What Is a Nurse Practitioner?

A nurse practitioner can complete psychiatric assessments and prescribe psychiatric medications much like a psychiatrist. Unlike a psychiatrist who is a medical doctor, nurse practitioners are nurses first, who then go on for specialized training in a specific field.

Our provider, Molly Oakley, trained for two additional years in psychiatry at Yale University after becoming a registered nurse. She has trained and worked in many settings; from psychiatric hospitals to outpatient mental health offices, and worked with patients of all ages. She reports her diverse experience helps her provide excellent care and recommends all patients look into where their providers received their training and completed their clinical work, as not all nurse practitioner programs provide the same level of training.

If you ask Molly Oakley, she will say she is grateful she trained as a nurse first and then received her psychiatric training through a nursing lens, because the nursing care model is extremely patient centered and focused on listening to patients to meet their needs. Molly believes the caring approach nurses and nurse practitioners practice translates well to providing exceptional mental health care.

The psychiatrists/medical model of training is very diagnostic/problem focused in nature and psychiatrists have a longer, more intensive training. They can provide amazing care and a responsible nurse practitioner will refer patients to a psychiatrist if they feel a patient’s case is too complex for them to provide appropriate care for.

It is very patient dependent on whether a psychiatric nurse practitioner or a psychiatrist will be the best fit for them. We recommend you find a provider who’s personality and communication style works for you. You should feel you can trust your provider to listen to you and provide great care.