How to Become a PMHNP Online With No GRE

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A psychiatric mental health nurse sits and talks with a patient.

February 15, 2024

Blog Updated on October 29, 2025.

Mental health issues touch all of us. In 2024, more than 60 million Americans — nearly 1 in 4 — experienced a mental illness episode within the previous year, according to a Mental Health America report. The report also notes that 25% of adults experiencing episodes didn’t receive treatment.

In 2025, the HRSA Data Warehouse found that 131 million people live in health professional shortage areas (HPSAs), meaning they have little to no access to mental health care professionals. Comparing supply and demand for psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners (PMHNPs) reveals a deep gap. Of the 221,714 nurse practitioners employed in the United States in 2024, 48,916 were PMHNPs. However, nearly 38,000 open job postings for PMHNPs remained unfilled in the first half of 2024, according to Advanced Practice Education Associates.

Now is an ideal time to consider specializing as a psychiatric mental health nurse. Anyone looking into how to become a PMHNP should consider earning a BSN degree and an RN license as foundational steps, and a psychiatric nurse practitioner MSN as a second step.

Nurses who aspire to become PMHNPs can address the right of every person to access quality mental health care, advocating for patients with empathy, expertise and authority. Online PMHNP programs with no GRE requirement are a valuable option for nurses who feel called to serve in this compassionate and rigorous career role.

 

What Does a PMHNP Do?

Psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners are advanced practice registered nurses who focus their practice on mental health, emphasizing assessment and treatment. They work directly with patients with mental health and substance use disorders. They provide patient-centered services, including assessing conditions and developing treatment plans based on patient needs. Additionally, PMHNPs can help patients receive advanced care for complex issues and provide other holistic care options.

Assessment and Diagnosis

Assessment is a critical aspect of what a PMHNP does. During the assessment, they interview patients about their medical history and learn more about their circumstances. This background helps PMHNPs identify potential causes and exacerbating factors of mental health disorders.

Once patients have been appropriately assessed, PMHNPs may diagnose mental health disorders, including anxiety, depression or bipolar disorder.

Treatment Planning and Interventions

Using the information gathered during the assessment, PMHNPs work with patients to determine the best treatment options. They may collaborate with other healthcare professionals or specialists, such as primary care providers, to provide holistic treatment.

PMHNPs may prescribe medications to assist with patients’ mental health, monitoring how their conditions change and altering dosage as necessary. PMHNPs may also offer limited psychotherapy to help patients navigate trauma or current life events impacting their mental health. 

PMHNPs also advocate for patients. They can help them find resources such as transportation, support networks, community spaces or financial assistance.

Patient Care and Education

Patient-centered care is critical to a PMHNP’s role. They involve patients in developing treatment plans that meet their needs, focusing on improving their well-being. This helps empower patients to participate in their treatment, which can improve satisfaction and health outcomes.

PMHNPs can also work as educators, helping patients and their families understand how symptoms of their mental health disorders can manifest. They may educate patients on treatment options, including coping mechanisms. 

Battling Stigma

PMHNPs are required to have a master’s degree, a doctorate degree or a post-master’s certification and clinical experience specific to the specialty. But more than the mere sum of their education and expertise, PMHNPs play a vital societal role, combating the stigma often associated with mental health disorders.

This is critical, as stigma can prevent individuals from seeking help. It can manifest in several different ways, including:

  • Structural: Regulations and rules that limit the rights of people with mental health disorders
  • Social: Negative beliefs about and attitudes toward people with mental health disorders
  • Self: A person’s attitudes and beliefs regarding their own mental health disorders

MSN-prepared psychiatric nurse practitioners with advanced training, vision and dedication are working to alleviate suffering, improve well-being and empower all individuals. They bridge the gap between medical and mental health care, providing patients with more holistic care.

Psychiatric Nurse vs. PMHNPs

The difference between psychiatric-mental health nurses and PMHNPs is significant. Psychiatric-mental health nurses, who may be ADNs or BSNs, can specialize in psychiatry and become certified at the RN level, but they are not eligible for advanced practice certification and licensure in this specialty. Unlike a psychiatric-mental health nurse, a PMHNP is an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) with specialized training in mental health. Their scope of practice includes:

  • Prescribing and monitoring psychiatric medications (in some states)
  • Initiating and managing treatment plans
  • Diagnosing conditions (in some states)
  • Providing individual or group counseling or psychotherapy, depending on practice site
  • Intervening in mental health crises
  • Tracking patient progress and communicating it to the health care team
  • Educating patients, families and communities on mental health and well-being

With an MSN, Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners Can Be Leaders

In addition, because PMHNPs have advanced degrees, they can take on more responsibility in the mental healthcare field or even influence its trajectory. This can include:

  • Providing clinical supervision
  • Applying and assessing evidence-based solutions
  • Making referrals
  • Recommending preventive care screenings
  • Advocating to improve public policy

PMHNPs often work in private practices, outpatient clinics, community clinics, addiction recovery centers, universities or schools.

