If you’re an experienced psychiatric nurse looking to take the next big step in your career, you’ve probably got the ANCC’s Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Board Certification Exam on your radar. I’ve been there and I know how daunting it can feel. But with the right approach, you can master the PMH-BC exam and earn that coveted certification. Let’s dive into some practical tips and insights that will make your PMH test preparation smoother, smarter, and yes, even a little e

I received an email this weekend from one of my students preparing for ANCC's PMH Board Certification exam, saying that she was struggling with getting clear on the three levels of prevention. I told her, "You're not alone. Of all the topics for this exam, this one is among the most obscure to me...." I explained that part of the reason most of us have trouble sorting it out is that there are actually two prevention paradigms out there...and ANCC won't tell us which paradi

by Alison L Miller, MSN, PMH-BC, RN, FAIS I was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder in 1986, six months after my baby daughter and I almost died during childbirth. But that isn't when it started. If there was a DSM qualifier for PTSD that included "stacked" traumas, that's what I would be diagnosed with. Instead, they tend to call it "Complex PTSD." or cPTSD. Whatever it's called, it sucks to deal with. Like so many, my first batch of traumas started in childhood. I

One. Objective. Only. Restraints are to be used only as an intervention that helps the patient regain behavioral control in order to maintain patient and staff safety. Period. Drop the mic. That's it. There is no other reason allowed for using restraints on a patient. And the moment behavioral control has been regained, the restraints must come off. The patient does NOT need to have regained control over their emotions. They may still be angry or sobbing. But if they