Statement Of Purpose: A Career As A Mental Health Nurse

What Careers are Available as a Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

The careers as a mental health nurse practitioner are similar, but the work locations and health care organizations are very diverse. Here are four potential career opportunities for med students who become mental health psychiatric nurse practitioners (MHPNPs).

Family Care

Mental health psychiatric nurse practitioners are usually new grads with only one to two years of work experience. They are generalists who perform post-admission medical and psychiatric assessments of new clients. Every week, they perform client consultations, oversee medication management and provide on-going client support and education. Mental health psychiatric nurse practitioners who work in family care units need to demonstrate a broad understanding of various theories of addiction and mental illnesses. They should be familiar with standard policies, practices and outcomes of recovery, treatment and relapse prevention. They also need to understand the diagnostic criterion for dual conditions and be able to provide continuing care for dually diagnosed patients.

Veterans Affairs

There are many opportunities for mental health psychiatric nurse practitioners to

Their work environment is sometimes very chaotic, stressful and unpredictable. They respond to psychiatric emergencies by determining risk and harm levels and initiating effective treatments. They perform intake evaluations with patients who may be highly upset and agitated. Because of this, this must have effective clinical interviewing and engagement skills that facilitate a positive therapeutic relationship. Based on their initial interview, they order relevant lab and diagnostic tests and interpret the subsequent results. They often prescribe psychotropic medications based on clinical facts and the universal Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders