A Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse (PMHN) works in various settings, providing comprehensive care to communities, groups, families, and individuals. PMH nurses are concerned with positively transforming their patients’ lives by forming strong therapeutic relationships with individuals across the divide and becoming familiar with their challenges and stories. 

With the rising cases of mental illnesses, becoming a PMHN can be a great career move and a rewarding way to be a part of the solution to the growing challenge. However, you must understand what it takes to become a successful PMHN before starting. That’s precisely what you’ll find out below.

What Is a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse (PMHN)?

A PMHN is a recognized and certified nurse who undergoes registered training to enable them to acquire the knowledge needed to care for and support persons suffering from mental health problems. They learn up to master’s level, with online courses like MSN PMHNP leading the chart of most preferred master’s degree courses for PMHN practitioners.

A PMHN’s exact work description depends on their training, the patient’s needs, and where they work. However, they can handle common roles like medical administration, patient observation, and helping with general and self-care physical health. To enjoy the optimal rewards of being a PMHN, you may need to excel in nursing and medical studies’ neurobiological and psychosocial fields.

PMHN Roles

As a PMHN, you may work in several settings that can enable you to evaluate and support your patients’ mental health needs and easily collaborate with doctors to deliver care plans. In your operation setup, you won’t treat mental health patients on your own. Instead, you’ll work simultaneously with a team of other healthcare professionals, such as psychotherapists, psychiatrists, and social workers. As a team, you can create, monitor, and implement treatment and care plans effectively. A few of your daily roles as a PMHN can include:

• Offering community education
• Screening and evaluating patients
• Collaborating with interdisciplinary teams
• Ensuring overall/general health
• Practicing crisis interventions
• Managing patient cases
• Helping patients achieve personal goals by teaching self-care

Many opportunities or work setups to explore as a PMHN revolve around promoting mental health. These roles can sometimes narrow down to age and career demographics, with patients including children, teens, adults, and veterans or soldiers returning from war.

PMHN Working Environments

A PMHN practitioner can work in any setting that offers mental health solutions, such as schools, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, federal agencies, and clinics. However, the most common work environments are:

• Hospitals: Working in an inpatient treatment center or hospital will allow you to work closely with other care team members. You’ll closely check on patients to ensure they have the right diagnosis and adjust and stabilize their medication as needed. Sometimes, you may also have to groom and bathe patients, manage meds, and perform a safety and risk assessment.
• Nursing home: Working as a PMHN in a nursing home involves managing medications, managing patients’ physical and mental health, and creating and monitoring treatment plans. You will most likely consult psychiatrists and health professionals to execute your duties effectively.
• Correctional facilities: Working here means joining the inpatient psychiatric unit within the facility or an outpatient psychiatric nurse offering counselling, evaluations, and interventions.

If you desire to work as a PMHN, there are a lot of steps to follow toward your desired path. Learning what lies ahead regarding the roles and working environments, you can set yourself up for a successful career and progressive growth.

Stay updated, free articles. Join our Telegram channel

Join