PMHNP Programs
By EveryNurse Staff on January 12, 2023
A Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, or PMHNP, is an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) who provides mental and behavioral health care services to patients and their families. PMHNPs work with people of all ages and provide outpatient, inpatient, and residential treatment for those dealing with psychiatric disabilities, acute psychiatric conditions, illnesses, as well as substance abuse disorders.
Psychiatric nurse practitioner programs are master’s or doctorate-level graduate programs that prepare registered nurses (RNs) with a baccalaureate or master’s degree for the PMHNP role. Graduates of these programs are eligible to sit for the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC) PMHNP-BC™ certification exam.
What Is a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Program?
Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner programs are designed to train nurses to deliver evidence-based, cost-effective, and accessible mental health care services. PMHNP programs teach students how to assess patient’s needs and develop individualized treatment plans that promote recovery from psychiatric conditions or improved wellbeing following a diagnosis. In addition, PMHNPs provide education to patients and their families about mental illness, medications used for treatment, suicide prevention, and other initiatives.
As a PMHNP, you will be:
- Equipped to provide quality mental health care to patients of all ages in primary care facilities, psychiatric emergency settings, outpatient mental health clinics, skilled nursing and assisted living facilities, hospitals, private practice, and community health centers.
- Able to implement diagnostic, screening, treatment planning, and disease management protocols for patients with psychiatric disorders, substance abuse problems, and medical organic brain disorders.
- Able to diagnose, conduct therapy, and prescribe medication using evidence-based practice standard guidelines issued by the American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA).
- Competent in the use of pharmacology, including proper administration and medication dosage calculation for prescribing medications.
- Knowledgeable about issues related to mental illness, including its impact on society and the development of patient coping strategies.
- Able to provide clinical supervision for RNs new to the field and to advise physicians on psychiatric issues.
Types of Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Programs
There are several types of psychiatric nurse practitioner programs available. These include Master’s in Nursing (MSN) programs, post-graduate bridge programs, direct entry psychiatric nurse practitioner programs, and post-master’s certificate programs. Sound confusing? It’s really not. Let’s take a closer look at each program type to learn about their differences.
RN to MSN PMHNP Programs
As the name implies, an RN to MSN PMHNP program helps registered nurses with an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) go directly from RN to MSN without the extra step of going back to school to earn a BSN degree. To be considered for an RN to MSN program, you must have a valid RN license and meet the admission requirements for your chosen specialization. Learners in these programs typically take 30-36 months of full-time study to earn their degree.
MSN PMHNP Programs
MSN Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner programs are master’s-level graduate nursing programs for RNs with a BSN degree. Students with a baccalaureate-level degree enter the program with an already extensive understanding of nursing care, which allows them to complete their degree in less time than others with less education.
Students in these programs take courses in mental health and psychiatric nursing, as well as specialized coursework designed to prepare them for practice in an area of clinical focus. MSN programs generally take two-and-a-half years, or eight semesters, of full-time study.
Direct Entry Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Programs
Direct Entry Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner programs cater to students who hold a baccalaureate degree in a non-nursing field. Direct entry programs help students make the transition from non-nursing degree holders to fully credentialed PMHNP by providing them with a solid foundation in both basic patient care and psychiatric nursing. These programs include a mix of nursing theory, hands-on simulations, and clinical rotations in a real health care setting.
BSN to DNP PMHNP Programs
BSN to DNP PMHNP programs are designed to help bachelor-prepared RNs transition from the BSN degree to the DNP without going back to school to earn a Master’s degree. This intense, clinical practice-focused program typically takes 36 to 48 months of full-time study to complete.
PMHNP students begin their course of study in core nursing courses such as health promotion and assessment, pathophysiology, pharmacology, and the management of acute, episodic, and chronic health problems. As students advance, they are immersed in psychiatric primary care content that builds on these core courses, helping students develop the advanced practice skills they need to serve patients with complex psychobiological problems.
DNP Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Programs
A Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is a leadership and practice-focused terminal degree program designed for RNs and APRNs who want to enhance their expertise as clinicians and as managers of nurses and other health care professionals, with an emphasis on the organizational and systems leadership needed for health care transformation.
DNP PMHNP curriculum builds on a student’s knowledge of mental illness and psychiatric disorders, as well as their ability to monitor patients with real-time data collection, diagnostics, and therapeutics. While some DNP PMHNP programs are designed to be completed in as little as 27 months, most take 36 to 48 months to complete.
Post-Master’s Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Certificate Programs
Post-master’s certificate programs are designed to help advanced practice registered nurses expand their scope of practice in an area of specialization that was not obtained during their original graduate studies.
While learning specific tools and strategies to address psychiatric healthcare needs, students also hone their abilities in leadership, evidence-based practice, clinical evaluation, and advanced practice nursing skills. In addition to the PMHNP specialty, popular certifications include Nurse-Midwifery, Family Nurse Practitioner, and Women’s Health Care Nurse Practitioner.
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PMHNP Clinical Specializations
Students in a psychiatric nurse practitioner program are encouraged to select a clinical specialization, which helps prepare them for the healthcare needs of a specific patient population. The most common PMHNP clinical specializations include children, adolescents, adults, or elderly patients and families.
In addition to a population specialty, many PMHNP students also focus on a specific setting (primary care, critical care, home-based care, community-based mental health) or medical subspecialties, such as substance abuse, dual diagnosis addiction/mental illness, and geriatric care. These areas of emphasis allow students to learn how to provide comprehensive psychiatric patient care that is targeted toward a particular patient population, while also enhancing their internal knowledge base and expertise.
Online Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Programs
Modern technology is transforming the face of healthcare and education, and online psychiatric nurse practitioner programs are a growing trend in the clinical mental health field. These fully-accredited online programs allow students to earn their PMHNP degree from home or while working, fitting the coursework into busy student and professional lives.
While there are certain components of nursing education, like clinical hours, that cannot be completed online, students in fully-online psychiatric nurse practitioner programs learn by studying course material on their own time and at their own pace. If you are curious about how you will complete your clinical hours, many online programs offer students optional on-campus experiences throughout the program and residencies and practicums within their local communities.
