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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 | Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner | |
| Yearly salary | $100,033 | $105,403 |
| Hourly rate | $48.09 | $50.67 |
| Growth rate | 40% | 40% |
| Number of jobs | 27,912 | 38,599 |
| Job satisfaction | 2.67 | - |
| Most common degree | Master's Degree, 47% | Master's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| 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.
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 practitioners and psychiatric nurse practitioners have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Nurse Practitioner | Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner | |
| Average salary | $100,033 | $105,403 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $161,000 | Between $61,000 And $179,000 |
| Highest paying City | Richmond, CA | Newark, NJ |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Pace University | The Arc Mercer |
| Best paying industry | - | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a nurse practitioner and a psychiatric nurse practitioner in terms of educational background:
| Nurse Practitioner | Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner | |
| Most common degree | Master's Degree, 47% | Master's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | Duke University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between nurse practitioners' and psychiatric nurse practitioners' demographics:
| Nurse Practitioner | Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9% | Male, 20.2% Female, 79.8% |
| 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, 4.7% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 6.7% Asian, 6.3% White, 77.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |