Mental health nursing is a challenging yet rewarding field. Mental health nurses work collaboratively with patients, forging relationships built on trust to encourage patients to discuss their issues openly. They provide crisis intervention, psychiatric rehabilitation, patient and family caregiver education, and case management services.
Nursing is an exciting career for many reasons, including the wide range of specialties and workplaces. You can specialize by medical area or patient population. If you’re passionate about mental health, you might focus your career on mental health nursing.
Mental health disorders are quite common. In the U.S., more than 58 million adults (about one in five) live with a mental illness, ranging from mild to severe. These patients need caring, compassionate nurses and other providers to deliver the healthcare services they need to develop strong coping skills and make forward progress in managing their illnesses.
At the University of Mount Saint Vincent, we are dedicated to preparing our students to become compassionate leaders in healthcare, equipped with the education and confidence to pursue many nursing specialties, including mental health nursing. Through the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program, students can earn their Bachelor of Science (BS) in Nursing in as few as 16 months.
If you’re curious about pursuing a career in this nursing specialty, you undoubtedly have questions. What does a mental health nurse do? What is a PMH? Where can mental health nurses work? Let’s explore the answers to these questions and others.
What Is a Mental Health Nurse?
Mental health is one of the most complex practice areas in healthcare. It involves emotional, behavioral, psychosocial, neurobiological, and physical factors. In some cases, for example, mental health issues may arise from another diagnosis, such as Alzheimer's disease. Often, patients have co-morbidities, such as depression and substance abuse, combined with ADHD or heart disease.
A mental health nurse, also known as a psychiatric mental health (PMH) nurse, must see each patient as a complex individual with a unique background, hopes, and dreams. Nurses in this role focus on building strong, therapeutic relationships with patients so they feel comfortable openly sharing sensitive information. Mental health nurses must also collaborate with their patients to encourage, rather than compel, them to follow treatment recommendations.
Ultimately, the mission of these specialized nurses is to help patients manage symptoms, treat their condition, and achieve a better quality of life.
What Does a Psychiatric Nurse Do?
What does a mental health nurse do in any given shift? It can vary, depending on their workplace and patients. In general, however, these professionals might complete any of the following tasks including:
- Handle intake screening and evaluation
- Work on case management tasks
- Collaborate with patients to establish and make progress toward their health goals
- Provide patient education, including coping skills and self-care
- Help family members understand the diagnosis and treatment options, and teach them how to best support their loved one
- Coordinate mental healthcare services among different providers
- Handle crisis intervention and patient stabilization in the event of mental health emergencies
- Deliver psychiatric rehabilitation and intervention services
- Administer psychobiological treatments and monitor patient progress
Psychiatric and mental health nursing professionals may work with a wide range of patients, from military service members and sexual assault survivors who are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to teenagers with social anxiety disorder and older adults living with grief and depression.
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Why Is Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing Important?
Mental health affects many aspects of a person’s life, as well as the lives of their loved ones and community. A person’s mental wellness can influence their lifestyle choices, how they relate to others, their productivity at school or work (and whether they can work at all), and their success in achieving goals. A person with robust mental health is better able to make healthy choices, support their family, and make positive contributions to their community.
Millions of people in the U.S. experience mental health disorders. Whether it’s mild depression or debilitating bipolar disorder, these patients deserve compassionate care and a shoulder to lean on. Psychiatric and mental health nursing professionals fulfill a critical need in society by administering treatments and providing the emotional support patients need to make progress.
Is Psychiatric Nursing Right for Me?
Psychiatric nursing can be an immensely rewarding specialty, yet it also has challenges. One of the most effective ways to determine if psychiatric nursing could be the right choice for you is to look for a nursing degree program that offers clinical rotations in mental and behavioral health. You’ll get an inside look at the specialty and gain invaluable experience.
You might also consider reflecting upon the following questions:
- Are you genuinely passionate about the mental health field?
- Are you an excellent listener with strong empathy, compassion, and patience?
- Are you excited about opportunities to make a positive difference in your community?
- Do you enjoy collaborating with others? Can you see yourself working closely with patients and their family members?
- Do you have strong emotional resilience?
- Are you prepared to tackle ethical dilemmas, such as reporting possible neglect or abuse or providing a referral for a mandatory hospitalization?
Is There Room for Advancement in the Mental Health Specialty?
Along with the wonderfully diverse array of nursing specialties, another great perk of a nursing career is the room for advancement. If you choose to specialize in mental health nursing as a registered nurse (RN), you could decide to pursue advancement as a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP).
A PMHNP is a nurse practitioner (NP) subspecialty, a type of advanced practice registered nurse (APRN). There are four main types of APRNs, and some, like NPs, have their own subspecialties. To become a nurse practitioner, you must earn a graduate degree in your chosen subspecialty and obtain board certification in that area.
Traditionally, any APRN can choose from a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) to fulfill the graduate degree requirement. However, there has been a significant push toward making the DNP degree the minimum requirement for all types of nurse practitioners, including PMHNPs.
If you’re still working on the academic requirements to become an RN, the DNP may be the minimum requirement by the time you pursue graduate-level nursing education.
As a PMHNP, you can make positive contributions to the mental health nursing field. A PMHNP can practice with greater autonomy than an RN, fulfilling responsibilities such as:
- Prescribing medications
- Providing psychotherapy to individuals, couples, families, or groups
- Maintaining clinical supervisory duties
- Diagnosing, treating, and managing acute and chronic mental health illnesses
- Ordering, performing, and interpreting lab tests
- Making referrals to other specialists
- Performing procedures
- Shaping policies for healthcare organizations and programs
Some PMHNPs may decide to focus their career on research.
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Prepare for a Mental Health Nursing Career at the Mount
Thinking about nursing as a second career? If you have a non-nursing bachelor’s degree, you may be eligible to graduate with your BS in Nursing in as few as 16 months at the Mount.
Our ABSN program in the heart of New York City leverages your prior education to accelerate your nursing career. Plus, you can choose from three start dates each year and complete a clinical rotation in mental and behavioral health.
Our ABSN program prepares future nurses to succeed in any specialty, including psychiatric and mental health nursing, by emphasizing soft skills, like compassion, along with nursing competencies. No matter what your future holds, get started at Mount Saint Vincent. Contact our admission counselors today for personalized assistance navigating the admission process.