Nurses mostly start in the same place. They can either work on a hospital floor or an emergency room. These placements are rewarding for many people, but they also come with challenges. For one thing, they involve very generalized care. Each new shift may be completely different from the last. While that’s not exactly a bad thing, it means you can’t focus on your passions.
The other thing? Hospital floor or emergency room nurses are on the front lines for so many of the most challenging aspects of the job. During the pandemic, it was them who came into the most contact with infected patients. Now, it is them who suffer the most through staffing shortages and overcrowded hospitals.
Psychiatric care is a natural pivot for people who are interested in lending their talents to an area of high need. While it’s not easy work, it is a rewarding way to give back to the community. In this article, we take a close look at steps nurses can take to shift from traditional roles into mental health care.
First: What Kind of Jobs are There?
There are actually subdivisions of mental health care that can be applied to almost any secondary nursing discipline. You could work in a psychiatric care facility, but you could also work as a school nurse with a special focus on mental health.
You could work as a forensic nurse, also with an emphasis on mental health. In these cases, you focus on the psychiatric aspect of the work. A forensic nurse who is focused on the psychological component of a crime might contribute ideas as to whether or not the person who committed the crime was in a sound state of mind at the time.
A school nurse who is focused on psychiatric care would work with children who might be struggling with trauma or anxiety.
There are so many different types of mental health care. As with any nursing position, the devil is in the details. The more niche the position, the more specific the education requirements. There are literally dozens of specialized certifications, so spend some time researching jobs that interest you.
Start by imagining what your perfect day on the job would be. You don’t have to imagine any specific position. Instead, think about what combination of responsibilities and work/life balance considerations would make you the happiest. Once you’ve identified the qualities you care the most about, look for a position that best reflects them.
While you may not find a job that hits every point on your wishlist, it’s reasonably safe to assume that there is something out there that is pretty close.
Specialized Certifications
Specialized certifications are the easiest way to start working in mental healthcare. These credentials can generally be attained in less than two years. They do not require an enormous upfront investment. What’s more, your current employer—assuming that you currently work in healthcare—will possibly pay for it.
You may even be able to work in the specialized field before you have fully earned your certification. Often, part of the cert process is to gain practical experience—sometimes thousands of hours of it. The only real way to get those hours is to work the position while you are fulfilling your other certification requirements.
In these cases, you will be allowed to have the job, but typically with some sort of supervision. Once you have officially become certified, you will be able to work with more independence—and possibly get a raise.
The actual work required will vary based on the cert. Typically getting the clinical hours is the main factor, but you will also likely need to take some classes and pass a final exam. Generally, you will have a timeline of 2-3 years to complete these requirements.
Graduate School
Graduate school will allow you to take on “advanced practice work.” For many people, this means becoming a nurse practitioner. Nurse practitioners have a lot more freedom than RNs. They can write prescriptions. Make a diagnosis. Develop treatment plans.
A psychiatric nurse practitioner will often have a leadership position in whatever hospital or clinic they work in.
They can also expect a salary of more than $100,000.
Becoming a psychiatric nurse practitioner will require you to get an MSN with an emphasis on psychiatric care. The process can take 2-3 years assuming that you attempt it at a traditional pace. However, technically speaking you can get through it as slowly as you would like.
It will usually be pretty expensive, though tuition assistance is again possible in many cases—provided you are currently working for a hospital.
If you want to maximize your professional and personal freedom as a nurse, it’s probably the best option available to you.
Things to Consider
Before you get too far into the process of gaining an additional qualification, understand how challenging mental healthcare positions can be. Nurses working in psychiatric fields are considerably more likely to encounter violence at work than the general population. Many are physically harmed and virtually all encounter verbal abuse while on the job.
You also need to deal with the fact that many of your patients will not “get better,” in the same sense that someone might overcome a disease.
People can experience significant relief from mental health symptoms, but many conditions are without a true “cure.”
These aren’t reasons to avoid the work but they are influential factors that might determine how much you enjoy your future job.
Conclusion
Is working in mental health care a good fit for you? While many people find the work difficult, those who are truly drawn to these positions take deep satisfaction from them. If you think this is a good step for you, consider looking for professional shadowing opportunities that will give you some direct experience.
In nursing, there are often many ways to expose yourself to a new professional discipline before you begin looking for employment opportunities.
