How to hire a Mental Health Nurse

How to hire a mental health nurse, step by step

Here's a step-by-step mental health nurse hiring guide:

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

What does a Mental Health Nurse do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the mental health nurse you need to hire. Certain mental health nurse roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine Employee vs Contractor Status

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

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   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a mental health 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 a mental health nurse that fits the bill.

   This list presents mental health nurse salaries for various positions.

   Type Of Mental Health Nurse	Description	Hourly Rate
   Mental Health 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.	$29-87
   Therapist	A therapist is responsible for improving the patients' health conditions by evaluating their needs and providing physical and mental support. Therapists are licensed, medical professionals who specialize in different areas to perform treatments and bring relief to patients... Show More	$18-38
   Counselor/Art Therapist	A counselor/art therapist is responsible for conducting art sessions as part of patients' therapy treatments, letting them express their human nature and emotions through artistic discovery. Counselors/art therapists guide the patients throughout their recovery process, identifying their needs and conditions by analyzing their crafts... Show More	$26-52

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common Skills:

   • Patients
   • Psychiatric Mental
   • PMHNP
   • Medication Management
   • CPR
   • Crisis Intervention
   • Substance Abuse
   • Psychiatric Services
   • Rehabilitation
   • Psychiatric Care
   • Home Health
   • Veterans
   • Social Work
   • Health Professionals

   Check All Skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Interact with patients, coordinate and successfully manage therapeutic group activities with unit staffs under supervision of clinical instructor.
   • Provide psychiatric evaluation, medication management and education for patients with serious and persistent mental illness and debilitating personality disorders.
   • Provide transportation, medication management, daily ADL's, housekeeping, and feeding.
   • Provide hourly room checks and ADL's according to care plan implement by the attending physician.
   • Initiate emergency resuscitative measures according to adult resuscitation protocols.
   • Perform case management for outpatient veterans that include psychiatric treatment.

   More Mental Health Nurse duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the mental health nurse job description is a good way to get more applicants. A mental health nurse salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a mental health nurse in Tennessee may be lower than in California, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level mental health nurse. Additionally, a mental health nurse with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average mental health nurse salary

   $106,812yearly

   $51.35 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level mental health nurse salary

   $62,000 yearly salary

   Updated May 17, 2025

   Average mental health nurse salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. Salary	Hourly Rate
   1	California	$117,376	$56
   2	Maine	$106,953	$51
   3	Oregon	$105,797	$51
   4	Connecticut	$104,812	$50
   5	New York	$104,554	$50
   6	Washington	$103,416	$50
   7	Arizona	$100,419	$48
   8	Pennsylvania	$99,655	$48
   9	Maryland	$95,953	$46
   10	Michigan	$95,856	$46
   11	Utah	$95,265	$46
   12	Minnesota	$90,641	$44
   13	Illinois	$88,918	$43
   14	Virginia	$88,606	$43
   15	Texas	$85,910	$41
   16	Colorado	$85,659	$41
   17	Indiana	$83,622	$40
   18	Kansas	$77,512	$37
   19	Missouri	$77,502	$37
   20	Florida	$76,305	$37

   Average mental health nurse salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
   1	Community Health Systems	$183,119	$88.04	57
   2	Mercy Corps	$156,371	$75.18	5
   3	Mercy Health	$153,189	$73.65	11
   4	TMS Health	$152,223	$73.18
   5	Baylor Scott & White Health	$151,205	$72.69	24
   6	Kaiser Permanente	$143,802	$69.14	94
   7	Dignity Health	$143,656	$69.07	7
   8	Tykes And Teens	$141,475	$68.02	1
   9	Missouri Delta Medical Center	$136,832	$65.78	2
   10	MaineGeneral Health	$136,009	$65.39	4
   11	Hca Hospital Services Of San Diego	$135,439	$65.11
   12	Tarzana Treatment Centers	$135,111	$64.96	9
   13	Bayless Integrated Healthcare	$134,126	$64.48
   14	Adventist HealthCare	$132,103	$63.51	41
   15	Frederick Health	$131,996	$63.46	5
   16	Deer Oaks Behavioral Health	$131,898	$63.41	20
   17	Uplift Family Services	$131,760	$63.35
   18	Whidbey General Hospital	$130,183	$62.59
   19	MHP	$130,001	$62.50
   20	Atrium Health Floyd	$127,409	$61.25	63

4. Writing a Mental Health Nurse Job Description

   A mental health 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. Below, you can find an example of a mental health nurse job description:

   Mental Health Nurse job description example

   CHE Behavioral Health Services is seeking full-time or part-time Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners. CHE Behavioral Health Services provides psychiatric services to residents in long-term care settings – primarily skilled nursing facilities, rehabilitation centers, and assisted living residences. As we continue to grow, we are always seeking skilled professionals of the highest caliber of competence and integrity that share our commitment to providing state-of-the-art psychiatric services. We have a variety of opportunities available in long-term care facilities and rehabilitation centers.
   
   Our collaborative approach as well as our training and professional development opportunities makes CHE Behavioral Health Services a great place to build a challenging and rewarding career.
   As a member of our team you will enjoy: Competitive Remuneration Package Training & Supervision Medical/Dental Free CEU's 401k PTO Electronic Documentation (EMR) Work-Life Balance Flexible Work Schedule Full-Time and Part-Time Options No On-Call, Nights, or Weekends
   You will be joining:
   
   A team of colleagues, Psychologists, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners, Psychiatrists, Licensed Clinical Social Workers as well as Clinical Leaders who are committed to clinical excellence, compassionate care, and professional integrity; a company that welcomes your participation in a 'collaborative' approach to the integration of psychiatric services in multidisciplinary settings; and a professional organization that provides individualized training, ongoing clinical supervision, and professional development workshops in all of our service domains. Responsibilities: Additional Duties:
   
   • Assess patient’s mental and physical status based on symptoms.
   • Collaborate with interdisciplinary team members, including psychiatrists, psychologists, or nursing staff, to develop, implement, or evaluate treatment plans.
   • Consult with psychiatrists or other professionals when unusual or complex cases are encountered.
   • Develop and implement treatment plans.
   • Distinguish between physiologically and psychologically based disorders and diagnose appropriately.
   • Prescribe appropriate medications for physical and mental health issues. Will plan and institute a course of treatment demonstrating knowledge of drug action, interaction, and reactions. Prescribe or recommend controlled medications according to existing core privileges. Qualifications: Qualifications:
   
   MSN-Psychiatric/Mental Health, ANCC Certification. Psychotropic medication management experience, and DEA. Family Nurse Practitioners with 3-5 years of experience will be considered. Preferred Psych certification.

   Copy This Example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right mental health 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 mental health nurse job on Zippia to find and attract quality mental health nurse candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit mental health nurses, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   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 mental health nurse

   Once you have selected a candidate for the mental health nurse position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

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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How much does it cost to hire a mental health nurse?