New study of nurse practitioner regulations and child mental healthcare

Kristen Choi, PhD, RN, PMHNP-BC, FAAN, Associate Professor and the Audrienne H. Moseley Chair in Nursing at the UCLA Joe C. Wen School of Nursing, has been awarded a nearly $300,000 grant from the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) to study how state nurse practitioner supervision requirements affect children's access to mental healthcare from Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (PMHNPs).

The two-year study will examine the temporary relaxation of nurse practitioner supervision requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Choi and her team will study how children accessed PMHNP care under different regulatory environments and whether relaxing supervision requirements can play a role in access.

"Policymakers and the public are concerned about the state of youth mental health in the United States and the difficulty families experience in trying to access care," Dr. Choi said. "This study will provide new evidence about how to effectively utilize PMHNPs and how nursing regulation can support this."

Dr. Choi is joined by co-investigators Bonnie Zima, MD, MPH, Jack Needleman, PhD, and Lauren Wisk, PhD.