Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses
- Bright Outlook
- Rapid Growth
- Numerous Job Openings
Assess, diagnose, and treat individuals and families with mental health or substance use disorders or the potential for such disorders. Apply therapeutic activities, including the prescription of medication, per state regulations, and the administration of psychotherapy.
What you’d do
- Assess patients' mental and physical status, based on the presenting symptoms and complaints.
- Diagnose psychiatric disorders and mental health conditions.
- Document patients' medical and psychological histories, physical assessment results, diagnoses, treatment plans, prescriptions, or outcomes.
- Educate patients and family members about mental health and medical conditions, preventive health measures, medications, or treatment plans.
- Write prescriptions for psychotropic medications as allowed by state regulations and collaborative practice agreements.
- Monitor patients' medication usage and results.
- Evaluate patients' behavior to formulate diagnoses or assess treatments.
- Distinguish between physiologically- and psychologically-based disorders, and diagnose appropriately.
Skills that matter
- Active Listening
- Social Perceptiveness
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Monitoring
How to get there
Extensive preparation: most need graduate school, such as a master's degree or higher
Also called
- Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurse
- PMHNP (Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner)
- Psychiatric Clinical Nurse Specialist (Psychiatric CNS)
- Psychiatric NP (Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner)
- Adult Psychiatric Mental Health APRN (Adult Psychiatric Mental Health Advanced Practice Registered Nurse)
- APN (Advanced Practice Nurse)
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