Psychiatric nurse vs practitioner

The differences between psychiatric nurses and 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 psychiatric nurse and a practitioner. Additionally, a practitioner has an average salary of $84,058, which is higher than the $64,922 average annual salary of a psychiatric nurse.

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

Psychiatric nurse vs practitioner overview

	Psychiatric Nurse	Practitioner
Yearly salary	$64,922	$84,058
Hourly rate	$31.21	$40.41
Growth rate	6%	40%
Number of jobs	608,055	42,062
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Average age	44	43
Years of experience	2	2

What does a psychiatric nurse do?

A Psychiatric Nurses role is to supervise the medication and treatment of patients diagnosed with mental disabilities, illnesses, or distresses. They have an essential role in the administration of psychiatric treatment and care.

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.

Psychiatric nurse vs practitioner salary

Psychiatric nurses and practitioners have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Psychiatric Nurse	Practitioner
Average salary	$64,922	$84,058
Salary range	Between $42,000 And $99,000	Between $50,000 And $138,000
Highest paying City	Santa Rosa, CA	Hartford, CT
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	Connecticut
Best paying company	Highland General Hospital	Morgan Stanley
Best paying industry	Health Care	Manufacturing

Differences between psychiatric nurse and practitioner education

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

	Psychiatric Nurse	Practitioner
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Most common major	Nursing	Psychology
Most common college	Duke University	University of Pennsylvania

Psychiatric nurse vs practitioner demographics

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

	Psychiatric Nurse	Practitioner
Average age	44	43
Gender ratio	Male, 18.1% Female, 81.9%	Male, 36.8% Female, 63.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	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	9%	12%

Differences between psychiatric nurse and practitioner duties and responsibilities

Psychiatric nurse example responsibilities.

Organize and manage regular clinics involving external physicians, including ophthalmology, ENT, Med/Surg, orthopedics, and podiatry professionals.
Staff register nurse, acute medical rehabilitation unit.
Perform emergency triage differentiating psychiatric versus medical conditions.
Perform triage assessment, psychiatric evaluations, medication administration, psychotherapy and case management.
Provide comprehensive medical-psychiatric care to patients via assessment, planning, evaluation and supervision of therapeutic interactions.
Provide therapeutic communication and psychiatric rehabilitation with residents to assist with their recovery to return to the community.

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 vs practitioner skills

Common psychiatric nurse skills

Patients, 25%
Mental Illness, 11%
CPR, 7%
Therapeutic Interventions, 5%
Psychiatric Care, 4%
IV, 4%

Common practitioner skills

Patients, 28%
Patient Care, 9%
Social Work, 7%
Resuscitation, 5%
Individual Therapy, 4%
Continuous Improvement, 3%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Psychiatric Nurse
Psychiatric Nurse vs Practitioner

Updated January 8, 2025

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