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The differences between nurse practitioners and mental health nurses can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a nurse practitioner and a mental health nurse. Additionally, a mental health nurse has an average salary of $106,812, which is higher than the $100,033 average annual salary of a nurse practitioner.
The top three skills for a nurse practitioner include patients, diagnosis and home health. The most important skills for a mental health nurse are patients, psychiatric mental, and PMHNP.
| Nurse Practitioner | Mental Health Nurse | |
| Yearly salary | $100,033 | $106,812 |
| Hourly rate | $48.09 | $51.35 |
| Growth rate | 40% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 27,912 | 86,884 |
| Job satisfaction | 2.67 | - |
| Most common degree | Master's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 43% |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A nurse practitioner's role is diverse. It revolves around supervising nurses in a particular area and providing immediate care and treatment to patients through extensive knowledge and clinical experience. Among the duties of a nurse practitioner involves diagnosing and treating medical conditions, performing research and analysis through various tests, evaluating data and results, operating different kinds of medical equipment, and gathering samples from patients. Furthermore, a nurse practitioner must maintain an active line of communication and coordination among fellow health workers in a hospital or clinic.
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.
Nurse practitioners and mental health nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Nurse Practitioner | Mental Health Nurse | |
| Average salary | $100,033 | $106,812 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $161,000 | Between $62,000 And $182,000 |
| Highest paying City | Richmond, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Pace University | Community Health Systems |
| Best paying industry | - | Government |
There are a few differences between a nurse practitioner and a mental health nurse in terms of educational background:
| Nurse Practitioner | Mental Health Nurse | |
| Most common degree | Master's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 43% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | Duke University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between nurse practitioners' and mental health nurses' demographics:
| Nurse Practitioner | Mental Health Nurse | |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9% | Male, 16.9% Female, 83.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 6.7% Asian, 6.3% White, 77.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | 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 | 12% | 9% |