Are you considering becoming a Psych Nurse but unsure exactly what it entails? Let’s dive in to figure out if Psych Nursing is right for you!
What is Psych Nursing?
Psych stands for Psychiatric Nursing,also known as Mental Health Nursing. These nurses work both inpatient, meaning in the hospital setting, as well as outpatient, meaning at a clinic outside the hospital. Psych nurses care for people of all ages and backgrounds who are struggling with their mental health. These nurses can treat a variety of patients from those who are compliant with their antipsychotics and living a fairly normal life all the way to those who are deemed criminally insane by the state and are in some sort of criminal institution.
Patient Load
As a Psych nurse, you will be treating more patients at once than some other nursing specialties. In California, a Psych Nurse can take up to 6 patients at once. A nurse patient ratio of 1 to 6. This ratio may decrease depending on your patients’ acuity level and if they have any other critical health concerns.
Psych Nurse Job Description
For each of your patients, you are going to be responsible for performing a focused assessment, for both the patients mental and physical health. You’ll be making sure patients have safe rooms where items that can be used for self-harm are removed, such as any wires or cords. Psych nurses will be giving patients their antipsychotic medications on a routine schedule as ordered by the physician. You will then be monitoring the therapeutic effect of the patients’ medication regime. With some antipsychotic mediations, you will also be monitoring the patients’ vital signs and making sure the medication is at the therapeutic level with routine blood draws.
Psych Nurse Skills
Psychiatric nurses must be able to reorient a patient who may be in psychiatric distress. They are well versed in the world of antipsychotic medications and know exactly what to monitor for different patients on different medications. Mental Health Nurses must be capable of informing patients with auditory and visual hallucinations that they do not hear or see these hallucinations and not feed into any of the patients’ symptoms. They are well versed in restraints, both physical and chemical. Psych Nurses are compassionate and trustworthy and are able to build a respectable rapport with their patients over many weeks, months, and sometimes years.
Psych Nurse Salary
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurses pay varies by state, location, and hospital. According to ZipRecruiter, Psych Nurses in California on average make about $50.22 per hour, equating to $104,465 per year. Nationally, Psych Nurses make about $116,199 per year.
So, What Makes a Good Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse?
A good Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse is someone who has empathy and compassion for those in psychiatric distress. They are great at listening to their patients, reorienting them as needed, and encouraging them on continuing their treatment regime in order to find what works best for their patient. Mental Health Nurses are awesome team members as they are constantly working with psychologists, psychiatrists, and likely security. They must be able to remain calm in tense or stressful situations. Psychiatric Nurses take their job very seriously and building rapport with their patients is one of their top priorities.
Want to Know More…?
Are you interested in learning more about Psych/Mental Health Nursing? Head on over to the Specialty Nurse Interview Series to Meet Sara, a Mental Health Nurse!
Do you want to be a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse? Comment below!
Trying to get a job? Visit the Landing Your Dream Job Series for some tips and tricks!
Looking into other nursing specialties? Follow along with the Specialty Nursing Series and the Specialty Nurse Interview Series!
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