Nurses are a key to expanding mental health resources in many communities.
By Jenny Peterson
Across many communities, nurses are on the front line of a growing mental health crisis.
“Nurses are frequently the first to notice changes in patients’ mood, behavior, coping, sleep, stress or family dynamics, even before those concerns are clearly named as mental health issues,” said Hannah Robidoux, an assistant professor in the College of Nursing and a psychiatric provider at the Medical University of South Carolina’s (MUSC) College of Nursing Next Steps Clinic.
As mental health needs grow across all age groups, access to care continues to lag behind. Long wait times, persistent provider shortages and the increasing number of clinicians operating on an out-of-pocket basis — often charging between $100 and $250 per hour — make it difficult for many patients to receive timely care. In some cases, patients wait six to eight months for an appointment, particularly in underserved and rural communities.
Expanding Mental Health Access
At the MUSC College of Nursing, educators are working to address this gap by expanding the role of nurses in mental health care and offering behavioral health specific advanced degree programs.
A new generation of providers is being trained to meet rising demand, both as future psychiatric specialists and as experienced advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) seeking to broaden their expertise.
Through its Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Lifespan Certificate (PMHNP) advanced degree program, students receive comprehensive training in psychiatric assessment, diagnosis, psychopharmacology, psychotherapy and long-term management of mental health conditions.
One of the college’s most distinctive offerings is Psychiatric Advance Practice Registered Nurse Technology Enhanced Residency (PARTNER), a 13-month residency program for newly-graduated advance practice nurses to upskill them through immersive, real-world training with existing mental health practitioners.
The program focuses on preparing nurses to deliver mental health care in outpatient care and primary care settings, particularly for uninsured and underserved populations.
“Forty-four of the 46 counties in South Carolina are designated as mental health provider shortage areas. That means many people simply don’t have access to basic behavioral health services,” said Dr. Terri Fowler, associate dean for practice, innovative partnerships and advocacy and director of the PARTNER program. “When nurses leave the residency, they are ready to go out anywhere in South Carolina and provide this high level of behavioral health service.”
The PARTNER Program
Participants are trained across multiple healthcare models, including telehealth — an especially critical tool in rural areas — as well as primary care clinics, where they collaborate directly with primary care providers and in free clinics that serve uninsured and underserved populations.
Roughly 80 percent of the residency is dedicated to hands-on clinical experience, while the remaining percent focuses on mentorship, continuing education and case-based learning alongside psychiatrists, psychologists and licensed counselors.
“This program is very unique in that its emphasis is on integration into primary care,” Fowler said.
Since 2022, 10 psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners have completed the PARTNER program — including Robidoux — with most going on to practice as psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners in the community. Another cohort is expected to complete the program in July, with a new group beginning training at the same time.
Robidoux now works as a psychiatric provider within a pediatric medical facility, collaborating closely with primary care teams to support children and families.
“As a graduate, I developed a much stronger foundation in making thoughtful treatment decisions that involve both medication and therapeutic approaches. The programs reinforced the importance of looking at the full context of a patient’s life,” she said.
Integrated Behavioral Health Care
Programs like the College of Nursing Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program and PARTNER program are designed to reduce barriers by preparing nurses to deliver care in the same settings where patients already seek help. That integration reflects a broader shift in how mental health care is delivered. Increasingly, providers recognize that mental and physical health are deeply interconnected.
“If you’re trying to manage conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes without addressing underlying anxiety, depression or trauma, you’re putting the patient at a deficit,” Robidoux said. “It’s very hard to manage physical health when mental health needs aren’t being addressed.”
When care is integrated, patients are treated in familiar environments, communication between providers becomes more direct and care coordination improves. In many cases, that accessibility determines whether a patient receives care at all.
Psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners play a critical role in this model. Their training allows them to provide both therapy and medication management, offering a comprehensive approach tailored to each patient’s needs.
Mental health concerns often present in less obvious ways, such as sleep disturbances, irritability, chronic stress or difficulty functioning at school or work. Addressing those symptoms early can significantly improve both mental and physical health outcomes.
“Registered nurses and APRNs are already seeing mental health needs every day in their current roles,” Robidoux said. “The College of Nursing behavioral health degree programs and the PARTNER program give them a pathway to build on that foundation and bring stronger psychiatric knowledge and skills back into the settings where they already serve patients.”
Nurses at the Center of Care
The PARTNER program itself began as a collaboration between the MUSC Center for Telehealth and the College of Nursing, with support from The Duke Endowment. Designed to expand access to behavioral health care while strengthening clinical training, the program reflects a growing emphasis on innovative, community-based solutions.
Five years later, it continues to expand, building partnerships with primary care practices and community organizations to reach more patients, particularly those who are uninsured or living in underserved areas.
As mental health needs continue to rise, programs like those offered by the MUSC College of Nursing are helping reshape the future of care — making it more accessible, more integrated and more responsive to the realities patients face.
And increasingly, nurses are at the center of that transformation, helping close the gap, one nurse at a time.
