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The differences between mental health clinicians and mental health nurses can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a mental health clinician, becoming a mental health nurse takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a mental health nurse has an average salary of $106,812, which is higher than the $54,359 average annual salary of a mental health clinician.
The top three skills for a mental health clinician include social work, patients and mental health. The most important skills for a mental health nurse are patients, psychiatric mental, and PMHNP.
| Mental Health Clinician | Mental Health Nurse | |
| Yearly salary | $54,359 | $106,812 |
| Hourly rate | $26.13 | $51.35 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 91,347 | 86,884 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Master's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 43% |
| Average age | 45 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
A Mental Health Clinician provides psychotherapeutic and rehabilitation services for patients with mental health problems. They manage the treatment of clients and help them to obtain stable physical health.
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. They support in performing therapeutic activities, administering medical examinations, and counseling patients to know more about their conditions. A mental health nurse also does administrative tasks as needed, such as organizing and updating patients' information on the database, processing treatment payments, and responding to the family's inquiries and concerns.
Mental health clinicians and mental health nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Mental Health Clinician | Mental Health Nurse | |
| Average salary | $54,359 | $106,812 |
| Salary range | Between $36,000 And $80,000 | Between $62,000 And $182,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | City and County of Denver Government | Community Health Systems |
| Best paying industry | Education | Government |
There are a few differences between a mental health clinician and a mental health nurse in terms of educational background:
| Mental Health Clinician | Mental Health Nurse | |
| Most common degree | Master's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 43% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Nursing |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | Duke University |
Here are the differences between mental health clinicians' and mental health nurses' demographics:
| Mental Health Clinician | Mental Health Nurse | |
| Average age | 45 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 24.3% Female, 75.7% | Male, 16.9% Female, 83.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 3.1% White, 74.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 9.1% White, 65.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 15% | 9% |