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Nurse practitioner vs psychiatric nurse practitioner

The differences between nurse practitioners and psychiatric nurse practitioners 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 psychiatric nurse practitioner. Additionally, a psychiatric nurse practitioner has an average salary of $105,403, 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 psychiatric nurse practitioner are patients, behavioral health, and patient care.

Nurse practitioner vs psychiatric nurse practitioner overview

Nurse PractitionerPsychiatric Nurse Practitioner
Yearly salary$100,033$105,403
Hourly rate$48.09$50.67
Growth rate40%40%
Number of jobs27,91238,599
Job satisfaction2.67-
Most common degreeMaster's Degree, 47%Master's Degree, 46%
Average age4343
Years of experience22

What does a nurse practitioner do?

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.

What does a psychiatric nurse practitioner do?

The key role of a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner is to diagnose mental illnesses and prescribe medications. They provide staff and family consultation around medications and other clinical concerns, as well as perform group/individual therapy and assessments.

Nurse practitioner vs psychiatric nurse practitioner salary

Nurse practitioners and psychiatric nurse practitioners have different pay scales, as shown below.

Nurse PractitionerPsychiatric Nurse Practitioner
Average salary$100,033$105,403
Salary rangeBetween $62,000 And $161,000Between $61,000 And $179,000
Highest paying CityRichmond, CANewark, NJ
Highest paying stateCaliforniaNew Jersey
Best paying companyPace UniversityThe Arc Mercer
Best paying industry-Health Care

Differences between nurse practitioner and psychiatric nurse practitioner education

There are a few differences between a nurse practitioner and a psychiatric nurse practitioner in terms of educational background:

Nurse PractitionerPsychiatric Nurse Practitioner
Most common degreeMaster's Degree, 47%Master's Degree, 46%
Most common majorNursingNursing
Most common collegeDuke UniversityDuke University

Nurse practitioner vs psychiatric nurse practitioner demographics

Here are the differences between nurse practitioners' and psychiatric nurse practitioners' demographics:

Nurse PractitionerPsychiatric Nurse Practitioner
Average age4343
Gender ratioMale, 13.1% Female, 86.9%Male, 20.2% Female, 79.8%
Race ratioBlack 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, 4.7% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 6.7% Asian, 6.3% White, 77.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage12%12%

Differences between nurse practitioner and psychiatric nurse practitioner duties and responsibilities

Nurse practitioner example responsibilities.

  • Manage care of chronic pediatric patients in PICU.
  • Assess, diagnose and medically manage patients with various GI diseases and dysfunctions
  • Manage medical illnesses including diabetes, hypertension, thyroid conditions and asthma and other medical conditions.
  • Manage pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment of diabetes and provide prescriptions and education before discharge from the hospital.
  • Manage appropriate changes to individualize care plan to ensure cost and time efficacy in an outpatient physical medicine and rehabilitation office.
  • Document correctly the patients' information in electronic health record and observe HIPAA.
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Psychiatric nurse practitioner example responsibilities.

  • Lead quality assessment of client's QA / QC processes, organizations, and test environments.
  • Manage outpatient pacemaker and ICD interrogations and remote transmission follow-ups.
  • Manage pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment of diabetes and provide prescriptions and education before discharge from the hospital.
  • Obtain necessary certifications, including child abuse clearance, CPR, and nonviolent crisis intervention training.
  • Perform rapid triage, psychiatric nursing assessment and medication administration.
  • Examine or conduct laboratory or diagnostic tests on patients to provide information on general physical condition and mental disorder.
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Nurse practitioner vs psychiatric nurse practitioner skills

Common nurse practitioner skills
  • Patients, 29%
  • Diagnosis, 7%
  • Home Health, 5%
  • Diagnostic Tests, 5%
  • Acute Care, 3%
  • EMR, 3%
Common psychiatric nurse practitioner skills
  • Patients, 25%
  • Behavioral Health, 12%
  • Patient Care, 8%
  • Diagnostic Tests, 6%
  • Medication Management, 6%
  • Mental Health, 4%

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