Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Programs in Kentucky - KY

By Susan Maphis, allied health world contributing writer
Published: January, 18 2011

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The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration estimated in 2006 that there were 419 Kentuckians with severe mental distress and 270 who reported having at least one episode of major depression during that year. NAMI (otherwise known as the National Alliance on Mental Illness) notes that only one percent of state spending in Kentucky was used to treat mental illness during that same year. Part of the problem is a lack of qualified, trained and certified mental health providers, which is where psychiatric nurse practitioners fit into the picture.

Psychiatric nurse practitioner programs in Kentucky, which are offered online through distance learning or through a brick and mortar university setting, provide graduate-level training for Kentucky-licensed registered nurses who want to help fill that void.

RNs attend classes and complete clinical rotations in mental health facilities. Medical facilities across Kentucky that could be settings for clinical rotations include Norton Hospital, Central State Hospital, Saint Elizabeth Medical Center, Eastern State Hospital, Owensboro Medical Health System and Lincoln Trail Behavioral Health System.

The end result of this educational program is a master’s degree or, for those who already possess a master’s, a post-master’s certificate. Psychiatric nurse practitioners who are certified and licensed in Kentucky may provide most of the same services as a psychiatrist, including writing prescriptions if they apply for prescriptive authority with the Kentucky Board of Nursing.