Nursing in the Psychiatric Field ?

While discussing health and illness is easier today than ever, many find that discussing mental illness is possible only within the nursing staff of a distinct behavioral health clinic or doctor's office. Psychiatry and mental illness is in need of any nurse that may have the aptitude to understand mental illness and its resulting effects on family, the patient themselves and society as a whole. While the medical field is always short staffed, the psychiatric field is feeling a severe deficiency due to new research, new medications, and new health care plans that can help treat mental or psychiatric disorders.

 

All psychiatric nurses will have been licensed and have gone through the normal nursing schools and practices before heading on to specialized psychiatric nurse training. Most licensed nursing schools will offer a two year associate degree and possibly even a four year bachelors degree program within the nursing field. All nurses must sit board examinations that are state registered within the nursing field.

Once you are state registered nurse, you will then be able to follow in to psychiatric nursing training or possibly go into an intense internship in an actual psychiatric setting. You may gain extra training by doing volunteer work within a psychiatric or mental illness environment and this is a great way to find out if psychiatric nursing career is going to suit you best.

You may also want to return to school or while getting your nursing degree study psychology as a secondary education. As long as you are in it for a four year nursing degree, you can actually graduate with your psychology degree at the same time.

There are two separate levels in the psychiatric nurse field. The first is a clinical practice, where a nurse may perform basic and even advanced care. This first level involves a nurse who will be dealing with patients and individuals or possibly dealing in group sessions or community care situations. The second level of psychiatric nursing care is an advanced practice registered nurse field. In this situation most of the nurses will have a Masters degree in a psychiatric or mental healthcare field and will be called a nurse practitioner or clinic nurse specialist. The nurse practitioner will then not only oversee groups or community healthcare, but they also may evaluate mental health situations, may act as a psychotherapist, medical consultants and are often in the education or case management field as well.

The psychiatric nursing field can involve everyone from community groups, small children and adults, the aging or the addicted, victims of violence or sexual abuse, counseling, and of course, mental illness. If you have an interest in psychology and psychiatry care, and already have your state licensed nursing degree, with a little extra schooling or volunteer work, or even an internship you can be a valuable team player with an a behavioral health clinic, psychiatric ward, domestic violence or sexual violence clinic and many other areas within the psychiatric nursing field.