However, regardless of their workplace setting, PMHNPs can use telehealth and digital tracking apps, helping patients access mental health care in their practice state remotely and helping providers monitor their progress.

Full Practice Authority

In many states, PMHNPs have the authority to operate their own independent practices. Known as full practice authority (FPA), this expanded autonomy enables them to evaluate, diagnose, test and treat patients—including prescribing medications—without direct supervision by a physician.

This autonomy allows PMHNPs to provide care at the full scope of practice. Benefits of FPA to patients include:

  • Greater access to care in underserved areas
  • Streamlined services at the point of care
  • Decreased costs due to more efficiency
  • Increased choice of available providers.

 

What Are the Steps to Become a PMHNP?

Those looking to become PMHNPs should start with an active RN license and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. To work in this highly specialized role, however, they will also need significant education to develop the necessary skills and competencies and to be competitive. RN experience in psychiatric mental health care is a plus.

 

1. Earn an Advanced Education

PMHNPs must have either a master’s degree, a doctorate degree or a post-master’s certificate, according to O-Net. Online psychiatric nurse practitioner programs with no GRE requirement can offer a streamlined path for nurses who want to become PMHNPs. Nurses have several degree options for becoming PMHNPs.

MSN Degree

To become a PMHNP, individuals can obtain a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) from a recognized program. In the state of Ohio, nurse practitioner programs like Walsh University’s are an excellent choice.

Students’ learning is focused on gaining knowledge and training in mental health care. A typical PMHNP specialization is extensive, covering a broad range of neurobiological, psychosocial and nursing studies.

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Degree

Not every PMHNP holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree, but earning one can deepen expertise and increase competitiveness. That said, there’s an ongoing push to make a DNP the minimum degree for nurse practitioners.

These degree programs prepare nurses to become high-level leaders who improve patient outcomes and apply research at the practical level. A DNP program is a PMHNP’s opportunity to contribute to mental health care advancement through proposing solutions to help meet the health care needs of the underserved, exploring the impact of genetics or trauma on mental health, or researching the effects of social media and technology on mental health.

PMHNP Post-Master’s Certificate

Nurses who have already completed an advanced degree can choose to pursue a post-master’s certificate program. A post-master’s certificate provides students with specialized education in a specific area of nursing, such as psychiatric mental health. It also prepares students to take the national certification exam and apply for licensure as a PMHNP.

 

2. Obtain PMHNP Certification

Once nurses who aspire to a PMHNP career have earned an advanced education, they must pass the Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) (Across the Lifespan) Certification examination administered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. This exam assesses candidates for APRN entry-level clinical knowledge and skills for all PMHNPs.

After earning certification, a candidate can apply for an APRN (NP) license. The certification and subsequent licensure are valid for stipulated timeframes and are renewable by paying associated fees and meeting recertification and licensure requirements, such as completing a certain amount of continuing education hours in specified topic areas.

 

3. Develop Experience and Knowledge

A PMHNP has the opportunity to form strong bonds with patients of all ages by learning their stories and empowering them to transform their lives. Preparing to embark on these close therapeutic relationships includes clinical training and in-depth coursework.

Supervised Clinical Experience

As graduate students, aspiring PMHNPs gain hundreds of hours of supervised clinical experience in real-world settings—such as addiction recovery centers or community clinics—working with patients whose needs may range from routine medication management to crisis intervention.

As students gain experience, they deepen their skills as caring experts equipped to guide patients along their mental health journeys. They may assist patients as they deal with the daily challenges of a chronic mental illness, such as schizophrenia. They also may counsel clients on coping with major life crises, such as a cancer diagnosis or the death of a loved one.

In-Depth Coursework

In addition to gaining experience through supervised clinical work, students take extensive coursework in online psychiatric nurse practitioner programs. They can hone their skills and knowledge in subject matters such as the following to prepare to meet the challenges of this demanding field.

  • Pharmacology
  • Physiology
  • Psychotherapy
  • Genomics
  • Behavioral health
  • Population health
  • Health care and social justice
  • Evidence-based project management

 

4. Develop Important PMHNP Skills

During the course of working with patients, families and colleagues, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners must rely on a sophisticated skillset to help people achieve stability and healing in situations that can be sensitive, emotionally charged or complex in scope. Some important PMHNP skills include the following.

  • Active listening
  • Social perceptiveness
  • Cultural literacy
  • Clinical judgment and decision making
  • Service orientation
  • Complex problem solving
  • Instructing
  • Monitoring
  • Negotiation
  • Time management

 

Advance Your Career While Advocating for Patient Mental Health

If you are a nurse who feels called to a rewarding career fostering mental well-being while advocating for each individual’s right to affordable and equitable care, learn more about how to become a PMHNP.

Walsh University’s online MSN-PMHNP with no GRE requirement is designed for aspiring PMHNPs with an RN license and at least a BSN degree who seek to play a vital social role while advancing their career autonomy and salary potential.

Discover where Walsh University can take you!

 

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