Key Takeaways
- Licensing Requirements: To work as a nurse, one must complete an educational program and pass the NCLEX-RN exam.
- Certification for Psychiatric Nurses: Involves obtaining credentials through the American Nurses Credentialing Center, requiring clinical experience and continuing education.
- Difference Between License and Certification: A license is mandatory to practice, while certification enhances qualifications and job opportunities.
- Preparation for Exams: Early and continuous study, using abundant online resources, is crucial for success in nursing exams.
For a nursing student who is specializing in psychiatry, it can seem like the road to actually serving patients in the real world is a long and winding one. First, there is the educational process, which is extremely challenging and comes with many hurdles that need to be overcome. Then, once you reach graduation and have that foundation in place, there are still licensing and certification matters to address.
This page will discuss the second part so you can gain a clear understanding of the psychiatric nursing certification requirements. By taking a little bit of time to review the requirements and understand how they apply to your future career, the process in front of you will feel less daunting. That way, you’ll be able to start making progress right away.
Related:
- 5 Pros and Cons of Accelerated MSN Degrees
- Accelerated MSN Programs as a Solution to the Nursing Shortage
- Advantages of Simulation-Based Learning in Accelerated MSN Programs
- Are Online MSN Degrees Respected by Employers?
- Best Accelerated MSN Programs for Nursing Leadership Development
- Challenges Faced by Non-nursing Students in Accelerated MSN Programs
- Challenges in Accelerated MSN Program for Career Changers
- Direct Entry MSN Programs for Non-Nursing Majors
- Flexibility of Online Accelerated MSN Programs for Working Professionals
- Is a Direct Entry MSN Worth It?
- Job Placement Rates of Accelerated MSN Graduates vs. Traditional BSN Graduates
- Preparation Tips for Accelerated Nursing Students Before Clinical Rotations
- Pros and Cons of Online Accelerated MSN Programs Compared To On-Campus
- Technology Requirements for Online Accelerated MSN Students
Becoming Licensed as a Nurse
To work in the nursing profession, you are going to need to obtain a nursing license. At the start, this will just be a general nursing license without any specific tie to the field of psychiatric nursing. The licensing process for psychiatric nurses gets into some additional details and requirements, which we will get into more in a moment.
In order to become a licensed nurse, you are going to need to complete an appropriate educational program and then pass an exam. You have a couple of options for education, including a program that will lead you to a Bachelor of Science in Nursing or an Associate Degree in Nursing. With the educational piece of the puzzle in place, you’ll need to pass the National Council Licensure Examination, commonly referred to as NCLEX-RN.
Pursuing Psychiatric Nursing Certification
If you are already a licensed nurse or expect to become licensed soon, you may want to consider obtaining a psychiatric mental health certification. This credential can make you more appealing to employers and allow you to serve in many more roles.
The primary path to receiving certification is through the American Nurses Credentialing Center or ANCC. If you have been trying to figure out how to get certified in psychiatric nursing, the answer lies in working with this organization to complete the necessary steps. Certificates are available through ANCC for both registered nurses and nurse practitioners.
To obtain this credential at the RN level, you will have to meet a few qualifications and pay a modest fee. Some of the qualifications include holding an active RN license, completing at least 2,000 clinical practice hours in mental health nursing, and completing 30 continuing education hours in the last three years. At the NP level, the requirements are more significant, including having a master’s postgraduate or doctoral degree and completing clinical training in at least two psychotherapeutic treatment modalities.
Are Licensing and Certification Different Things in Nursing?
An important part of this psychiatric nurse licensing guide is to break down the difference between a license and a certification. Perhaps the easiest way to explain the difference is to say that you cannot be a registered nurse without a license, but you do not need to have a certification.
If you are going to practice as a registered nurse in your state, you’ll need to have a license that is issued by the state board based on the qualifications we mentioned earlier (education requirements and passing the NCLEX-RN). As a licensed registered nurse, you may choose to pursue additional certification to add to your resume and open up new job opportunities. For instance, by passing all of the certification steps for psychiatric nursing graduates, as was talked about in the previous section, you can obtain a Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing Certification, making it possible to be hired into a mental health facility or similar department. This is not a required part of working as a registered nurse, but it may be something you decide to pursue.
How to Prepare for Nursing Exams
Whether you are working toward licensure or certification, it’s important to properly prepare yourself to have the best possible chance at success. These exams can be difficult, as there is a lot of material to cover, and you are likely busy with other things while also trying to study.
Perhaps the best way to prepare for any nursing exam is to put time on your side. If you are working on licensing and certification in psychiatric nursing but fail to start studying or practicing until the exam has almost arrived, it will be very difficult to play catch up. If you give yourself a long runway and then work on learning small sections of the material at a time, it will be far easier to pass.
The other big step you can take to fare well on exams is to use the abundant resources available online – some free and some paid. While it might feel like it at the time, you aren’t the first person to face the challenge of these exams, and you won’t be the last. Given how many nurses need to be trained and need to take exams, there are plenty of study materials and prep tests offered today, and using these resources will quickly sharpen your skills.
Taking Another Big Step
Some registered nurses will simply want to add a certification to their credit in mental health and leave it at that. If you want to go further and open up more doors, there is a psychiatric nursing license application process to become a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner or PMHNP.
More than just a standard psychiatric nurse practitioner certification, reaching this level means you hold a degree from a master’s or doctoral program specifically in psychiatric-mental health nursing. This is a longer process given the educational requirements, but it makes it possible to take a major leap in your career once successfully completed.
Start As Soon As Possible
It’s never too early to start planning toward meeting the licensing and certification requirements that will apply to your career. No matter what point of the educational journey you find yourself at presently, it’s worth your time and attention to start to consider how you’ll become fully licensed and certified – the sooner that happens, the sooner you can start to consider various job opportunities.
Fortunately, there are plenty of resources out there to help you through this situation, as you aren’t the first one to go through it, Contact professional organizations in your area as one initial step, as they may have advice to give or other resources to point your way. As long as you take the initiative on this point and start to work on it right away, there is no reason that credentialing for psychiatric nursing professionals has to stand in the way of creating the career you’ve always wanted to have.