Do you Have What it Takes to be a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner?

• Mental health issues are on the rise and the need for psychiatric nurse practitioners (PNPs) is great. It is important to understand how to become a psychiatric nurse practitioner.  
• Psychiatric nurse practitioners can work in a variety of settings. 
• There are several benefits of working as a psychiatric nurse practitioner and these are explored. 

A psychiatric nurse practitioner (PNP) is an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) who has advanced training and a master’s (MSN) or a doctoral degree program (DNP) with a specialization in mental health treatment.   

Mental health problems are increasing day by day, which makes the job of a psychiatric nurse lucrative and fulfilling.   

Psychiatric nurses look after patients with mental health symptoms such as anxiety, depression, substance abuse, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and other disorders.  

How to Become a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner

To become a psychiatric nurse practitioner, you must get a Bachelor of Nursing (BSN) degree with licensure to practice as a nurse. After that, you must enroll in a master’s program focusing on advanced practice courses, primarily in mental health and psychiatry.  

 Some programs ask the candidate to have at least two years of working experience before getting into the school, but some allow the candidate to work with the ongoing program.   

Generally, a master’s in psychiatry takes two to three years to complete.   

After completing your master’s degree, you can also enroll in a doctoral program if you wish to study further, taking around three to four years with the master’s degree after BSN.   

With an educational background, the candidate should have 500 supervised clinical hours. You are also required to take advanced courses in pathophysiology, health assessment, health promotion, differential diagnosis, disease management, psychotherapy, and pharmacology.  

To be a certified psychiatric NP, gain clinical training in at least two psychotherapeutic treatment modalities.   

All but five states in the U.S., require that you write and pass a national certification exam issued by the American Nurses Credentialing Centre (ANCC) to practice as a psychiatric NP. You need to maintain the renewal of the certificate every five years with recertification requirements.   

Skills and Traits of a Psychiatric Nurse 

 Being a psychiatric nurse practitioner can be challenging, but the following skills and traits can be helpful: 

• Emotional intelligence: the ability to judge and acknowledge the patient’s feelings and engage in appropriate conversation.   
• Emotional stability: to cope with all your patient is going through, you must be empathetic and nonjudgmental but sane enough to help them. If you take their problems too seriously, you might lose your cool and ability to work well.   
• Good communication skills: to convey your message well to the patients.   
• Relationship-building techniques: to foster trust between you and your patients. As a psychiatric NP, know the techniques to build a trustworthy relationship with your patients, as this dictates the level of treatment success.   
• Be able to work in a team: with other healthcare providers with good communication skills and patience.  

Where do Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners Work?

Psychiatric NPs work with patients who have grief, depression, anxiety, or exhibit symptoms of other mental disorders.   

They can work in places such as:   

• Emergency departments   
• Pediatrics/Geriatrics 
• Inpatient treatment facilities/Behavioral health clinics 
• Correctional facilities  
• Hospitals  
• Family medicine  

Job Duties of a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner 

Psychiatric NPs collaborate with other healthcare providers to provide appropriate treatment to patients. Their extended license enables them to make accountable decisions for their patients.   

Responsibilities of a psychiatric NP include:  

• Diagnose, prescribe, and treat common psychiatric illnesses with a psychiatrist  
• Give and facilitate group or individual psychotherapy  
• Take the complete family and medical history of the patient   
• Provide counseling and family psychiatric mental health education   
• Take part in health promotion activities   
• Evaluate symptoms of the patients presenting with mental illness   

 In an emergency, the psychiatric NP may need to:  

• Perform medical clearance such as lab work, physical assessment, and taking medical histories   
• Perform suicide risk screening with the help of triage tools   
• Make differential diagnoses and differentiate systemic illnesses from mental health disorders  
• Stabilizing the patient using the least restrictive interventions  

Benefits of Working as a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner

• Helping others: as a psychiatric nurse, you extend a helping hand to patients who have anxiety, depression, and other health conditions. You also try to find solutions to their problems, which makes you a helpful human being and gives you inner satisfaction.   
• Have a consistent schedule: psychiatric nurses can work consistently, such as nights or days only. However, if you want to work during the day only, you can work in clinics that do not operate at night. You have a lot of flexibility and work-life balance working as a psychiatric nurse.   
• Can work with any age group: psychiatric nurses can work with children, teens, adults, and geriatrics. You can work with those with whom you enjoy working.   
• Work in a highly demanding field: much research on mental health has been conducted. The public’s perception of mental health disease is changing, which makes the job of a psychiatric nurse in demand.  
• Job security: employers want to hire nurses who specialize in caring for patients with mental health diseases, making the job of a psychiatric nurse secure. 
• Salary: the psychiatric nurse is a high-paying job that gives you financial stability. According to various sources, psychiatric NPs can make at least $00,000 annually. 

Psychiatric nurse practitioners are the second highest-paid nurse practitioners, with a salary range of $71,845 to $129,837 and a median salary of $91,298 annually.   

Along with a lucrative career, psychiatric nurses can also get other benefits, such as:  

• Health and medical insurance  
• Life insurance  
• Holiday pay  
• Relocation packages  
• Nursing conference invitations  
• Certification and continuing education reimbursements  
• Parental or maternity leave  
• Leaves for absence/Paid time off 
• Discounts on various products and services  

The Bottom Line

Before you plan to become a psychiatric nurse, keep in mind that the field is demanding and challenging. However, it is always a good idea to shadow a psychiatric nurse to see if it suits you. Be empathetic with the patient and nonjudgmental when listening to their stories. During your practice, you have to make wise decisions.  

Overall, a psychiatric nurse’s job offers a good life balance, is well paid, and provides financial stability. It will be a good fit for you if you enjoy working with patients with mental disorders. Best of luck! 

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