Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Job Description Sample

A psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) is an advanced practice registered nurse
who has acquired appropriate training to provide mental healthcare services to individuals,
including adults and children, and families with drug abuse problem, psychiatric disorders or
organic brain disorders.
PMHNP can work in several places, including primary healthcare facilities, psychiatric
emergency services, and mental health clinics.
Others are in private practice, skilled nursing and assisted living facilities, and community health
centers and hospitals.
The job description of a PMHNP entails diagnosing, conducting, and prescribing medications for
patients having psychiatric-mental health problems and those likely to have them.
As a licensed advanced practice nurse, the psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner is
responsible for providing emergency psychiatric services, physical and psychosocial examination
of their patients.
Their role also includes developing appropriate treatment plan and providing effective
management of patient care with proper evaluation.
They may also function as educators and consultants to staff, families, groups, legislators,
communities, and corporations, as well as participate in developing policies and healthcare
reforms, improving service quality, and practice evaluation.
The PMHNP is an advanced specialty in the nursing practice and to become one, the individual
needs to go through a Masters or doctoral degree program in psychiatric-mental health nursing.
PMHNPs can also choose to further specialize within the psychiatric-mental health specialty
area. These include gerontological-psychiatric nursing, child and adolescent mental health
nursing, and substance use or drug abuse disorders nursing.
Other areas of specialization include consulting with patients and families having multiple and
complex psychiatric disorders; and working in a collaborative and integrative roles with primary
healthcare providers.
Sample Job Description for the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Position
By training and experience, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners can perform a wide
range of duties within their area of specialty; however, they are generally assigned specific
functions by their employers that reflect the peculiar needs of the institution they are working
with.

Below is a sample of a typical PMHNP job description, consisting of key duties and
responsibilities they are mostly required to carry out.
Responsible for providing outpatient and residential care to patients showing a change or decline
in mental status, chronic or urgent medical conditions
Work independently with other members of the medical team, with entitlements to specific
clinical privileges approved by the clinics Medical Executive Board
Take part in an interdisciplinary team that provides primary care to employees and patients
Perform patients histories and physicals, risk factor assessment, ordering of therapeutic and
diagnostic tests; and attend to consultations and appointments
Prescribe medications following the clinics policy, formulary and relevant regulations of the
State
Consult with physicians on cases that are beyond the scope of qualification of PMHNP
Put all relevant patient data in medical records and case presentations
Formulate, execute and review healthcare education delivered to patients and families for
diseases prevention
Ensure smooth communication with other health professionals for effective delivering of clinic
service to patients
Provide consultation to the clinics nursing and medical staff for improvement in their work
performance, which enhances overall quality service delivery of the clinic
Writing a resume for the position:
Seeking a job as a PMHNP will require you to have a resume to submit to prospective
employers. The resume should show that you have the competence and experience to succeed on
the job and add value to the organization.
The job description example above has valuable information you can use in writing a good
resume that can get the employers attention.
Requirements Qualities Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities for the post of the Psychiatric
Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
The following are some of the key qualities and qualifications commonly required to work as a
PMHNP in most healthcare facilities across the States:

Proficient in the English language, both in writing and speaking to be able to communicate
clearly with all stakeholders, including patients, families, clinic staff and other healthcare
professionals
Possess and maintain graduate professional nurse, and nurse practitioner registration in a state,
which must be unrestricted, current, complete, and active
Obtain Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner or Mental Health Nurse Practitioner certification from the
American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)
Possess Bachelors degree in Nursing followed by a Masters degree in Psychiatric or Mental
Health Nursing from a state approved and accredited school for professional nursing training
Possess strong understanding of societies and their impact on mental health; ability to solve
problems, monitor and examine patients
Be compassionate, sensitive, and possess strong reasoning and thinking skills
Possess strong computer skills, including working with word processing and data entering
applications, as well as with medical software applications
Ability to work effectively with medical equipment, including EKG machines, suction kits,
surgical lasers, vision charts, and defibrillators