Look No Further! Here’s How to Land Your Dream Job As a PMHNP

Nurses have the ability to change lives every time they go to work. They are the frontline in the healthcare industry, taking care of all of their patients’ day-to-day needs. The role they play is especially important in mental healthcare settings.

An estimated 26% of Americans over the age of 18 suffer from diagnosable mental health disorders, according to Johns Hopkins. The need for qualified medical professionals to help those individuals navigate life is immense. People who are interested in the nursing field and want to help people who are suffering from a mental health problem can do both by becoming an American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) certified Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) by just following a few steps.

Go to Nursing School

Of course, the first step on the way to becoming an ANCC PMHNP is going to nursing school to become a registered nurse by earning a degree from an accredited institution. The interested student will need to receive a diploma in nursing, an associate degree in nursing, or a bachelor’s degree in nursing. During this period, they will be required to complete in-person training in a clinical setting to practice the skills they learned while in school.

They will then have to pass the NCLEX exam that is administered by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). After passing the test, aspiring healthcare workers should apply for their RN license in the state where they hope to work. The requirements vary by state.

Apply to PMHNP Programs

After becoming a registered nurse, someone who wants to become a Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner should begin applying to master’s and doctoral PMHNP programs. It’s very important to find a program that is accredited through either the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).

According to US News and World Report, there are great programs across the country.

The top-ranked program in the country is at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. The second highest-ranked program is at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, and the third is at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. Keep in mind that in-state schools might have better tuition rates, so going picking a great school in the state where the student lives might be a better financial decision. As long as the program is ACEN or CCNE accredited, it’s fine.

Complete Clinical Hours

Students who want to become a licensed PMHNP will need to complete at least 500 clinical hours that are accredited by the ACEN and CCNE. These hours have to be supervised by an appropriate professional, and they teach the nurse how to handle various situations in the field.

This training is comparable to the hours that had to be completed during nursing school, but this time the student will focus specifically on people who might be suffering from a mental health disorder.

Take a PMHNP Practice Exam

It’s very important that a student take a PMHNP practice exam before sitting for the actual test. Proper test prep can really make or break a student. If for no other reason than it will help the student feel less nervous when they sit for the real exam.

Proper practice tests will present the student with various questions that they could see on the real test. They allow the test taker to identify any weak spots in their skills so they know where to focus when they are studying for the exam.

Apply for Certification

The final step in the quest to become a PMHNP is applying for certification.

 It’s very important the nurse review the requirements in the state where they want to apply. Regulations, laws, and qualifications are different in each state. Once the nurse earns their certification, they’ll have to renew it.