FPMHNP vs. PMHNP?

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Specializes in ICU.

I am looking into psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner programs. I have come across family psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. What is the difference between the two programs? Are the names interchangeable? Thanks in advance!

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The original psych NP programs were focused on working with adults. Then, a child/adolescent specialty focus was introduced, which was named the "family" psych NP (I don't know what was wrong with calling it a "child" psych NP, since that, IMO, would be a lot clearer than "family," which makes people think of FNPs, which have a lifespan scope). Probably, eventually, if things hadn't changed, a gero psych NP role would have been developed (there had been adult, child/adolescent, and gero psych CNSs for decades). Now, because of the LACE/Consensus/whatever-you-call-it model, both the adult and "family" psych NP roles have been eliminated in favor of a single, lifespan (all age groups) psych NP certification and scope of practice. Some schools may still be using the "family" terminology, but it no longer means anything. There is now only the single, "lifespan" psych NP scope of practice and certification, and the credential is "PMHNP" (psych/mental health NP).

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On 12/24/2015 at 7:09 AM, elkpark said:

The original psych NP programs were focused on working with adults. Then, a child/adolescent specialty focus was introduced, which was named the "family" psych NP (I don't know what was wrong with calling it a "child" psych NP, since that, IMO, would be a lot clearer than "family," which makes people think of FNPs, which have a lifespan scope). Probably, eventually, if things hadn't changed, a gero psych NP role would have been developed (there had been adult, child/adolescent, and gero psych CNSs for decades). Now, because of the LACE/Consensus/whatever-you-call-it model, both the adult and "family" psych NP roles have been eliminated in favor of a single, lifespan (all age groups) psych NP certification and scope of practice. Some schools may still be using the "family" terminology, but it no longer means anything. There is now only the single, "lifespan" psych NP scope of practice and certification, and the credential is "PMHNP" (psych/mental health NP).

Yep reviving an old post because I know I cannot be the only nurse to now discover the PMHNP and FMHNP difference.

now if I could make sense of why PC has been added to some FNP programs, it seems a bit redundant PCFNP.

or maybe I’m just particularly inquisitive as I just started FNP/AGACNP and find it a mouthful to explain to non-healthcare folk!

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On 6/5/2022 at 3:37 PM, JustKeepSmiling said:

Yep reviving an old post because I know I cannot be the only nurse to now discover the PMHNP and FMHNP difference.

now if I could make sense of why PC has been added to some FNP programs, it seems a bit redundant PCFNP.

or maybe I’m just particularly inquisitive as I just started FNP/AGACNP and find it a mouthful to explain to non-healthcare folk!

Really doesn't matter at the end of the day, the difference is like 1-2 classes and 100 clinical hours between the two if one incorporates kids. Sad....

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