What Is Mental Health Nursing?
Mental health nursing is a critical occupation in an enormously important field. Mental health affects every aspect of our lives—how we think, feel, and behave in everyday situations. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that 1 in 5 adults in the United States lives with a mental illness. Taking care of our mental health is essential to being productive, building good relationships, handling stress well, and enjoying life.
The nurses who help care for patients with mental health issues are called psychiatric-mental health nurses. Let’s explore how they help individuals deal with mental health conditions so they can lead more fulfilling lives.
What Is the Role of Nurses in Mental Health?
In nursing, patients are the focus. Nurses care for individuals, families, and communities by offering medical assistance, emotional support, health education, and medical aid. It’s no different in mental health nursing. Mental health nurses focus on the social and behavioral influences on a person that affect their mental health and neurological disorders. Psychiatric-mental health nurses play a crucial role in caring for patients affected by mental health conditions; indeed, broadly defined, they constitute the second-largest group of behavioral health professionals in the United States.
Psychiatric-Mental Health Registered Nurses
Psychiatric-mental health (PMH) registered nurses (RN) help individuals, families, and communities with mental health disorders, emotional problems, and behavioral issues. PMH RNs assess, diagnose, and treat mental health and substance use disorders, as well as promote mental health advocacy and education programs. You can find these nurses in hospitals, outpatient clinics, community organizations, psychiatric facilities, and more. PMH registered nurses play a key role in helping patients and families understand conditions like depression, schizophrenia, anxiety, and substance use disorders.
Advanced Practice Registered Nurses
An advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) in mental health, also known as a psychiatric-mental health advanced practice registered nurse (PMH-APRN), is a registered nurse sharing many of the same responsibilities as PMH RNs, but with an advanced education, like a master’s or doctorate, and extensive training. A PMH-APRN may be either a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner (PHM-NP) or a psychiatric-mental health clinical nurse specialist (PMH-CNS). These advanced practice nurses work with or independently from other mental health providers to assess and diagnose mental health disorders, as well as develop treatment plans, provide psychotherapy, prescribe medications, conduct crisis intervention, and help patients in rehabilitation efforts.
What Are the Skills of a Psychiatric Nurse?
Mental health nurses require a combination of hard and soft skills to care for their patients. They should possess technical abilities like conducting assessments and administering tests. Critical thinking is crucial for mental health nurses because every patient has unique psychological needs that require a personalized approach. A successful mental health nurse must employ active listening, building and deepening trust by thoughtfully and attentively receiving patients’ stories, history, and thought processes. Collaboration is also essential because patients should be treated as active participants in their recovery process. Clear communication helps ensure patients understand their treatment plans, and empathy and compassion allow nurses to create a supportive, nonjudgmental environment where patients feel supported.
How Can You Get Started in Mental Health Nursing?
The first step in becoming a mental health nurse is earning either an associate or bachelor’s degree in nursing. Passing the NCLEX-RN exam is the next step so you become a licensed registered nurse, which allows you to work in various health care facilities, including mental health settings. Gaining experience in psychiatric hospitals, mental health clinics, and other places is essential to developing your skills and gaining employment as a PMH RN.
You should consider obtaining optional certifications such as the Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing Certification (PMH-BC) through the American Nurses Credentialing Center. You might also consider pursuing higher education to advance your career as a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner or clinical nurse specialist.
With the proper education, licensure, and clinical experience, you can start a mental health nursing career, helping patients who need sensitive, compassionate care. Psychiatric-mental health nurses can make a lasting difference in others’ lives and society at large.
