Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nursing: Integrating Psychotherapy, Psychopharmacology, and Complementary and Alternative Approaches Across the Life Span

"Psychiatric-mental health advanced practice registered nurses (PMH-APRN) are like water-they are flexible, fluid, and go where they are needed. Deinstitutionalization of psychiatric patients resulted in not only more community-based treatment, but also new and expanded outpatient roles for psychiatric nurses. Now, in addition to employing them for outpatient needs, our society is seeking PMH-APRNs to provide treatment in nursing homes and prisons. Further, the recent COVID-19 pandemic has substantially increased the need for mental health providers, providing tele-mental health services as well as traditional services in a number of venues. The longer terms effects of the pandemic place have led to an increased demand for mental health services, for the worried well as those who suffer from a wide range of mental illnesses. The continued need for APRNs is reflected by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which predicts a 31% growth in the number of all APRNs from 2014 to 2024, while the prediction for all other occupations is only a 7% increase. Furthermore, in an increasing number of states, APRNs are able to independently function within their full scope of practice"--