Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Programs in Ohio - OH

By Dinesh Kumar, allied health world contributing writer
Published: January, 27 2011

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Nurse practitioners (NPs) are registered nurses (RNs) that have satisfied advanced educational requirements and clinical training to attain national certification. The additional didactic and practical instruction in a particular advanced area of their choice prepares them to function in authorized roles not available to other nursing professionals. Since a large body of research in the last 30+ years has shown the care provided by NPs to be quite similar to that provided by doctors, there is growing interest and demand for practitioners in this field.

One of the designated specializations for NPs is the field of psychiatric and mental health (PMH). They are known by different titles such as nurse psychotherapist, PMH – NP and PMH – clinical nurse specialist (CNS). In Ohio, the PMH field for advanced practice registered nurses comes under the umbrella of certified nurse practitioner (CNP), sometimes also referred to as certified registered nurse practitioner (CRNP).

According to the website, www.statehealthfacts.org, Ohio represents 4% of the national population. By contrast, the percentage of NPs in the state is only 2.8% of the national total. According to Ohio Center for Nursing, PMH is one of the critical health care occupations that need more professionals. If you’re an Ohio RN interested in bridging this gap, or want to become a CRN with specialization in PMH, there are psychiatric nurse practitioner programs in Ohio that can prepare you. These accredited programs are not only available in campus-based format, but also online for today’s busy nursing professional. Successful completion of one such master’s level programs is the first step towards the national certification in this highly regarded career.