Mental health nursing is a rapidly growing field offering a wide range of opportunities

You can select from a surprising array of care settings: inpatient psychiatric hospitals, outpatient clinics, emergency departments, schools, long-term care facilities, and even correctional facilities. You can look after pediatric patients, students, adults and geriatric patients. You may determine to specialise in a particular disease – addiction, trauma, disaster recovery or mood disorders. There is a growing demand for psychiatric and mental health nurses in all of those facilities. At the identical time, there may be a nationwide shortage of qualified health care providers and “a shortage of behavioral health care staff, resulting in significant barriers to care for Americans,” it said Megan SimmonsDNP, PMHNP-BC, Assistant Professor and Director of the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program (PMHNP) at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing.

Nurses fill this gap

According to at least one study, there may be a “stark contrast” between the variety of behavioral health providers currently available and the number actually needed to deal with mental health issues. Employee Behavioral Health Report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). For nurses, this implies a world stuffed with opportunities for brand spanking new roles. According to the report, an extra 304,541 psychiatric or behavioral health nurses are needed to look after individuals with serious emotional disturbances/serious mental illnesses. The need for mental health nurses is evident. According to Simmons, PMHNPs can evaluate, diagnose, and treat patients (including psychopharmacological interventions, psychotherapy, and crisis intervention) in the next settings:

• Inpatient psychiatric hospitals
• Inpatient hospital wards
• Correction devices
• Skilled nursing and long-term care facilities
• Substance use disorder rehabilitation centers
• Outpatient private practices
• Outpatient mental health centers
• Veterans Administration Psychiatric Facilities (each inpatient and outpatient)
• Schools
• Integrated care clinics offering each primary care and mental health services
• Home health agencies
• Shelters for victims of domestic violence

The demand for mental health nurses

“Psychiatric mental health nursing (PMH) is one of the fastest-growing fields for new nurses,” said Leslie Oleck, MSN, PMHNP-BC, president of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA). The variety of PMHNP programs has almost doubled over the past eight years (208 programs in 2021 in comparison with 114 programs in 2015). “We have seen an increased demand for specialists at all levels of PMH nursing – from RN to APRN and across settings,” Oleck said. The mental health system is increasingly reliant on PMHNPs. In 2019, PMHNPs handled nearly one-third of mental health prescriber visits for Medicare patients, in line with a recent study. test. “Access to mental health is a public health crisis, only exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic,” said study writer Michael L. Barnett, M.D., associate professor of health policy and management on the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. While the demand for mental health treatment is skyrocketing, the provision of providers is definitely decreasing amongst psychiatrists. The problem is especially acute in rural areas. “We need new solutions. PMHNPs constitute an important part of the mental health workforce that has received relatively little attention in mental health policy,” Barnett said. The findings represent a significant step toward increasing the visibility of PMHNPs as a key a part of the mental health workforce. “They can play a key role in increasing access to mental health in the future. Our paper can help shape HR policy and workforce development,” Barnett said. The lack of access to mental health care is of particular concern rural areas. The demand for mental health nurses is simply expected to extend within the near future. “Nearly half of current PMH-RNs report planning to retire within the next 10 years,” Oleck said. If you’re a licensed nurse working in one other health care field, you’re a superb candidate for PMH nursing. To go into psychiatric mental health, Oleck recommends getting APNA membership to learn concerning the occupation and free training opportunities, access job postings and connections with colleagues currently working in the sector, and take part in the 16-hour APNA Transitions in Practice certificate program. Students with bachelor’s degrees in science, liberal arts or nursing, in addition to master’s degree students, should consider mental health nursing, Oleck urged: “We hope that more nursing students will consider a career in PMH nursing.”

Upstream healthcare.

Awareness is growing about social determinants of mental health. As a mental health nurse, you possibly can address issues which are typically missed during a typical healthcare visit. “Childhood misfortunes and traumas can have adverse effects throughout a person’s life. There are many health problems and substance abuse. Poverty and systemic racism are critical factors that must be addressed,” said Faye Gary, EdD, RN, FAAN, professor of nursing at Case Western Reserve University. Ideally, nursing curricula should cover the social determinants of mental health in order that students can consider working on this field. “There needs to be more emphasis on higher-level health care – on health promotion and disease prevention – and less on treating disease, which is too expensive and ineffective to improve the nation’s health,” Gary said. As a frontline nurse, you’re well positioned to satisfy the nation’s need for mental health care. “Nurses have their finger on the pulse of America. They are knowledgeable researchers, educators, health policymakers and outstanding clinicians,” Gary said.

Mental health nursing provides flexibility

PMHNP nurses are a number of the highest paid nurses in advanced practice. “This makes it a desirable career for nurses looking to advance their education,” Simmons stated. Some nurses who apply to this system have already got experience working as a PMH-RN, while others come from a wide range of nursing backgrounds. “Many people indicate that they are going back to school because of the tremendous need for mental health care that they see in all health care settings,” Simmons said. Many PMHNP students began their nursing careers throughout the height of the pandemic in intensive care units. These latest nurses recognized the importance of caring for the mental health of patients and their families. “This sparked their interest and passion in exploring and pursuing a career as a PMHNP,” Simmons said. PMHNPs also provide additional value by prescribing medications and providing psychotherapy. “PMHNPs are needed in a variety of settings to meet the ever-increasing demand for qualified mental health professionals,” Simmons said.

Meeting the necessity for mental health care

Once you might have set your goal of becoming a PMHNP certified, a very good first step can be to acquire a master’s degree and/or doctorate in nursing. The PMHNP certification lets you work with patients in a wide range of settings – inpatient (each medical and psychiatric hospitals), outpatient (in mental health facilities or private practice), emergency departments, or substance use disorder treatment centers. “It provides career flexibility that is in high demand,” Simmons said. Mental health and older people An increasing variety of physicians will come into contact with older adults. Treating these patients would require a basic understanding of healthy aging, so it is amazingly vital to know the consequences of aging on the mind and body. Common psychosocial challenges equivalent to loneliness and lack of independence can be discussed. Next, an summary of common physical changes related to age can be presented. It may also highlight helpful strategies that healthcare providers can use to support their patients in late maturity. Psychosis, mood and anxiety Neuropsychiatric disorders have surpassed cardiovascular diseases worldwide, causing disability and premature death. As health care employees, nurses often encounter individuals with mental illness. This module discusses the etiology of severe mental illness, in addition to current treatment guidelines and general nursing recommendations for various mental disorders. Specifically, it describes look after depression, anxiety, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.