealing with complex patients.

Jen then became Clinical Coordinator at Bullhook Clinic, a Federally Qualified Community Center (FQHC) that offers medical and care management services on a sliding fee scale. This allowed Jen to work with the most vulnerable populations in the community, while providing experience in case management, chronic disease management, and optimizing patient care.

In 2011, Jen earned her master’s degree at the University of North Dakota-Grand Forks with her Master of Science with a specification in Adult Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. She received board certification as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP-BC) through the American Nurses Credentialing Center-ANCC in July of 2011.

Jen began her nurse practitioner career at Northern Montana Medical Group – Specialty Center, where she provided comprehensive psychiatric care and management both in-person and via telehealth visits. Her practice covered over 300 miles, serving patients in Havre and the surrounding rural areas. Since COVID-19, the use of telemedicine became a crucial part of meeting her patients’ needs.

By opening her own office, Jen has the opportunity to choose the quality, quantity, and purpose of her work. Private practice allows Jen to collaborate with her patients’ primary care providers in the most effective, kind, and affordable way possible, while maintaining a flexible schedule for her patients as well as her own family.

Jen is also please to be a preceptor for psychiatric mental health graduate nurse practitioner students since 2018. Working closely with students from many universities across the United States through indoctrinating and generating highly skilled psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners to improve access to mental health care.  She has trained extensively in psychopharmacology through the works of Stephen Stahl, MD and his team at Neuroeducation Institute. She is a fellow of ANCC, AANP, APNA, and NEI (Neuroeducation Institute – NEIglobal). Jen frequently provides consultation to other providers around the state on treating complex mental health patients.

Jen Durward