About Psychiatric Nursing

Psychiatric nursing is a specialty within the nursing field.  They provides medical services that includes giving medication, cleaning patients and serving in administrative roles in the clinics, hospitals and the doctor's offices. The salary for the PMH nurse varies from state to state and can change based on experience.

• Educational needs vary from state to state for a psychiatric mental health nurse. Most of the PMH nurses start with an associate's or a bachelor's degree in nursing. Master or doctoral degrees that specialize in psychiatric mental health nursing are required for some advanced and administrative positions. Some nursing programs offer PMH nursing classes as components of their curriculum.


• The basic duties of PMH nursing are the assessment, diagnostic and planning for the mental health needs.  They can be at the individual or at the group level.  The advance practice PMH nurses will work with the mental patients that have specific mental disorders.  PMH nurses are permitted to prescribe medication when they have an advanced degree as well as give meds to the patients.


• PMH nurses can work in the state and the federal mental health organization as well as hospitals and doctor's offices.  They can also work in nursing homes.  Masters or doctoral degrees will allow the PMH to work in private practice, researchers or they can teach at the college levels.


• Psychiatric mental health nurses must be familiar with the theories of mental health.  They must also have knowledge of the legal implications of medical interventions and the knowledge of pharmacology is required.