Practitioner vs psychiatric nurse practitioner

The differences between 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 practitioner and a psychiatric nurse practitioner. Additionally, a psychiatric nurse practitioner has an average salary of $105,403, which is higher than the $84,058 average annual salary of a practitioner.

The top three skills for a practitioner include patients, patient care and social work. The most important skills for a psychiatric nurse practitioner are patients, behavioral health, and patient care.

Practitioner vs psychiatric nurse practitioner overview

	Practitioner	Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner
Yearly salary	$84,058	$105,403
Hourly rate	$40.41	$50.67
Growth rate	40%	40%
Number of jobs	42,062	38,599
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Master's Degree, 46%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

What does a practitioner do?

The duties of a practitioner depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. In the medical field, a practitioner is a doctor who provides medical services to patients according to their health issues or concerns, primarily by diagnosing and treating illnesses and injuries. Their responsibilities include performing examinations and assessments, providing consultations and advice, prescribing medication, and referring patients to specialists when necessary. They must also maintain an active communication line with nurses and technicians for a smooth and efficient workflow.

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.

Practitioner vs psychiatric nurse practitioner salary

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

	Practitioner	Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner
Average salary	$84,058	$105,403
Salary range	Between $50,000 And $138,000	Between $61,000 And $179,000
Highest paying City	Hartford, CT	Newark, NJ
Highest paying state	Connecticut	New Jersey
Best paying company	Morgan Stanley	The Arc Mercer
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Health Care

Differences between practitioner and psychiatric nurse practitioner education

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

	Practitioner	Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Master's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Psychology	Nursing
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Duke University

Practitioner vs psychiatric nurse practitioner demographics

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

	Practitioner	Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 36.8% Female, 63.2%	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%

Differences between practitioner and psychiatric nurse practitioner duties and responsibilities

Practitioner example responsibilities.

Manage pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment of diabetes and provide prescriptions and education before discharge from the hospital.
Provide both in-home and office-base individual therapy to clients with mental illness.
Treat patients on a referral basis and establish active collaboration with veterinary specialists and general practitioners involve with patient care.
Provide counsel and representation for clients on various legal matters such as civil litigation and real estate and international business transactions.
Perform reflexology test for patients with various allergies.
Apply yoga therapy to help clients release emotional holding patterns.

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.

Practitioner vs psychiatric nurse practitioner skills

Common practitioner skills

Patients, 28%
Patient Care, 9%
Social Work, 7%
Resuscitation, 5%
Individual Therapy, 4%
Continuous Improvement, 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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Practitioner vs Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner

Updated January 8, 2025

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