What is the role of the Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner?
Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) graduates of the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing (VUSN) program are prepared to provide individual, group and family counseling and psychopharmaceutical management as prescribed by law in their respective states. Most states require certification from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) as a PMHNP or Psychiatric Clinical Nurse Specialist (CS) and also a precepting psychiatrist for prescriptive practice. All nursing practices, including prescriptive practice, are regulated by state laws. Therefore, licensing and scope of practice varies state by state. Some states only recognize the nurse practitioner credential for any prescriptive practice, while many states may recognize clinical nurse specialists in Psychiatric-Mental Health if they have an MSN in psychiatric-mental health nursing, have ANCC certification as a CS, and have taken graduate courses in psychopharmacology for prescriptive practice. To learn about th
