Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses

Overview

Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses has a national median salary of $97,550 per year, with +5.6% projected job growth from 2025–2035. The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a bachelor's degree as the typical education needed to enter this occupation.

Description

Assess, diagnose, and treat individuals and families with mental health or substance use disorders or the potential for such disorders. Apply therapeutic activities, including the prescription of medication, per state regulations, and the administration of psychotherapy.

Work Values

• Relationships
• Working Conditions
• Support

Work Styles

Responsibilities

Tasks

• Assess patients' mental and physical status, based on the presenting symptoms and complaints.
• Diagnose psychiatric disorders and mental health conditions.
• Document patients' medical and psychological histories, physical assessment results, diagnoses, treatment plans, prescriptions, or outcomes.
• Educate patients and family members about mental health and medical conditions, preventive health measures, medications, or treatment plans.
• Write prescriptions for psychotropic medications as allowed by state regulations and collaborative practice agreements.

Work Activities

• Assisting and Caring for Others
• Documenting/Recording Information
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems
• Getting Information
• Processing Information
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
• Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others
• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards

Detailed Work Activities

• Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
• Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
• Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
• Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
• Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
• Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
• Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.

T-A-S-K

Technology, Abilities, Skills & Knowledge

Education

Education Levels of Current Workers

The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a bachelor's degree as the typical education needed to enter this occupation. The chart below shows the highest level of education held by people already working in this field, ages 25 and older. It includes workers who earned more education than the job requires and workers who entered the field under earlier requirements, so the largest bar is not the entry requirement. For example, if someone finished a master's degree and then started working in this field, they are counted under “Master's degree” here, but the job itself typically asks for a bachelor's degree.

Certificates

Certifications applicable to Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses:

Video Resources