Mental Health Nursing
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Mental health nurses, also known as psychiatric nurses, provide care to patients suffering from mental health disorders. Nursing is a large and diverse field, and mental health nursing is a vital subset.
Registered nurses who have completed a master’s or doctoral degree in psychiatric mental health nursing are considered mental health nurses. As previously stated, a mental health nurse can be identified by various terms, each indicating the nurse’s educational background and licensure.
Psychiatric Mental Health Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (PMH-APRN) and Doctor of Nursing Practice are two of these titles (DNP).
A mental health nurse’s primary responsibility is to assess the mental health needs of individual patients, families, groups, and communities. This could imply developing a care plan and assessing the efficacy of this patient’s treatment. Prescription medication, psychotherapy, and other relevant therapeutics may be used in treatment.
Nurses specializing in mental health may work in hospitals, private practices, prisons, community centers, or for corporations. Aside from direct patient care, mental health nurses work to develop new policies and advocate for policy changes through legislation.
Multiple projections indicate that there will be a shortage of mental health professionals to serve people of all ages in the coming years. Marriage and family therapists, psychiatrists, mental health counselors, social workers, psychologists, and school counselors are in short supply.
According to the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, psychiatric mental health nurses “represent one of the fastest-growing, non-physician specialties in health care and currently face incredibly high demand for their services.” Much has changed in the field of mental health care in recent years. More Americans have health insurance than ever, and the Affordable Care Act requires mental health care provisions. Furthermore, the stigma associated with mental health and receiving mental health care is decreasing, increasing the demand for mental health professionals.
This career path begins with nursing. Nurses are hands-on with their patients, monitoring and administering care while promoting long-term health solutions. They do exciting work that changes daily. If you’re already thinking about nursing but are also interested in mental health care, becoming a mental health nurse may be your ideal career path.
Nurses’ jobs are in high demand and are expected to grow in the coming years. Consider a career in mental health nursing if you want to combine health care, good communication and relationship skills, and behavioral sciences.
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