How To Find Mental Health Nurse Jobs

Introduction

Many men and women who enter the nursing field learn within a few years of practice that focus on a specialty field will bring greater satisfaction to their career. Although it requires additional study and certification, like all nursing specialties, mental health nurse jobs are an area numerous nurses choose to pursue. The specialty is officially called psychiatric mental health nursing. The national organization that provides information on training, credentials and ongoing education is the APNA -- American Psychiatric Nurses Association. This group notes that like many nursing specialties, there is a shortage of qualified nurses in practice. Therefore, mental health nurse jobs may be easy to find for both short- and long-term career planning.

History

For decades, the picture that many held in their minds of a psychiatric nursing care was the one of Nurse Ratched in the movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Her cold demeanor and dictatorial style did not give the profession a great reputation. During the years from the time period portrayed in the movie, the field of psychiatry and mental health care expanded based on medical and neurobiological discoveries. Mental health nurse jobs are currently viewed as a respected career opportunity. Many sub-specialties are available to individuals who work in the field. Each requires a course of training that often require a combination of classroom and clinical experience. The American Nurses Credentialing Center is the organization in charge of testing and certification for those who wish to seek mental health nurse jobs. 

Features

Mental health nurse jobs may be found in residential treatment centers that specialize in long-term psychiatric care. These positions range from shift nursing to administrative roles in the organization. These opportunities are typically located near major metropolitan and highly populated regions where psychiatric residential care facilities are commonly built. You may find mental health nurse jobs in a privately owned facility, but it is more common to find openings in a government-funded center for psychiatric care.

Advances in the way chronic and severe mental health care cases are managed involve patients that live at home with their families or in a supervised group home. Mental health nurse jobs that cater to these situations are operated by home health nursing agencies that have a corporate unit specializing in psychiatric care. Nursing professionals who value an independent lifestyle may find these type of mental health nurse jobs well suited to their personal needs. There is typically a greater flexibility in scheduling and the pay may be higher than that found in a hospital setting.

If you value scholarship and enjoy the life of academia, mental health nurse jobs are available at the Ph.D. and Masters Degree level. These degrees qualify you to teach in the classroom and conduct research, depending on the area of emphasis in your studies. You will be able to participate with doctors of medicine and psychiatry in assessments and diagnostic consulting. You may also achieve the level of competence that qualifies you to write academic papers, textbooks, or to consult with government health agencies.

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