The Psychiatric APN

The Psychiatric Advanced Practice Nurse provides comprehensive psychiatric evaluations, prescribes psychiatric medication, and conducts psychotherapy/individual, group, marital, and family counseling in a variety of settings. Members of the Society may be contacted to provide direct clinical service, to speak or to consult within the scope of mental health issues. Members are also involved in activities which foster professional development.

A Psychiatric Advanced Practice Nurse is first educated as a registered professional nurse with additional graduate education in psychiatric-mental health nursing at the Master's or Doctoral level. Psych APNs are licensed by the NJ Board of Nursing to practice under the Nurse Practice Act and Nurse Practitioner/Advance Psychiatric Practice Nurse Act of the State of New Jersey and are nationally certified in Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing by the American Nurses Association.

In addition to passing a National Examination and meeting high standards for supervised clinical practice, the Psych APN is required to remain current in the latest knowledge and methods of providing expert mental health care through continuing education and rigorous recertification requirements.