Are you interested in advanced nursing with a focus on mental health diagnosis and treatment? Are you looking to serve people of all ages and backgrounds? If so, a career as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) may be the perfect path for you.
As a PMHNP, you’ll be a registered nurse (RN) with extensive training who is equipped to diagnose, treat, and manage mental health needs. You’ll build therapeutic relationships with individuals, families, and communities. You’ll learn people’s stories and challenges so you can help them transform their lives and well-being.
What do you do as a PMHNP?
As a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP), you’ll join one of the largest groups of behavioral health professionals in the United States. Your role will incorporate nursing, psychosocial, and neurobiological expertise. You will promote well-being through prevention, education, and the treatment of mental health and substance use disorders.
In your career, you might work in a variety of settings. You’ll treat people in private practices, hospitals, community clinics, schools, and correctional facilities. Some services you’ll provide include:
- assessment, diagnosis, and treatment planning
- medication management
- psychotherapy
- health promotion and maintenance
- crisis intervention and stabilization
- case management and care coordination
- education for patients, families, and communities
To succeed as a PMHNP requires compassion, sensitivity, and exceptional communication and relationship-building skills. If you're passionate about behavioral science or nursing, and want to help others find balance in their lives, this could be your calling.
