The increasing need for mental health care has made psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners(PMHNPs) essential forces for filling care gaps.
Entry into an advanced psychiatric mental specialty allows registered nurses(RNs) who love mental health care to boost their clinical influence.
Nurses planning to transition from RN to PMHNP status must complete advanced education and have practical experience. Here are three essential steps to help you effectively navigate this career change.
1. Purse Advanced Education Tailored to Psychiatric Nursing
The basis for becoming a PMHNP starts with higher education.
An RN license and a BSN are prerequisites, but you must complete either an MSN or DNP program specializing in psychiatric-mental health.
The curriculum blends concepts of advanced pathophysiology and psychotherapy education with psychopharmacology learning and diagnostic-treatment methods for mental health disorders in various age groups.
Nurses who already hold a master’s degree in another nursing specialty can use post master’s PMHNP online programs for quick and adaptable education to enter the field of psychiatry. Psychiatric nursing programs focus on psychiatric skills while skipping general education that most students must complete because their curriculum centers only on psychiatric nursing skills.
Working nurses can benefit from asynchronous online courses and clinical placement support through multiple avenues that allow them to balance their professional responsibilities with their studies. For certification, the accreditation of your online nursing course needs to be done by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education(CCNE) or the American Nurse Credentialing Center(ANCC).
2. Gain Hands-on Clinical Experience in Mental Health Settings
The classroom environment alone will not prepare you to handle psychiatric care demands. The required clinical practice hours for psychiatric mental health nurse programs add up to 500 and 600 hours under the supervision of experienced clinicians in outpatient care, inpatient psychiatric units, and community healthcare facilities.
For example, the training program exposes students to different patient populations by exposing them to children with ADHD together with adult patients who have schizophrenia or additional diagnoses.
Utilize this period to enhance therapeutic communication, crisis management, and care planning skills. Look for mentors who encourage you to take charge of patient evaluations, prescribe medications(when allowed), and work with interdisciplinary teams.
If you are a registered nurse in a non-psychiatric area, consider moving to a mental health department or offering your time to groups that assist at-risk communities. These expenses enhance your resume and help determine if this specialty matches your future ambitions.
3. Obtain Certification and State Licensure
Approval from certification boards is your next requirement after graduating from your program. ANCC also oversees the Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner(PMHNP-BC) examination that tests your knowledge of neurobiological data, trauma-sensitive practice, and evidence-based interventions.
Your competence is proven by passing this exam and is the prerequisite before obtaining state licensure in most US states.
Most nursing boards require practitioners to show their educational records, documentation of practice experience, and board certification credentials.
Some states also expect mental health providers to complete controlled substance prescription courses and establish collaborative doctor-clinician practices.
Receiving your license will require you to maintain ongoing educational activities as PMHNPs must renew their certification through continuing education or exam retaking every five years.
Ongoing education about new treatments, such as psychedelic-assisted therapy and digital mental health solutions, enables you to provide the most advanced therapeutic care.
Endnote
Moving from nursing practice as an RN to PMHNP practice requires complete dedication. To begin this career, you must complete psychiatric nursing programs and gain clinical practice at mental health facilities while achieving certification and state licensing requirements.
As a PMHNP, you will take primary responsibility for mental health care practice because of the expertise and deep understanding you have acquired that are needed to deliver outstanding, compassionate treatment.
