How to hire an advanced practice psychiatric nurse

How to hire an advanced practice psychiatric nurse, step by step

Here's a step-by-step advanced practice psychiatric nurse hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an advanced practice psychiatric nurse job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new advanced practice psychiatric nurse
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The advanced practice psychiatric nurse hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them an advanced practice psychiatric nurse to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire an advanced practice psychiatric nurse that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of advanced practice psychiatric nurses.

   Type of Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurse	Description	Hourly rate
   Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurse	Registered nurses (RNs) provide and coordinate patient care, educate patients and the public about various health conditions, and provide advice and emotional support to patients and their family members.	$22-60
   Nurse Manager	The primary role of nurse managers is to supervise the nursing staff in a clinical or hospital setting. They are the ones who are in charge of patient care, setting work schedules, and making budgetary and management decisions... Show more	$28-55
   Mental Health Nurse	A mental health nurse is responsible for assisting with the diagnosis and treatment plans of patients with mental health complications. Mental health nurses handle high-quality nursing care under mental health professionals' supervision within a hospital or mental health institution... Show more	$29-87

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Diagnosis
   • Treatment Plan
   • Mental Health Care
   • Medication Management
   • Crisis Management
   • Residential Treatment

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage staff of medical personnel providing care for telemetry, geriatric and general medicine patients.
   • Formulate diagnosis and make recommendations for treatment and disposition to clinical staff.
   • Oversee and provide leadership for professional staff on a medical surgical orthopedic unit with oversight of scheduling and performance management.
   • Maintain JCAHO standards including policy development, infection prevention, quality management, and risk management.
   • Contribute substantially to successful department JCAHO accreditation; establishing and implementing policies and procedures, protocols, and require assessments.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your advanced practice psychiatric nurse job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. An advanced practice psychiatric nurse can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, advanced practice psychiatric nurses' average salary in florida is 29% less than in nevada.
   • Seniority. Entry-level advanced practice psychiatric nurses 63% less than senior-level advanced practice psychiatric nurses.
   • Certifications. An advanced practice psychiatric nurse with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in an advanced practice psychiatric nurse's salary.

   Average advanced practice psychiatric nurse salary

   $77,040yearly

   $37.04 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level advanced practice psychiatric nurse salary

   $46,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

4. Writing an advanced practice psychiatric nurse job description

   An advanced practice psychiatric nurse job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of an advanced practice psychiatric nurse job description:

   Advanced practice psychiatric nurse job description example

   Come join a friendly and inclusive team that provides quality care! Community Healthlink (CHL) recognizes the power of a diverse community and seeks applications from individuals with varied experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds. Community Healthlink (CHL) is looking for a full-time (37.5 hrs/wk) Advance Practice RN in Worcester, MA.
   
   Outpatient Substance Use Treatment is a growing specialty service within the Adult Outpatient services at Community Healthlink. Services include outpatient treatment, medication-assisted treatment, the MISSION medication-assisted treatment program, and second offender aftercare. Staff include clinicians, recovery coaches, nurses, advanced practice nurses, and psychiatrists.
   
   The Community Healthlink Adult Outpatient Counseling Centers are integrated primary and behavioral health care clinics that provide services to a diverse adult client population. Our priority population is individuals with severe and/or persistent mental health and/or substance use conditions. The provider team consists of psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, advanced practice registered nurses, social workers, mental health counselors, recovery coaches, registered nurses, primary care clinicians, and medical assistants. The Centers work closely with referral sources such as the Department of Mental Health, local hospitals with inpatient psychiatric programs, Community Healthlink programs, MassHealth/managed care companies, and health centers.
   
   The Advanced Practice Registered Nurse/Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner/Psychiatric Physician's Assistant/Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner is responsible for providing psychiatric services to patients of the Counseling Center.
   
   + Complete psychiatric assessments, medication consultations, and follow-up services consistent with the advanced practice agreement with the supervising M.D.
   
   + When patients are receiving psychiatric services only, the APRN is responsible, consistent with Counseling Center policy, for the completion of all required treatment services and documentation, including treatment planning, discharge planning, and discharge from services.
   + Participates as a member of the treatment team.
   
   + Participates in interdisciplinary diagnostic treatment and planning conferences.
   
   + Maintains client records and administrative records consistent with CHL policy and applicable standards.
   
   + Maintains unit productivity standard.
   
   + Participates in supervision as scheduled.
   
   + Attends administrative staff meetings as required.
   
   + Participates in continuous quality improvement initiatives.
   
   + Attends in-service education and professional meetings as required.
   
   + Respects diverse views and approaches, demonstrates Standards of Respect, and contributes to creating and maintaining an environment of professionalism, tolerance, civility and acceptance toward all employees, patients and visitors.
   
   + Meets all qualifications for the advanced practice of psychiatric prescribing practices with prescribing privileges.
   
   + Experience working with adults with severe and persistent mental illness, substance use disorders, and co-occurring developmental disabilities and/or medical conditions.
   
   + Current Massachusetts license as a registered nurse, nurse practitioner, or physician's assistant, current DEA certificate and Massachusetts MCSR.
   
   + Accurately assess client's presenting concerns.
   
   + Effectively communicate with clients, peers, and other professionals.
   
   + Timely and accurate documentation skills.
   
   + All candidates will be subject to a CORI review as outlined in the regulations set by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services. For more information, click here.
   
   Community Healthlink is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate in employment and personnel practices on the basis of race, sex, age, handicap, religion, national origin or any other basis prohibited by applicable law. Hiring, transferring and promotion practices are performed without regard to the above listed items.
   
   If applicable, Community Healthlink shall also abide by the requirements of 41 CFR 60-300.5(a) and 41 CFR 60-741.5(a). These regulations prohibit discrimination against qualified protected veterans and qualified individuals on the basis of disability. These regulations require affirmative action by Community Healthlink to employ and advance in employment qualified protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.
   
   PCN#: 1132
   
   Street: 72 Jaques Ave

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right advanced practice psychiatric nurse for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your advanced practice psychiatric nurse job on Zippia to find and recruit advanced practice psychiatric nurse candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting advanced practice psychiatric nurses requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new advanced practice psychiatric nurse

   Once you've selected the best advanced practice psychiatric nurse candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new advanced practice psychiatric nurse first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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