mental health certification for nurse practitioner

Specialties NP

Published

Does anyone know of a way for a family nurse practitioner who has years of experience in mental health nursing to obtain some sort of psychiatric/mental health certification without having to complete a mental health nurse practitioner program?

I looked at the ANCC requirements and I have all the classes they require but it says I must have graduated from an approved mental health nurse practitioner program. Please advise if you know anything about this. Thank you

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.
Does anyone know of a way for a family nurse practitioner who has years of experience in mental health nursing to obtain some sort of psychiatric/mental health certification without having to complete a mental health nurse practitioner program?

I looked at the ANCC requirements and I have all the classes they require but it says I must have graduated from an approved mental health nurse practitioner program. Please advise if you know anything about this. Thank you

Are you an RN ??

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in psych, addictions, hospice, education.

If I was you, I'd contact ANCC and ask them their requirements. You can find them online and do the email thing or call them. I don't know the website, but imagine it's not too hard to find with a search. When I was getting my CNS psych certification they were quite helpful with explanations of requirements.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.

Thread moved to NP forum for a better response.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

You'll need to complete a ANCC approved Psych NP or Psych CNS program. In order to sit for boards, you will need to have at least 500 precepted hours in PMH nursing. None of your FNP hours would apply.

ANCC requirements for PMH certification have been becoming more stringent in the past 6 months.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency, Family Practice, Occ. Health.

As an FNP student I wonder what would you be able to do with the Mental Health Cert that you can't do as an FNP? I understand wanting to be certified for your own sense of accomplishment, just wonder how this would expand your scope.

Thanks for the insight.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in psych, addictions, hospice, education.

some psych facilities prefer to hire psych NPs or CNSs rather than family NPs

Up Vote Up Vote ×
As an FNP student I wonder what would you be able to do with the Mental Health Cert that you can't do as an FNP? I understand wanting to be certified for your own sense of accomplishment, just wonder how this would expand your scope.

Thanks for the insight.

Appropriately treat people with mental health disorders.:D

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Does anyone know of a way for a family nurse practitioner who has years of experience in mental health nursing to obtain some sort of psychiatric/mental health certification without having to complete a mental health nurse practitioner program?

I looked at the ANCC requirements and I have all the classes they require but it says I must have graduated from an approved mental health nurse practitioner program. Please advise if you know anything about this. Thank you

Well to cut the edges of the program you could consider a post masters certificate. There is usually overlap of programs but this varies from program to program. The war, economy and an aging population MH practitioners are probably going to see a boom for awhile.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I am an ANP and have been researching this, too. The answer is just as above: You have to go back to school. :banghead:

Post master's certificate would be shortest route. A year and a summer primarily online for me at UNC. Other thoughts to maximize your time and investment:

Entry level for NP practice will be doctoral by 2015. There is a movement to limit prescription priviledges of psychoactive meds to doctorally prepared NPs as well. For these reasons consider an on-line Doctor of Nursing Practice with a concentration in Psych/mental health NP. You will remain marketable and won't be at a loss in a few years. There is one such program at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center. If the state you live in is not Tennessee and it participates in the academic common market you can attend for in state tuition rates. Check out this link http://www.sreb.org/

Up Vote Up Vote ×

If you want to work as a psych NP, you need to be certified as either an Adult or Family PMHNP or CNS. FNP, ANP, PNP, etc is not sufficient and it is becoming increasingly difficult for non-psych NPs to work in this capacity as in the past. More employers are requiring certification and more BONs are becoming more stringent with regard to scope of practice. In my PMHNP program, there were 3 FNPs and 1 ANP doing a psych post-master's because the agencies where they worked were psych settings and were now requiring PMHNP certification in order to be reimbursed. This is no different than medicine. You don't see Family Practice physicians or Internists working in psych hospitals other than conducting H&Ps. Sure they prescribe many psych meds as part of typical outpatient practice, but they don't work exclusively in psych.

As far as re-training, go the post-master's route and get it done prior to 2015. You'll be grandfathered in and won't need to get a DNP unless you want one.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I have certainly benefited from all the advice you all have provided. The question I am seeing most is why do I want to do it. Well, to explain my situation a little--I went to school to get FNP and then took a job at mental health facility. They need someone to see patients in the outpatient setting and I need something that insurance companies will recognize in order for reimbursement.

Someone mentioned a DNP. I have heard that soon all NP's will have to have DNP. Is there one some kind of mental health DNP that I could get that would qualify me for taking the certification exam. I could get the DNP in the same length of time it would take me to get the Mental Health NP.

Any advice is appreciated.

Thank you

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment