Our mental well-being is vital for our behavioral, emotional, and physical health. It drastically impacts the way we behave, assume, and experience things. How we make our everyday decisions, how we deal with others, and how we handle stress; are all affected by our mental health.

Mental health nurses, also known as psychiatric nurses, play an essential role in ensuring our mental fitness. They offer support and care to people dealing with various mental health problems, including bipolar ailment, schizophrenia, despair, tension, anxiety, depression, etc. Mainly, these nurses are a crucial part of a healthcare team that comprises healthcare assistants, occupational therapists, psychiatrists, social workers, and psychologists. Still, if you’re looking to opt for a career in mental health nursing, here are some things you should know about.

1. Mental health nurses are paid well

Mental health nursing comes with several challenges. However, many nurses still look forward to opting for it. Why? Because data suggest that mental health nurses earn significantly more than other nursing specialties. According to Payscale, on average, mental health nurses in the U.S. make about $32.05 on an hourly basis. This translates to a yearling in of a whopping $90,000 to $129,000. So, if you’re looking for a nursing specialization that aligns with specific financial goals, give mental health nursing a thought.

You’ll still need two years of supervised clinical experience as an RN and specialized higher education. Fortunately, nurses holding a bachelor’s degree can gain the expertise while simultaneously pursuing an online MSN program and fast-track their careers. Afterward, you can acquire licensure and choose to work independently as well.

2. Hospital-based mental health nursing may have more unpredictable hours

Like every profession, there are pros and cons attached to the jobs. And as far as nursing is concerned, a few of the most significant drawbacks include understaffing and long working hours. This leads to nurses working round the clock on challenging schedules. So if you’re a mental health nurse working in a hospital, you’re more likely to encounter such erratic shits. Naturally, you’ll have to be available to cater to difficult-to-manage patients if things get out of control.

However, every cloud has a silver lining. Overnight and weekend shifts enable mental health nurses to work for lesser shifts a week. Many nurses prefer these shifts over the traditional schedule because they get to travel, volunteer, or attend school.

3. Generally, community-based mental health nursing has fewer unpredictable hours

On the other hand, mental health nursing in community settings has far more flexible working hours than hospital settings. In community-based mental health services, patients stay at their homes and are provided mental care in mental health facilities and local clinics. Many nurses prefer this setting because of the timings being more predictable, such as a regular 8-hour shift every day. This way, they are able to achieve a better work-life balance and less likely to burn out.

4. Communication plays a crucial role in mental health nursing

Good communication skills are essential in healthcare, regardless of the role. However, this is truer for psychiatric and psychological care delivery. Mental health nurses need to know what their patients are suffering from. For that to happen, the nurse must be able to connect/communicate with the patient effectively. This is where good communication skills come in handy and help nurses to understand what their patients are dealing with. This communication isn’t only verbal but non-verbal as well.

Encouraging nods, empathy, and a genuine smile – all these gestures don’t require a word, yet they comfort the patients and make them feel better. The correct body language, the right tone, and most importantly, the right thing to say; all these skills are equally essential to help patients deal with traumatic situations. Often, mental health patients may not be able to discuss their trauma openly. Therefore being able to understand visual physiological and behavioral signs also helps.

5. The PMH-APRN workforce is growing

Psychiatric Mental Health Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (PMH-APRN) are the nurses that are licensed to work as psychiatric professionals. They are credentialed as a Psychiatric Mental Health Clinical Nurse Specialist or as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner in Psychiatric Mental Health by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. APRNs with a nurse practitioner license are called nurse practitioners in some states. Their job involves prescribing medications as well as providing primary healthcare services. The PMH-APRNs, however, is an advanced nursing role that is capable of decision-making as well as providing many diagnostic and therapeutic services. PMH-APRNs are also involved in research, administrative, and educational activities.

6. Mental health nurses are the need of the hour

The need for mental health nurses is on the rise, and there are three reasons behind this. One, isolation, anxiety, and the loss of loved ones during the pandemic have affected people’s mental health across the world. Second, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has made healthcare affordable by reducing costs and providing health insurance to almost 50 million people. And third, the stigma associated with mental health has shrunk, making people more aware of the importance of mental well-being and its long-term health benefits. All of these factors have contributed to more people reaching out to mental health services.

Mental health nurses can perform their duties in hospitals, mental health facilities, or local clinics. However, the pros and cons vary for every setting. Nonetheless, the responsibilities and challenges remain the same. The demand for qualified professionals in this line of work is rising day by day. And a nurse with advanced qualifications can take advantage of multiple professional opportunities with lucrative salaries. This article highlighted a few points to consider before choosing to pursue the field. If you’re convinced this is your calling, then leap right into it!