Psychiatric Nurses

Also known as: Mental Health Nurses

The pay for mental health nurses is average for hospital nurses. If you have an advanced degree, however, the pay will be better.
What are the common responsibilities?

Psychiatric nurses may provide mental health assessments, facilitate groups, help educate consumers about coping methods and daily living skills, and assist with medication administration and monitoring.

People in this branch of nursing like it because there’s the possibility of working in many different environments, including inpatient and outpatient settings, prisons, residential treatment facilities, and home health. Mental health nurses also have the ability to exercise therapeutic use of self, the possibility of obtaining advanced nursing degrees, and often provide primary mental health care, including prescribing medications in certain states.

What are the disadvantages? Some working situations can be stressful and even considered somewhat dangerous as patients in acute psychiatric distress may have trouble maintaining self-control. Additionally, some facilities may require completion of extensive amounts of paperwork due to government regulations and to satisfy third party funding sources.

Note – Check out our Healthcare Jobs section. Find out how to become a psychiatrist and learn about many other healthcare careers.

To be a mental health nurse you must have patience, be capable of setting strong boundaries, including the ability to maintain physical boundaries.