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Career Guide: Psychiatric Nurse

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What Is a Psychiatric Nurse?

Mental health disorders range from mild to debilitating, but these conditions are treatable through various avenues like lifestyle changes, therapy, medication and more. Psychiatric nurses are registered nurses (RNs) who support and execute treatment plans that improve and manage mental illnesses. Sometimes, they work in outpatient clinical settings or private practices, and other times, they work in inpatient rehabilitation or correctional facilities.

Psych nurses heavily support psychiatrists and stand out from other nursing specialties due to their ability to handle the unique challenges and complexities of treating patients with severe mental illnesses. Their focused expertise plays a critical role in healthcare.

If you鈥檙e passionate about supporting patients facing mental health issues, a psychiatric nursing career could be the perfect fit for you. This guide walks through day-to-day responsibilities, skills you need to succeed and how to become a psychiatric nurse.

Key Responsibilities of a Psychiatric Nurse

Before a patient is treated, psych nurses conduct assessments and initial evaluations that help psychiatrists diagnose. Afterward, they collaborate with psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and/or any other healthcare professionals who are overseeing the patient鈥檚 case to develop comprehensive treatment plans. These plans typically involve medication administration and/or management, and therapeutic services.

While psych nurses are not therapists, they offer emotional support and patient education to both patients and their loved ones.

How to Become a Psychiatric Nurse

Caring for patients with mental health conditions is an advanced practice that requires strong preparation. The more education you obtain, the better patient care and outcomes you can provide. Plus, there are great opportunities in psychiatric nursing to advance your career with more experience and education.

Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming an Psychiatric Nurse

Earn a nursing degree:
Pursue an associate (ADN) or bachelor鈥檚 (BSN) degree in nursing. Many employers prefer聽a BSN.聽Consider taking聽additional聽courses in聽behavioral health nursing or psychiatric nursing education.
Pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) exam:
Obtain聽an聽RN license聽for the state聽you鈥檒l聽work in.
Gain professional clinical experience:
Work in general healthcare聽or psychiatric nursing聽settings to build聽your practical skillset.
Optional: Choose a聽subspecialty
Consider聽whether聽you鈥檇聽like to聽work聽in聽adolescent聽or adult mental health nursing. Some psych nurses specialize聽based on mental health services聽like聽substance abuse聽support, suicide聽prevention聽or domestic violence recovery.
Optional:聽Boost your resume with聽a聽psychiatric nurse聽certification
Position yourself as a strong candidate聽and become聽a Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse (PMHN)聽through聽the American Nurses Credentialing Center聽(ANCC).
Optional: Further your education with a master鈥檚 degree (MSN)
Earn an advanced degree and prepare for聽higher聽positions like聽clinical nurse specialist or聽psychiatric nurse practitioner.

Skills Needed to Become a Psychiatric Nurse

A career in psychiatric mental health nursing requires a deep understanding of mental health conditions and their impact on human behavior. As such, there are key soft skills a psych nurse needs to provide effective care.

Communication: From educating patients and sharing treatment plans to collaborating with other healthcare professionals, a psych nurse must be able to communicate clearly and effectively.
Empathy: Patients with mental health conditions experience varying emotions, and empathy goes a long way by making them feel heard and validated.
Crisis management: Severe mental health cases can be life-threatening, and psych nurses must respond swiftly and attentively to support successful patient recovery.
Critical thinking and problem-solving: Mental health disorders come with complexities that require creative approaches to treatment, so thinking outside of the box and focusing on solutions are key.
Resilience in high-stress situations: Psych nurses must be able to deliver quality patient care, even in difficult and demanding circumstances.

Available Degree Programs

番茄视频 offers affordable, CCNE-accredited and fully online nursing programs for when you鈥檙e ready to take your RN career to the next level with a post-licensure program.

RN to BSN

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RN to MSN

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BSN to MSN

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Psychiatric Nurse Salary and Job Outlook

National average for a psychiatric nurse's salary is $93,600

In the United States, the average annual salary for RNs is $93,600.*

Nationwide, there is an 5% increase in available positions for psychiatric nurses

RN roles are projected to increase by 5%, faster than average, between 2024 and 2034.*

References:

*

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