US · guidance
CMS SOM App. A, Tag A-1701
§482.62(d)(1) The director of psychiatric nursing services must be a registered nurse
who has a master’s degree in psychiatric or mental health nursing or its equivalent
from a school of nursing accredited by the National League for Nursing, or be
qualified by education and experience in the care of the mentally ill…
Interpretive Guidelines §482.62(d)(1)
The psychiatric hospital director of nursing (DON) may have other titles such as chief
nursing officer or vice president of nursing. The DON must be a registered nurse who has
a master’s Degree in psychiatric or mental health nursing (or its equivalent). If the DON
does not have a master’s Degree in Psychiatric Nursing, the hospital must demonstrate
how their selection for DON meets the requirements based on:
• Specialized education,
• Psychiatric hospital experience in the care of the mentally ill, or
• On-going training in psychiatric nursing in support of the leadership role.
Survey Procedures §482.62(d)(1)
• Determine if there is a qualified DON providing the required leadership and
supervision for the psychiatric hospital nursing services.
• Review the personnel file of the DON to look for evidence of current nursing
licensure and the preferred master’s degree in psychiatric or mental health
nursing or its equivalent from a school of nursing accredited by the National
League for Nursing,
• If the DON does not have a master’s degree, review the criteria (job description)
utilized by the hospital to support their selection of a qualified DON. The
evidence should include documentation of education, training, and experience in
the care of the mentally ill.
History
Rev. 238; Issued: 03-20-26; Effective: 09-05-25; Implantation: 09-05-25
Provenance
- Source
- cms.gov
- Retrieved
- 2026-07-22
- Edition
- som-2026-07-22
- Content hash
e98fac3ad81229d23b996994d04975aa2a10cf009900c76cbbe077272dfa613e
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