How To Become A Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner
The mental health realm of the medical field involves professionals of all levels. Case managers ensure that mental health patients are connected to the proper resources, while social workers provide counseling and support, as well as practical life skills as necessary. Many mental health patients need treatment that is implemented by a doctor or a medical professional who is able to prescribe and monitor medications for the maintenance of various symptoms. While this professional was once required to be a psychiatrist, today this role can also be filled by a psychiatric nurse practitioner. A PNP may be found working in a hospital setting, a public health facility like a community mental health agency, and in many states now, psychiatric nurse practitioners are even able to open their own private practice.
What Is A Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner?
Nurse practitioners are registered nurses who have obtained their graduate degrees and have become certified to work more autonomously than they were able to as traditional registered nurses. In general, a career in practice nursing requires a master’s degree or even a doctoral degree, and certification gives the nurse the opportunity to take on many of the duties that are normally associated with physicians. In the case of the psychiatric nurse practitioner, this means that he or she can order diagnostic tests, make diagnoses, prescribe medications, and provide counseling and case management services as well. All of this is done with little or no supervision from a presiding physician.
What Does A Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners Do?
A psychiatric nurse practitioner who works in a hospital or other residential facility would be responsible for in take assessments and diagnoses. He or she would work with the patient’s medical and mental health professionals that he sees on an outpatient basis. When working inpatient, a psychiatric nurse practitioner might also track patients’ physical health. During each patient’s stay, the psychiatric nurse practitioner would order any necessary testing and prescribe psychotropic medications, monitoring the patient’s reaction to them and adjusting them as needed. The PNP will also work closely with the social worker to track further observations and to ensure that the patient has the resources necessary for success upon release.
In many states across the country, a psychiatric nurse practitioner can actually open a private practice as well. In an outpatient situation, a PNP would see clients of various age groups, unless he or she specializes in a certain population. The PNP would work with patients and their families, providing counseling, medication management, and making referrals as necessary to help that patient maintain the best possible quality of life.
As a psychiatric nurse practitioner, you may choose to specialize in one of a number of different fields. Child and adolescent psychiatry will involve interfacing with parents and educators. You might work with social services to treat victims of abuse or neglect, work closely with nutritionists, or you may choose a private forum in which you are treating bipolar disorder, eating disorders, attention deficit disorder, and the like. Another specialty you may choose is geriatrics, in which you would be dealing with issues like dementia and Alzheimer’s, depression, grief, and so on.
The Job Outlook For Psychiatric Nurses Practitioners
The rising cost of health care has certainly affected the field of psychiatry, and many insurance companies place strict limits on how much money can be spent on outpatient psychiatric care each year. Whether inpatient or outpatient, psychiatric nurse practitioners are able to provide many of the same services that would normally be by a board certified psychiatric, but at a fraction of the cost. This saves money for the facility, insurance companies, and the patient. For this reason the demand for nurse practitioners in the psychiatric field continues to go up, opening up an increasing number of employment opportunities and ensuring job security for qualified professionals.
Salary expectations continue to rise as well. Today, the average salary range for a psychiatric nurse practitioner is from $75,000 to $110,000 per year. These numbers will vary depending on the geographic area, and whether you have chosen to work for a private facility or a public one.
Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Education And Training Requirements
Students preparing for any of the Nurse Practitioner specialties are first required to obtain a graduate degree in the field of nursing. Registered nurses who already hold bachelor’s degrees in nursing may be eligible to complete much of the course work online. Those nurses wishing to specialize in psychiatry will take classes during the latter portion of their degree specifically in the fields of mental health, addiction, counseling, and so on. Each program requires a residency, of sorts, that involves a set number of practical experience hours. A psychiatric nurse practitioner program would require that those hours be completed in psychiatric health settings. Once this has been successfully completed, you must sit for the certification exam. Upon passing the exam and becoming certified, you will be eligible to work in your field.