What is a psychiatric nurse? This is a nurse who specializes in working with patients with mental health disorders. If you’re curious about how to become a psychiatric nurse, it starts with earning your undergraduate nursing degree, followed by passing the NCLEX. A graduate degree can allow for career advancement.
If you’re thinking of switching careers, nursing may be an enticing option. In addition to the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others, a nursing career offers many specialties to choose from.
For example, if you’re passionate about mental wellness, you might be interested in learning how to become a psychiatric nurse. What is a psychiatric nurse, exactly? Let’s explore this worthwhile area of nursing and other career trajectories you can explore after earning a degree through Concordia University, St. Paul’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program.
What Is a Psychiatric Nurse?
More than one in five U.S. adults are struggling with a mental health disorder — from anxiety and depression to schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Each of those millions of people can benefit from patient-centered mental health care. A psychiatric nurse or mental health nurse is a professional who focuses on assessing and treating patients with mental illnesses.
Psychiatric nurses also advocate for their patients and support their family members. A mental health nurse can work with patients of all ages.
Nurses who work in this specialty benefit from certain skills and qualities, including:
- Resilience
- Patience
- Compassion and empathy
- Conflict de-escalation
- Quick decision-making
- Communication skills
- A non-judgmental, open mind
What Does a Psychiatric Nurse Do?
With so many patients requiring care, psychiatric nurses help handle this growing need. Every day brings new challenges and opportunities for mental health nurses who are determined to help others overcome obstacles. What does a psychiatric nurse do, exactly?
Although each shift is different, a mental health nurse may do any of the following tasks:
- Assess patients and record their medical history
- Develop or contribute to treatment plans
- Coordinate care with other providers
- Counsel patients and their loved ones
- Handle crisis intervention
- Lead group counseling sessions
- Provide emotional support to patients and their loved ones
- Manage medications
In this subfield, it’s essential to be safety-minded. These nurses must keep patients safe from themselves and sometimes others.
How Long Does It Take to Become a Psychiatric Nurse?
Many students considering this specialty may wonder, “How long does it take to become a psychiatric nurse?” If you’re a high school graduate, you may need to enroll in a four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program. Then, you’ll take the NCLEX-RN® licensure exam, after which you’ll be able to pursue RN jobs in mental health.
This might seem time-consuming, but if you already have a non-nursing bachelor’s degree or a minimum number of credits, you may qualify to apply to an Accelerated BSN (ABSN) program. With an ABSN program, such as the one at Concordia University, St. Paul, you can graduate with a BSN in as few as 16 months.
Our ABSN program offers the same comprehensive curriculum and quality instruction as a traditional BSN program, but we focus entirely on nursing while excluding general education courses (apart from prerequisite courses). This enables our accelerated timeframe.
What are the advantages of a BSN, and what else can you do with it? Learn more here!
Career Opportunities in Mental Health Nursing
Why become a mental health nurse? One of the reasons why you might pursue this nursing specialty is the ability to choose from multiple career options. For instance, when you become a registered nurse (RN), you can look for employment as a psychiatric mental health (PMH) nurse.
Psychiatric nurses work in a variety of settings, such as:
- Hospitals and outpatient clinics
- Assisted living facilities
- Substance use treatment facilities
- Rehabilitation centers
- Correctional facilities
- Schools and universities
After gaining work experience in this specialty, you might pursue career advancement and become an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN). There are two types of APRN careers in which you can subspecialize in mental health: nurse practitioner (NP) and clinical nurse specialist (CNS).
How to Become a Mental Health Nurse
A nursing career can be incredibly meaningful and rewarding, and mental health nursing allows you to impact the people most in need. You can prepare to become a psychiatric nurse through the following steps.
Earn a BSN
Your first step is to earn an undergraduate nursing degree from an accredited school, such as CSP’s ABSN program. Ideal for transfer students and career switchers, this ABSN program allows you to graduate with your BSN in as few as 16 months.
You’ll work through online coursework, which will teach nursing theory. You’ll pair your coursework with experiential learning opportunities in skills labs. You’ll also have clinical learning experiences at nearby healthcare facilities.
Learn how to get into nursing school here and prepare for an exciting future.
Pass the NCLEX-RN®
After graduating from nursing school, your next step is to pass the NCLEX. This national licensure exam is challenging. It will evaluate your nursing knowledge, skills, and ability to make clinically appropriate decisions for patients. Passing the exam the first time is ideal, but you can retake it if necessary. Once you pass the NCLEX, you can obtain your state-issued nursing license.
Pursue Work Opportunities in Mental Health Nursing
You can immediately begin pursuing a PMH-RN job once you have your nursing license. Look for career opportunities in inpatient facilities, outpatient clinics, private practices, schools and other settings.
While you’re job hunting, you might want to consider volunteering at a mental health crisis or suicide prevention hotline. A relevant volunteer position can help improve your resume and demonstrate your commitment to mental health.
Psychiatric Nurse Salary & Career Outlook
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual salary for all RNs — including psychiatric RNs — was $86,070 as of May 2023. The job growth rate for all RNs is expected to be 6%, faster than the national average, from 2022 through 2032. This indicates that healthcare employers expect to hire about 177,400 new nurses during this period.
The American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA) has issued a report on the future demand for psychiatric nurses. The report notes that only 44% of adults and 20% of children and adolescents are able to get the mental health services they need. Furthermore, more patients are seeking psychiatric services at emergency departments, and there is greater demand on college campuses. Over 75% of counties in the U.S. have a shortage of mental health professionals. By 2025, the shortage of mental health professionals is expected to reach 250,000.
If you’re thinking about pursuing a career in mental health, you can reliably expect your skills to be in demand. Now that you know how to become a mental health nurse, are you ready to get started?
Work Toward a Mental Health Nursing Career at CSP
At Concordia University, St. Paul, our dedicated instructors go the extra mile to support student success. If you aspire to become a mental health nursing professional, our ABSN program can provide a strong starting point for your career. In addition to classwork in behavioral health nursing, you’ll have the opportunity to participate in clinical learning across different nursing specialties.
Take the first step toward pursuing a meaningful career in psychiatric nursing. Contact an admissions counselor from CSP Global today to explore our ABSN program and take the first step toward applying.