Become a Psychiatric Nurse

Community Nurse Visits Senior Woman Suffering With Depression

Psychiatric Nursing

Although most people think of physical care when they think about the duties of a nurse, there are also nurses who specialize in mental health treatment. Millions of Americans are affected by mental illness each year. Psychiatric nurses have the specialized knowledge and skills needed to treat these illnesses. Let’s find out more about this career path.

What does a psychiatric nurse do?

Common job duties for psychiatric nurses include:

Doing intake screenings and evaluations of new patients
Administering medications
Educating patients and their families about conditions and treatments
Practicing crisis intervention
Increasing community awareness of mental health
Teaching patients about self-care

Like any other nurse, a psychiatric nurse works as part of a healthcare team. Psychiatric nurses usually work with psychiatrists, social workers, and therapists.

Where do psychiatric nurses work?

Psychiatric nurses’ unique skills and training mean that they can find roles in many different types of work environments. Many psychiatric nurses work in hospitals, just like nurses in other specialties. Others work in specialized mental health clinics, rehab facilities, assisted living facilities, or schools.

How do you become a psychiatric nurse?

To become a psychiatric nurse, you first need to get a nursing degree. Although it’s possible to become a nurse with a two-year Associate’s degree, getting a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree can give you an advantage in the job market.

After you have your degree, you’ll need to be licensed by your state nursing board and pass the NCLEX exam. At that point, you will be ready to look for employment as a Registered Nurse (RN).

After you have two years of experience as a full-time RN, have completed 30 hours of continuing education in mental health-psychiatric nursing, and 2,000 or more hours in clinical practice in mental health-psychiatric nursing over three years, you’ll be eligible to pursue the psychiatric-mental health certification from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).

Start your nursing journey with Sumner

Sumner’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program can be completed in less than three years, so you can become an RN and start getting work experience needed for a specialty like psychiatric nursing faster. Contact us today to get more information.

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