Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Special Interest Group

About

Nurse practitioner – with specialised scope of practice in psychiatry and mental health care, is a developing area within the Australian health care system.  The ACMHN refers to this group as mental health nurse practitioners (MHNP). This Special Interest Group supports those who are interested in, or developing and currently working in, a MHNP role.  

This group recognises those who work across generalised mental health areas to specialised and dual diagnosis models of care i.e. age specific cohorts - child, youth, adult and aged care areas, alcohol and other drugs, paediatrics with developmental disorders, adult developmental and intellectual disabilities, midwifery with infant and mother mental health, physical health management with metabolic syndromes and diagnostic specific areas such as eating disorders,  and co-morbid physical health issues (but are not limited to these areas).

Committee Members

Chair: Sonia Miller

EOI – to be established

This page is an ACMHN-sponsored resource for mental health nurse practitioners and nurses interested in becoming a mental health nurse practitioner.

What is a mental health nurse practitioner?

Nurse practitioners are educated at a masters level to function autonomously and collaboratively in advanced and extended clinical roles. Nurse Practitioner (NP) is a protected title in legislation, endorsed and regulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (AHPRA). They can be found working in public, private, community and primary health care settings. Clients who see a nurse practitioner can receive additional clinical services associated with the extensions to practice that the nurse practitioner role allows. These can include:

  • Advanced mental health assessment and physical health assessment
  • Ordering diagnostic investigations, pathology and interpreting results
  • Clarification and confirmation of diagnosis
  • A wide range of treatment options within the NP's scope of practice including a range of psychotherapy approaches and psychotherapeutic interventions (NB: overlapping advanced practice with CMHN)
  • Prescribing medications, adjustment of medication, management of side effects and discontinuation of medications
  • Referrals to medical specialists
  • Issuing sick certificates

A brochure about mental health nurse practitioners is available here.

To get involved, contact [email protected]

Resources 

As the SIG develops, more information and resources will be put on the website, but we hope you find the below list useful.

     

Join the SIG

If you want to join this SIG, you will have to log into the membership portal first. The SIG is open to all members with an interest in clinical supervision.

Sign in to the member area.