Psychiatric / Mental Health Nurse Directory
National Psychiatric / Mental Health Nurse directory
Find a psychiatric or mental health Registered Nurse for inpatient psych, outpatient behavioral health, addiction treatment, and crisis services. Every listing is license-verified.
Directory listings are self-reported and cross-checked on a rolling schedule — they are not an official licensing or certification record. Always verify credentials independently through the relevant state board of nursing, Nursys, or the issuing certification body before making a care, hiring, or referral decision.
What is a Psychiatric Nurse?
A Psychiatric Nurse — also called a Mental Health Nurse — assesses, treats, and supports patients with mental illness, substance use disorders, and behavioral health crises across the lifespan.
Psych RNs practice in inpatient psychiatric units, addiction treatment, community mental health centers, crisis stabilization, partial hospitalization, and telehealth. Advanced practice PMHNPs can diagnose and prescribe psychotropic medications.
Psychiatric Nurse credentials & licensing
What it takes to practice as a psychiatric nurse in the United States.
Active state RN license; APRN authorization for PMHNPs.
PMH-BC (Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing Certification) or PMHNP-BC (Nurse Practitioner) from ANCC.
Crisis Prevention Intervention (CPI); trauma-informed care; SBIRT; suicide assessment; de-escalation.
2 years and 2,000 hours of psychiatric-mental health practice required for PMH-BC.
Common practice settings
Find a psychiatric nurse in your state
License verification respects each state board of nursing.
Featured psychiatric nurses
A sample of verified nursing professionals in the HealthcareApex directory.

Elena Rodriguez, MSN
VerifiedFamily Nurse Practitioner
Austin, Texas · 12 yrs
English · Spanish

Margaret Okafor, RN
VerifiedRegistered Nurse — Home Health
Atlanta, Georgia · 22 yrs
English

Arjun Patel, DNP
VerifiedAdult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner
Houston, Texas · 8 yrs
English · Hindi · Gujarati
Psychiatric Nurse questions, answered
Can a psychiatric nurse prescribe medication?+
RNs cannot prescribe. Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (PMHNPs) can diagnose mental health conditions and prescribe psychotropic medications in all 50 states.
What is PMH-BC?+
PMH-BC is the ANCC certification for Registered Nurses practicing in psychiatric-mental health nursing, validating expertise in the specialty.
Do psychiatric nurses see patients via telehealth?+
Yes — telepsychiatry is one of the fastest-growing areas of mental health care, particularly for medication management and therapy follow-up.
What's the difference between a psych RN and a PMHNP?+
A psych RN provides hands-on nursing care under medical direction. A PMHNP holds a graduate degree, diagnoses, prescribes, and often functions as the primary mental health provider.
For Psychiatric Nurses
Join the national psychiatric nurse directory
Claim a verified profile, get found by patients and employers, and showcase your credentials, licenses, and specialty experience.