A National Perspective on Prescriptive Authority for Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses

Abstract

Advanced practice psychiatric nurses (APPNs) are expanding their roles to include pre scriptive authority. This expanded role provides new opportunities to define APPNs as autonomous mental health providers who can offer comprehensive services that inte grate psychotherapies and psychopharmacological interventions. Unfortunately, these opportunities are often restricted by state statutes and rules regulating prescriptive authority. This article describes prescriptive authority for APPNs, state by state, and dis cusses major issues that must be addressed to ensure that APPNs have the opportuni ties to practice consistent with their educational and clinical qualifications. (J Am Psychiatr Nurses Assoc [1998]. 4, 190-198)