PMHN vs RN-BC?

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Specializes in Psychiatric, Addiction.

Hey all,

I am currently an RN working in psych and have been researching becoming certified in that area. I have found information regarding the requirements prior to taking the exam, but it seems the credentials would be RN-BC(registered nurse-board certified), which seems to me as pretty generic. I then researched PMHN(psychiatric mental health nurse) and found little to no information. Can anyone tell me if, by passing the certification exam, the credentials PMHN would be awarded, or if it is simply RN-BC? I'm not sure if PMHN is an actual certification or not to be honest. Thanks in advance =).

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The "RN-BC" credential is the certification offered by the ANCC and is the only legitimate psych nursing credential (at the generalist level) I'm aware of. I've been in psych ~30 years, and I've never heard of this "PMHN" you're referring to.

The fact that the "RN-BC" credential seems "pretty generic" to you doesn't change the fact that it is the generalist psychiatric nursing credential awarded by the ANCC.

Best wishes for your journey!

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Specializes in psych, addictions, hospice, education.

I've also never heard of PMHN. Lots of certifications by ANCC give the credentials RN-BC. The exams are specialty-based, however. So, you might be a pediatric or a psychiatric or another specialty and still have the same credentials after your name (Nurse Nancy, RN-BC) no matter which exam you took.

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I Googled "PMHN" and got the APNA website, where they use it as a generic term to refer to RNs who specialize in psych. It does not appear to be a credential they offer or special course of study.

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

You may have seen "PMHN" used in conjunction with "PMHN-CNS" or "PMHN-NP", indicating that the person is a psych CNS/psych NP. It's used as a descriptor. By itself, "PHMN" does not indicate a certification, at least not in the US.

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Specializes in Psychiatric, Addiction.

Thanks for the replies everyone. I didn't intend it to be a critical comment calling RN-BC "generic" but more or like it's a "broad" credential given the fact it's the same credential for multiple specialties. Thanks again for the responses?.

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.
Thanks for the replies everyone. I didn't intend it to be a critical comment calling RN-BC "generic" but more or like it's a "broad" credential given the fact it's the same credential for multiple specialties. Thanks again for the responses.

It's actually not a generic or broad credential, as one needs to take a test specifically geared towards psych/MH nursing in order to be certified. So you know, the test is a beast and as far from NCLEX-level psych nursing as you can get--you really do need two years'+ of experience just to stay afloat.

The credential just seems broader than it is because the designation RN-BC (stands for board certified, btw) is given by the ANCC to any of the nurses they certify--ANCC doesn't have specific designations for identifying each of the individual specialities.

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Specializes in Addictions/Mental Health, Telemetry.

I'll probably be outnumbered on this opinion, but here goes anyway...

I think Nursing spends entirely too much time reconfiguring the alphabet! Who knows what all the letters after somebody's name stands for without a reference guide??

I have been a Registered Nurse for 15 years. I've spent 11 of these years in psychiatric and addictions nursing. I love the field of psychiatric mental health nursing (although for the life of me I do not know why they split that hair between psychiatric and mental health).

Someday I hope to complete my education as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. That means I will be a "PMHNP-BC. Way too many letters for me, but I will be proud to have them embroidered on my labcoat!

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I think the certification that you are confusing it with is "PMHCNS-BC" which requires you to hold a master's, postgraduate, or doctoral degree* from an accredited psychiatric–mental health clinical nurse specialist program.

To answer the other part of your question, for the lower certification... RN-BC is the credential issued for 2 years experience, 2000 hours, and 30 CEU's, (and passing the exam) and the title is "Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse". Hope that's helpful.

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Specializes in PMH-BC, CIC, CCM.

Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse – Board Certified

Credential Awarded: PMH-BC™

Once you complete eligibility requirements to take the certification examination and successfully pass the exam, you are awarded the credential: Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse – Board Certified (PMH-BC™). This credential is valid for 5 years.

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Specializes in Psychiatric.

When I received my certificate it is written as , Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing. (PMHN) I feel the 2 are interchangeable. ??‍♀️??‍♀️??‍♀️

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