Also called a Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners do many of the same things a psychiatrist does, including diagnosing mental illness and prescribing medication. As a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, you’ll also act as a therapist, helping patients with depression, anxiety and suicidal individuals, and other conditions that can be remedied with counseling.
Things You'll Do:
- Assess, examine, diagnose and treat patients with mental illness
- Teach patients’ families about the patient’s condition, and how to react in certain scenarios
Your job characteristics:
- Multifaceted
- Structured
- Patient-facing
- Managerial
- Independent
How You'll Get There
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Get YourBachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)
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Pass YourNational Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX)
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You can start working as a Registered Nurse.
More about becoming an RN › -
Get YourMaster of Science in Nursing focusing on Psychiatry (MSN)
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Get YourBoard certification in psychiatric nursing (PMHNP-BC) through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)
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You’ll need to renew your certification every five years, so you stay up-to-date on the latest research and professional developments.
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Become aCertified Registered Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner
More About this Specialty
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Meet
Jessread his story
Psychiatric Nurse, RN
Nursing is so much more than I ever though it would be. I am challenged every day to lead people, to make decisions...
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Meet
Danread his story
Psychiatric Nurse, RN
I knew nursing would be demanding, but the rewards far outweigh any drawbacks because every day I wake up...
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Meet
Lorraineread her story
Psychiatric Nurse, RN
As a girl, I had the desire to be a nurse, but thought it unachievable. My female role models...
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How Much You
Can Makean average salary of
$66K - $85Kfind salary by stateWhat Else You
Can Expect- You can sub-specialize in child-adolescent mental health nursing, adult-geriatric mental health nursing, substance abuse, forensics, or neuropsychiatric nursing.
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