How to Become a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner

Psychiatric nurse practitioners (PMHNPs) are advanced practice nurses who treat mental health conditions. They can see patients more independently than registered nurses and work with more specialized populations. Learn about PMHNP roles, credentials, education timelines, and other key information about becoming a psychiatric nurse practitioner in this guide.

Like all advanced nursing roles, PMHNPs must complete several steps before entering practice as psychiatric primary care providers, psychotherapists, consultants, and educators. These nurses must hold valid registered nurse (RN) licensure in the state where they intend to practice, a graduate degree, and national board certification as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner.

Factors like part-time enrollment or specific program requirements may affect your path, but all PMHNPs must achieve certain steps, which take at least six years.

PMHNPs are advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) who assess, diagnose, and treat the mental health needs of individuals and families across the lifespan.

Some of the mental health conditions PMHNPs diagnose and treat include mood disorders, anxiety/trauma disorders, substance use disorders, psychotic disorders, and neurodevelopmental disorders.

Depending on the state, PMHNPs can work independently and/or collaborate with medical doctors. Their duties include:

NPs follow a holistic approach to healthcare. They educate patients and their families about various mental health issues and ensure patients have the resources they need to follow through with treatment plans.

The time needed to become a PMHNP depends on your educational background and nursing experience. Earning a doctor of nursing practice (DNP), the terminal degree for this field, takes at least 10 years from undergraduate through doctoral studies. If you study part-time or spend more than two years gaining nursing experience, earning your DNP will take even longer.

Researching your educational options is an important step in learning to become a psychiatric nurse practitioner. Choose your program with care because it provides the foundation for your clinical practice. Furthermore, your choice affects your finances, mental health, and daily life.

Learn about how each school can accommodate your unique needs. If you choose in-person classes, consider a campus tour. Planning and setting realistic expectations can increase your chances of success.

Expect to complete different phases of schooling and pass corresponding certification exams to become licensed. Your specific APRN goals determine the choice to earn your doctorate. Below, we overview each degree.

PMHNPs must be certified in their chosen specialty of psychiatric mental health. While all registered nurses must pass the NCLEX-RN to receive state licensure, an equivalent national exam does not exist for NP licensure.

In most states, the board certification exam serves as a requirement for state licensure. All states require PMHNPs to earn board certification to renew their license.

For PMHNPs, licensure and board certification demonstrate mastery of advanced nursing skills and clinical experience.

After passing the certification exam, PMHNPs must apply for state licensure. Every state nursing board, except California and New York, requires national board certification for NP licensure. The NP license allows APRNs to work under their state’s NP scope of practice.

PMHNPs also need to apply for a furnishing license to prescribe most psychotropics that are not scheduled medication. PMHNPs prescribe these drugs prescribed to affect a patient’s mental state. They’ll need a license from the Drug Enforcement Agency to prescribe controlled substances. The requirements and titles for these licenses that allow PMHNPs to prescribe medication vary by state.

Depending on the state, NPs may require collaboration with a physician or practice independently without collaboration. Some states require NPs to collaborate with physicians for prescriptive privileges but not for standard duties, such as ordering diagnostic testing, conducting psychiatric evaluations and assessments, performing physical exams, or creating care plans. NP licenses must be renewed every 1-5 years, depending on your state.

Certifications help nurses broaden their career prospects and marketability. ANCC offers several NP certifications, including for psychiatric mental health nursing. PMHNPs may renew this credential after five years by maintaining their state license and meeting continuing education for nurses and other renewal requirements.

The pediatric primary care mental health specialist (PMHS) credential requires PMHNPs to possess NP licensure, hold PMHNP board certification, and pass an exam. Additionally, they must complete at least 2,000 hours of pediatric behavioral, mental health, and developmental experience within five years. Each candidate must have thirty hours of continuing education or one graduate-level course worth two or more credits.

Eligible PMHNPs must then take the 150-question PMHS certification exam. Pediatric primary care mental health providers must renew their PMHS certification every three years.

Your licensure state determines your level of autonomy. In some states, you must work with a physician, while others grant NPs full practice authority. Your tasks may include:

The BLS projects employment for all NPs will grow by 45% from 2022-2032. Experts attribute the particularly high demand for PMHNPs to the shortage of affordable psychiatrists and the increase in mental health conditions following the COVID-19 pandemic.

AANP reports a median salary of $137,000 for PMHNPs, placing them among the highest-earning NP specializations.

Psychiatric mental health NPs can focus their careers in many settings to evaluate patients, diagnose conditions, implement treatment plans, and order diagnostic tests. These settings include NP private practices, emergency departments, mental health urgent care clinics, addiction clinics, and correctional facilities.

Psychiatric NPs can also consult with businesses and communities to provide mental health services. Depending on state practice laws, they may be able to establish their own private practice.

Among the most common workplace settings for PMHNPs, these departments rely on psychiatric NPs to assess patients, provide primary and mental health care, collaborate with physicians to develop patient care plans, and supervise nursing assistants and RNs.

Psychiatric NPs in private practice assess, diagnose, and treat patients with mental health conditions. They provide psychotherapy, develop and carry out care plans, and prescribe medications. PMHNPs in these settings work under psychiatrist supervision. PMHNPs may manage their own practices independently, depending on the state.

Substance use disorders often co-occur with mental health conditions. PMHNPs create medication regimens through treatment programs to support patients’ psychiatric needs, oversee the detox process, and address psychiatric emergencies. A task unique to this setting is facilitating detox. PMHNPs prescribe medications to increase comfort and safety while monitoring withdrawal symptoms.

Social services settings that employ PMHNPs include schools, prisons, public health clinics, and shelters. These settings serve many populations, such as children, families, and incarcerated individuals. Depending on their practice authority, these nurses may work independently or under the supervision of psychiatrists. They may provide counseling to people recovering from trauma, domestic violence, child abuse, and depression. They might offer individual or group therapy and prescribe medication.

Page last reviewed on April 11, 2024