A comparison of the practices of psychiatric clinical nurse specialists and nurse practitioners who are certified to provide mental health care for children and adolescents.

Background: A task force of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association and the International Society of Psychiatric Mental Health Nurses initiated a survey to identify how advanced practice psychiatric nurses were addressing the mental health needs of children and adolescents.

Objectives: Practice patterns of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses (CACNSs) and Family Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners (FPNPs) were compared.

Design: An electronic survey was completed by 234 CACNSs and 170 FPNPs from a national database. Group data were compared using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Results: Both groups spent the greatest percentage of their time in medication management, with depression being the most frequent problem they treated. However, CACNSs treated more school-aged children and provided more psychotherapy. FPNPs frequently merged prescribing and therapy when seeing patients.

Conclusions: Findings indicate more commonalities than differences in the practices of the two certification groups but suggest the need for standards that will inform educational programs and certification examinations.