PMHNP · Maryland
Collaborative Practice Agreement for Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners in Maryland
Not unconditionally. Maryland does not name a specific instrument.
PMHNPs follow the same 2015 Full Practice Authority Act framework as any other NP population focus (Health Occ. § 8-508; COMAR 10.27.07). This entry exists for its own page/URL/calculator weight, not a legal distinction from `np`.
Independent practice requires: Same 18-month first-time-NP mentorship as general NPs — see that entry; Maryland's Nurse Practice Act doesn't set a separate threshold for the psychiatric-mental-health population focus..
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
first-time NP (never certified in any state) during the 18-month mentorship: Available remotely (no on-site requirement)
Same mentorship standard as general NPs.
after the 18-month mentorship, or any NP already certified in another state: No proximity requirement
No physician availability/proximity standard applies once independent.
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
Covered by the practice agreement · controlled substances permitted
Same statutory scope as general NPs (Schedule II-V). PMHNP prescribing in practice skews toward Schedule II stimulants and Schedule IV benzodiazepines/hypnotics more heavily than general primary-care NP prescribing — not a different legal limit, reflected in calculatorWeights below.
Written agreement
Not required
Same as general NP — no written agreement required at any point.
Practice ownership (corporate practice of medicine)
Licensee-only ownership required — Same as the general `np` entry — open item given Maryland's physician-only PC regime and non-recognition of PLLCs.
Legal sources for these rules (2)
- Md. Health Occupations Code § 8-508 — Preparation and dispensing of drugs by nurse practitionerssecondary
- COMAR 10.27.07 — Practice of the Nurse Practitioner
What a collaborating physician costs here
Typical monthly cost in Maryland
$500 – $600
Estimate for one Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. Standard-tier state.
About Maryland's rules
Maryland's APRN categories are NOT uniform: CRNPs/CNMs gained full practice authority in 2015 (after an 18-month new-graduate mentorship), but CRNAs remain fully supervised with NO prescriptive authority at all (Maryland is one of ~11 states granting CRNAs none), and only the psychiatric-mental-health population focus of CNS practice is independent. Maryland does not recognize PLLCs — professional entities use physician-only Professional Corporations, so multi-disciplinary PC ownership questions are open items below.
Other clinicians in Maryland: see the state overview.