How to Become a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner

A degree may open the door to a variety of opportunities and diverse career paths. The degree programs offered at CTU will not necessarily lead to the featured careers. This collection of articles is intended to help inform and guide you through the process of determining which level of degree and types of certifications align with your desired career path.

To become a Psychiatric Nurse, either an associate's degree in nursing (ADN) or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) is required. It's also required to become licensed. This can be done by passing the NCLEX-RN exam.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), it is estimated that more than one in five U.S. adults is living with a mental illness (23.1 percent of the U.S. adult population in 2022).¹ Meanwhile, as of August 2024, over one third of the U.S. population lives in a mental health HPSA (Health Professional Shortage Area), with rural counties’ being more likely than urban counties to lack psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners, psychologists, social workers, and counselors.² With respect to psychiatric nurse practitioners (psychiatric NPs) in particular, in many areas, the demand for them is outpacing supply: 69 percent of rural counties and 31 percent of urban counties are experiencing a shortage of psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners (PMHNPs).²

If becoming a psychiatric nurse practitioner sounds like an interesting career path to you, keep reading to learn more about what they do and the various psychiatric nurse certification and education requirements that must be satisfied before they are allowed practice.

What Do Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners Do?

Psychiatric nurse practitioners (psychiatric NPs) are a type of advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) that provides psychiatric mental health services to patients. APRNs perform some of the same duties that registered nurses (RNs) perform, but they are also trained to perform other tasks, such as ordering and evaluating test results, referring patients to specialists, or diagnosing and treating ailments.³ Psychiatric NPs also may be called psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners (PMHNPs), psychiatric advanced practice registered nurses (psychiatric APRNs) or psychiatric clinical nurse specialists (psychiatric CNSs).⁴

Psychiatric nurse practitioners assess, diagnose and treat individuals and families who have mental health or substance use disorders (or who potentially have these disorders).⁴ They can prescribe medication, per state regulations, and administer psychotherapy.4 While psychiatric NPs are authorized to prescribe medications in all 50 states, the requirements to do so vary by state. As a result, in some states, psychiatric NPs can prescribe medications autonomously, i.e., without a collaborating physician. Meanwhile, in other states, they can only prescribe medications under the supervision/at the discretion of a psychiatrist.⁵

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, overall employment of nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives and nurse practitioners (i.e., APRNs) is projected to grow 40 percent from 2023 to 2033, with nurse practitioners projected to grow 46 percent.3 Employment of registered nurses is projected to grow 6 percent, faster than the average for all occupations, during the same period.⁶

Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Education, Licensure and Certification Requirements

In order to pursue a psychiatric nurse practitioner career path, you must satisfy a mixture of education, experience, licensure and certification requirements.

How to Become a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner

Stage 1: Become an RN

Before you can become a psychiatric nurse practitioner, you must first become a registered nurse, a process that involves graduating from an accredited nursing education program and passing the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) exam:

• Nursing Education: To meet the education requirements necessary to pursue RN licensure, aspiring registered nurses must graduate from a nursing diploma program, an associate degree in nursing program (ADN or ASN) or a bachelor’s degree in nursing program (BSN). Nursing education programs usually include courses in anatomy, physiology, microbiology psychology, and social and behavioral sciences, with BSN degree programs including courses in communication, leadership and critical thinking as well. All nursing education programs involve completing a certain number of hours of supervised clinical experience.⁶
• RN Licensure: To become licensed as an RN, aspiring nurses must not only pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) but also satisfy any additional requirements set by the state board of nursing for the state they plan to practice in.⁶
• RN Certification: RNs may may become certified through professional associations in specific areas. RNs who wish to become board certified in psychiatric mental health nursing must earn the PMH-BC^™ credential. To be eligible to sit for the PMH-BC^™ exam, you must hold a current, active RN license; have practiced for two years as a full-time RN; have at least 2,000 hours of clinical practice experience in psychiatric-mental health nursing within the past three years; and have completed 30 hours of continuing education in PMH nursing within the past three years.⁷

Stage 2: Become a Psychiatric Advanced Practice Registered Nurse

Registered nurses who wish to become a psychiatric APRN must pursue graduate-level psychiatric nursing education and gain specialized experience.

