Disciplines / PMHNP
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP)
PMHNPs diagnose, prescribe and manage psychiatric medication across outpatient, inpatient and telepsychiatry settings.
- Advertised pay
- $125k – $175k
- Credential
- State APRN licensure and PMHNP-BC board certification; DEA registration
- Live roles
- None open today
What is a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP), and what does the role pay?
What the role does
- Complete psychiatric evaluations and diagnose
- Prescribe and manage psychotropic medication
- Run medication management clinics
- Deliver brief therapeutic interventions
- Collaborate with therapy and care coordination teams
Credential and route in
State APRN licensure and PMHNP-BC board certification; DEA registration · ANCC and state boards of nursing
- 1RN licensure and BSN
- 2MSN or DNP with PMHNP specialization
- 3Supervised clinical hours
- 4PMHNP-BC certification through ANCC
- 5State APRN licensure, prescriptive authority and DEA registration
Advertised pay
| Career stage | Advertised pay | What typically sits behind it |
|---|---|---|
| Entry | $125k | Newly credentialed, supervised caseload |
| Mid-career | $145k | Full caseload, independent, some supervision of others |
| Senior | $175k | Lead or multi-site scope, clinical quality ownership |
Ranges reflect what we typically see advertised on roles we recruit for in the US. They are a market guide, not a survey, and vary by setting, caseload and experience. Last reviewed August 2026. For federal wage and outlook data, see the Bureau of Labor Statistics occupation page.
Full PMHNP salary guideWhere PMHNPs work
Outpatient psychiatry · Telepsychiatry · Community mental health · Inpatient and residential · Substance use treatment
Specialties
- Community mental healthMedicaid-funded outpatient and community programs delivering therapy, prescribing, case management and crisis services.
- Substance use treatmentDetox, residential, IOP, outpatient and MAT programs across the full continuum of addiction care.
- Inpatient and residentialPsychiatric hospitals, residential treatment centers and PHP programs treating high-acuity mental health presentations.
- Telehealth and virtual careRemote therapy, teletherapy, telepsychiatry and remote supervision across state lines, delivered by platforms and traditional providers alike.
Demand right now
The scarcest prescriber in behavioral health. Telepsychiatry has absorbed a large share of supply, which makes in-person and hybrid roles harder to fill than the salary alone suggests.
Hiring PMHNPs?
Panel size, no-show policy, collaborating physician arrangements and call expectations decide PMHNP offers. State practice authority matters as much as pay.
Submit a roleLive PMHNP roles
No live PMHNP roles today. Join the talent network and we will contact you when one opens in your state.
Join the talent networkQuestions we get asked
- Does state practice authority change the job?
- Yes. Full-practice-authority states let PMHNPs work independently; reduced and restricted states require a collaborating physician agreement, which affects autonomy, caseload and sometimes pay.
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