PMHNP · Arkansas
Collaborative Practice Agreement for Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners in Arkansas
Yes, a written physician agreement is required. Arkansas does not name a specific instrument.
Arkansas's APRN law does not create a separate legal track for PMHNPs — PMHNP is simply a population-focus certification, subject to the identical CPA → 6,240-hour → FIPCC pathway as any other CNP (§ 17-87-314). Identical to `np` above; this entry exists for its own page/URL/calculator weight.
Independent practice requires: ≥6,240 hours of practice under a collaborative practice agreement; Full Independent Practice Credentialing Committee (FIPCC) approval.
What the collaboration must look like
The rules the physician relationship has to follow. Each fact comes from the statute or board rule listed under sources.
Proximity
PMHNP practicing under a collaborative practice agreement (pre-FIPCC): Available remotely (no on-site requirement)
Same standard as general CNP.
Supervision ratio
Not codified — no cap on file
Chart review
Not codified — left to the agreement
Meeting cadence
Not codified — left to the agreement
Prescriptive authority
PMHNP with Full Independent Practice Authority (post-FIPCC): Covered by the practice agreement · controlled substances permitted
Same statutory framework as general CNP; psychiatric prescribing in practice skews toward Schedule II stimulants and Schedule IV benzodiazepines more heavily — a risk/cost judgment reflected in calculatorWeights, not a different legal limit.
Written agreement
Required
Same as general NP — required only before FIPCC certification.
Practice ownership (corporate practice of medicine)
Licensee-only ownership required — Same as the general `np` entry.
Legal sources for these rules (1)
- Ark. Code Ann. § 17-87-314 — Full Independent Practice Credentialing Committee
What a collaborating physician costs here
Typical monthly cost in Arkansas
$500 – $650
Estimate for one Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. This state's proximity rules add a small premium.
About Arkansas's rules
Act 412 of 2021 created a 6,240-hour Full Independent Practice Credentialing Committee (FIPCC) pathway for CNPs and CNSs only — CRNAs and CNMs are excluded from FIPCC and follow their own frameworks. CRNA independent-practice status is a genuine, unresolved ambiguity (see that entry) — a widely repeated 'Medicare opt-out' claim doesn't equal a change to AR's own supervision statute.
Other clinicians in Arkansas: see the state overview.