Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP)

• Establish and evaluate therapeutic alliance
• Perform a developmentally appropriate comprehensive psychiatric evaluation, including relevant medical and psychiatric history and social determinants of health
• Perform mental status exam and a comprehensive risk assessment
• Review patient records and gather collateral information from relevant sources
• Order and/or administer evidence-based instruments (e.g., scales, screening tools, and diagnostic and laboratory tests)
• Assess readiness for change and barriers to learning and/or care

• Interpret results of scales, screening tools, and diagnostic and laboratory tests to inform diagnosis
• Synthesize and analyze subjective and objective information to formulate differential diagnoses
• Prioritize potential differential diagnoses, including recognizing urgent and emergent conditions and considering pertinent medical diagnoses
• Establish primary diagnosis and any relevant secondary and/or tertiary diagnoses

• Establish a collaborative, patient-centered plan of care that is consistent with best evidence
• Provide risks, benefits, alternatives, and potential side effects of psychopharmacotherapies
• Select and prescribe pharmacotherapeutics
• Provide psychotherapeutic interventions
• Provide psychoeducation, including health promotion, and risk and illness prevention strategies
• Engage in consultation and/or collaboration with interprofessional teams
• Make referrals to other providers, specialists, or programs as indicated
• Determine most appropriate level of care and facilitate transitions to ensure continuity of care
• Manage psychiatric emergencies and crises
• Ensure safety of clients, practitioners, and others
• Document client encounters and use appropriate coding and terminology

• Evaluate efficacy of plan of care based on outcomes
• Monitor for and manage side effects and adverse events
• Monitor adherence to plan of care, while considering barriers (e.g., financial, cultural, side effects)
• Modify plan of care as appropriate
• Engage in quality improvement initiatives at the individual and/or systems level
• Practice in conformance with ethical guidelines and legal requirements
• Practice in conformance with scope and standards

APPLIED KNOWLEDGE AREAS