Psychiatric Nursing Education: To become an APRN, you must graduate from an accredited master’s degree program in nursing (MSN) or a doctoral degree program in nursing (DNP or PhD).³ To become a psychiatric-mental health advanced practice nurse (PMH-APRN), you must graduate from an accredited master’s degree program in advanced practice psychiatric nursing.⁸ All graduate-level nursing education programs require completing a certain number of hours of supervised clinical experience.

To be eligible to apply to most PMH-APRN degree programs, you must have previous healthcare experience and hold a bachelor’s degree. Registered nurses who wish to become an advanced practice registered nurse but who do not hold a bachelor’s degree may choose to pursue a bachelor’s degree in nursing via an RN-to-BSN degree completion program.

• Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Licensure: To become licensed as a psychiatric nurse practitioner, you must pass the ANCC Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) (Across the Lifespan) board certification examination. The credential awarded upon passing the exam is PMHNP-BC^™.⁹
• Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Certification: Becoming a psychiatric nurse practitioner means committing to lifelong learning. PMH-APRNs must satisfy continuing education (CE) requirements in order to maintain their PMHNP-BC^™ credential, which requires periodic renewal. A psychiatric nurse practitioner may also choose to pursue a subspecialty certification, such as pediatric psychiatry, addiction medicine or geriatric psychiatry.

Pursue an RN-to-BSN, MSN or DNP Online Degree Program at CTU

According to the BLS, employers—particularly hospital employers—may require a bachelor’s degree for entry-level positions as a staff nurse.6 Additionally, anyone who wishes to pursue graduate-level nursing education must first hold a bachelor’s degree.

Colorado Technical University’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN-to-BSN) online degree program is designed for nurses who hold an active, clear, and unencumbered RN license and want to advance their nursing education.

At the graduate level, CTU offers a Master of Science in Nursing degree program in Family Nurse Practitioner, Nursing Administration and Nursing Education concentrations, as well as a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree program.

All of CTU’s online nursing degree programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (https://www.aacnnursing.org/ccne-accreditation).

Explore all of CTU’s online nursing degree programs today, or apply now.

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¹ National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), “Mental Illness,” https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness (last visited Mar. 4, 2025).
² National Center for Health Workforce Analysis, State of the Behavioral Health Workforce, 2024 (Nov. 2024), https://bhw.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/bureau-health-workforce/state-of-the-behavioral-health-workforce-report-2024.pdf.
³ Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, “Nurse Anesthetists, Nurse Midwives and Nurse Practitioners,” https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/nurse-anesthetists-nurse-midwives-and-nurse-practitioners.htm (last visited Mar. 4, 2025).
⁴ National Center for O*NET Development, O*NET Online, “29-1141.02— Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses,” https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/29-1141.02 (last visited Mar. 4, 2025).
⁵ Cleveland Clinic, “What Is a PHMNP? What They Do and How to become One,” https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/psychiatric-nurse-practitioner-pmhnp (last visited Mar. 4, 2025).
⁶ Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, “Registered Nurses,” https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/registered-nurses.htm (last visited Mar. 4, 2025).
⁷ American Nurses Association (ANA), “Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing Certification (PMH-BC™),”
https://www.nursingworld.org/our-certifications/psychiatric-mental-health-nursing-certification/ (last visited Mar. 4, 2025).
⁸ American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA), “About Psychiatric Advanced Practice Nurses,” https://www.apna.org/about-psychiatric-nursing/about-pmh-aprns/ (last visited Mar. 4, 2025).
¹⁹ American Nurses Association (ANA), Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (Across the Lifespan) Certification (PMHNP-BC™), https://www.nursingworld.org/our-certifications/psychiatric-mental-health-nurse-practitioner/ (last visited Mar. 4, 2025).

CTU cannot guarantee employment, salary, or career advancement. Not all programs are available to residents of all states. REQ2120889 3/2025