PMH-BC® Exam Preparation

PMH-BC Preparation and Resources

The ANCC provides a list of recommended references that may support candidates in preparing for the PMH-BC Certification Exam. These resources include key textbooks and materials with valuable insights into psychiatric-mental health nursing.

BoardCerts incorporates the recommended resources and the ANCC exam blueprint into the development of its question banks, ensuring accuracy, relevance, and alignment with the essential competencies of psychiatric-mental health nursing.

Key Concepts on PMH-BC Exam

Exam Categories: Percentage Distribution

PMH-BC Blueprint and Focus Areas

Area of Focus	Subtopics	Number of Questions	Percent of Exam
Assessment and Diagnosis	Developmental stages (eg, Erikson, Piaget) Physiological causes of psychiatric symptoms (eg, urinary tract infection, thyroid dysfunction) Psychiatric disorders (eg, thought, mood, neurocognitive, personality, addictions) Coping and defense mechanisms (eg, denial, rationalization, projection) Assessment tools and techniques (eg, mental status exam, safety risk assessment, trauma history, diagnostic studies)	28	22%
Planning	Client-centered care (eg, strengths-based, client-stated goals, support network) Educational concepts (eg, motivation, readiness to learn, group dynamics) Cultural competence (eg, gender-sensitive care, religious beliefs, ethnicity, socioeconomic status) Communication barrier management (eg, cognition, literacy, language, vision) Treatment planning (eg, SMART goals, interdisciplinary interventions, available support systems)	26	21%
Implementation	Treatment modalities (eg, recovery model, trauma-informed care, cognitive behavioral therapy) Integrative interventions (eg, mindfulness, relaxation, aromatherapy) Neurostimulation (eg, transcranial magnetic stimulation, electroconvulsive therapy) Care coordination (eg, handoff communication, community resources identification) Therapeutic environment management (eg, milieu, safety, structure, culture) Therapeutic communication (eg, active listening, reflection, motivational interviewing) Medication management (eg, reconciliation, adverse reaction identification, indications, contraindications, lab values) Psychoeducational group facilitation (eg, stress management, relapse prevention) Health promotion (eg, self-care, tobacco cessation, substance use prevention) Emergent situation and crisis management (eg, behavioral, medical)	58	46%
Evaluation	Legal and ethical considerations (eg, self-determination, informed consent, documentation) Process improvement (eg, quality variances, serious reportable events) Outcome measurement, ongoing assessment (eg, symptom reduction), and revision of care plan	13	10%

PMH-BC Resources

The BoardCerts PMH-BC Question Bank is expertly crafted to align with the official exam blueprint, helping each individual concentrate on the most relevant topics for success.

In addition, the exam candidate handbook lists the following resources as additional possible material to support preparation:

Guide to the Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements: Development, Interpretation, and Application, American Nurses Association.
Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice, American Nurses Association.
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Text Revision, American Psychiatric Publishing.
Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice, American Psychiatric Nurses Associations.
Transcultural Concepts in Nursing Care, Wolters Kluwer Health.
Psychiatric Nursing: Contemporary Practice, Wolters Kluwer Health.
Varcarolis' Foundations of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing, Elsevier.
Physical Examination and Health Assessment, Elsevier.
Nursing Research: Generating and Assessing Evidence for Nursing Practice, Wolters Kluwer Health.
Nursing Drug Handbook, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

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