The psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) role
The psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) plays a significant role in diagnosing mental conditions and prescribing medication. PMHNPs are expected to understand the state or federal legal requirements when prescribing drugs. Irrespective of their scope of prescriptive authority, PMHNPs should ensure that the medication they subscribe is safe and enable patients to recover from their condition. NPs are required to have a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to prescribe drugs as wells as controlled substances.
DEA is an important law enforcement agency in the United States that investigates and prevents the circulation of controlled substances such as heroin, Xanax, or Percocet. DEA conducts its responsibilities under the justice department, hence it enforces all federal laws that relate to manufacturing, distribution, sale, and use of illegal drugs. PMHNPs administering, prescribing, or dispensing controlled substances should be registered with DEA (Buppert, 2010). Some state licensure may allow PMHNPs to prescribe medication without a DEA certificate. However, Federal law requires mental health practitioners to have a DEA number to write prescriptions for controlled substances.
The DEA registration number helps in tracking and regulating the prescription of controlled substances. PMHNPs must ensure a prescription given to a patient is valid before dispensing the drug. The DEA number helps in confirming the legitimacy of the prescribed controlled substances. The prescription of a controlled substance should include the patient’s name and address, name of the drug, quantity prescribed practitioner DEA number, and the signature of the prescriber (Buppert, 2010). The PMHNPs should understand without a DEA, and they can be precluded from treating patients prescribed ADHD drugs and other medication to treat chronic pain. Therefore, it is crucial to have a DEA number to avoid questions about the validity of prescriptions.
PMHNPs should be certified and licensed to practice before applying for the DEA number. To obtain a DEA number, nurse practitioners are required to visit the DEA website to start the application. The application process requires information regarding state license, practice, credit card, and prescribed schedules. Also, the application inquires about the schedules of medication the nurse practitioner plan to prescribe (Buppert, 2010). If the state limits the drug schedules a nurse practitioner is allowed to prescribe, one should ensure to select those schedules that are within the state’s scope of practice.
Arizona nurse practitioners are required to apply for DEA number in order to prescribe controlled substances (Azbn.gov (a), 2019). The state law also expects prescribers to use and comply with the Controlled Substance Prescription Monitoring Program (CSPMP). The PMP ensures psychiatric patients receive safe medication. Nurse practitioner dispensing controlled substances listed in Schedule II, III, and IV to report information of prescription to the Arizona Pharmacy Board daily. This helps in monitoring the prescribing, dispensing, and use of controlled substances through the database. Before PMHNPs prescribe sedatives such as Benzodiazepines in schedule IV controlled substances, they should obtain a PMP utilization about the patient (Azbn.gov (b), 2019). The utilization report includes the history of patient drug prescriptions for the past one year.
In conclusion, PMHNPs assume significant responsibility in prescribing and dispensing of medications. PMHNPs should understand the state or federal legal requirements when prescribing drugs. In Arizona, NPs are required to have a DEA number in order to prescribe controlled substances. The DEA number is essential, confirming the legitimacy of the prescriptions. In addition, NPs should use and comply with the Controlled Substance Prescription Monitoring to ensure patients receive safe medication. Before prescribing controlled substances, PMHNPs are mandated to have a patient utilization report from the PMP database.