How to hire a psychiatric nurse practitioner

How to hire a psychiatric nurse practitioner, step by step

Here's a step-by-step psychiatric nurse practitioner hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a psychiatric nurse practitioner job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new psychiatric nurse practitioner
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a psychiatric nurse practitioner do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your psychiatric nurse practitioner job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a psychiatric nurse practitioner for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a psychiatric nurse practitioner to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a psychiatric nurse practitioner that fits the bill.

   This list presents psychiatric nurse practitioner salaries for various positions.

   Type of Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner	Description	Hourly rate
   Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner	Nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners, also referred to as advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), coordinate patient care and may provide primary and specialty healthcare. The scope of practice varies from state to state.	$29-86
   Mental Health Nurse	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... Show more	$29-87
   Practitioner	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... Show more	$24-66

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Behavioral Health
   • Patient Care
   • Diagnostic Tests
   • Medication Management
   • Mental Health
   • Substance Abuse
   • Crisis Intervention
   • Psychiatric Care
   • Psychiatric Services
   • Adolescents
   • EMR
   • Veterans
   • Rehabilitation

   Check all skills

   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.

   More psychiatric nurse practitioner duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your psychiatric nurse practitioner job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A psychiatric nurse practitioner salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, psychiatric nurse practitioners' average salary in alabama is 40% less than in new jersey.
   • Seniority. Entry-level psychiatric nurse practitioners earn 66% less than senior-level psychiatric nurse practitioners.
   • Certifications. A psychiatric nurse practitioner with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a psychiatric nurse practitioner's salary.

   Average psychiatric nurse practitioner salary

   $105,403yearly

   $50.67 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level psychiatric nurse practitioner salary

   $61,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 8, 2025

   Average psychiatric nurse practitioner salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New Jersey	$146,676	$71
   2	District of Columbia	$141,803	$68
   3	California	$140,152	$67
   4	Minnesota	$128,524	$62
   5	Massachusetts	$127,309	$61
   6	Maine	$122,952	$59
   7	Arizona	$121,933	$59
   8	Maryland	$120,262	$58
   9	Oregon	$120,079	$58
   10	Connecticut	$119,971	$58
   11	Washington	$119,851	$58
   12	New Hampshire	$118,848	$57
   13	New York	$117,873	$57
   14	Delaware	$117,528	$57
   15	Illinois	$117,484	$56
   16	Ohio	$114,183	$55
   17	New Mexico	$106,121	$51
   18	Pennsylvania	$104,822	$50
   19	Texas	$101,096	$49
   20	Colorado	$97,718	$47

   Average psychiatric nurse practitioner salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	The Arc Mercer	$156,753	$75.36	1
   2	Mohawk Valley Health System	$155,327	$74.68	2
   3	CORA Services	$154,781	$74.41
   4	HealthRIGHT 360	$153,803	$73.94	10
   5	Mercy Corps	$153,447	$73.77	2
   6	Children's Clinics for	$153,345	$73.72	1
   7	Rural Health, Inc.	$153,295	$73.70
   8	University of Maryland Medical System	$152,450	$73.29	51
   9	National Medical Association	$152,119	$73.13
   10	St. John's Well Child and Family Center	$151,153	$72.67	2
   11	Families and Youth	$150,338	$72.28
   12	Maine Health/maine Mental Health Partners	$150,251	$72.24	43
   13	Shenandoah Community Health	$147,491	$70.91	9
   14	Private Practice	$147,367	$70.85	75
   15	YAI	$146,519	$70.44
   16	Northwestern Medicine	$145,945	$70.17	26
   17	Behavioral Health Group	$142,748	$68.63	36
   18	Frontier Health	$141,551	$68.05	2
   19	Tarzana Treatment Centers	$141,370	$67.97	1
   20	Peninsula Community Health Services of Alaska	$140,956	$67.77

4. Writing a psychiatric nurse practitioner job description

   A good psychiatric nurse practitioner job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a psychiatric nurse practitioner job description:

   Psychiatric nurse practitioner job description example

   "Serving our community with acceptance, compassion and respect"
   ABOUT CASCADE: Cascade has been providing treatment services to Lewis County and surrounding areas for more than 50 years. Our mission is to provide our clients with compassionate and encouraging counseling leading to a renewed sense of hope and the ability to make positive changes and live more satisfying lives. We currently have six treatment locations in Lewis County.
   We are looking for a Psychiatric Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner to join our Inpatient Team! You will provide medical support to admitted clients including but not limited to psychiatric assessments, consultations, medication monitoring, medication management, treatment coordination and consultation with primary clinicians and facility staff.
   Cascade Community Healthcare, as a health care facility, must comply with the Washington State Governor’s mandatory vaccination proclamation. The proclamation states all employees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by October 18th. Exemptions from the vaccine requirement are allowed for those individuals who are entitled to a disability-related reasonable accommodation or a sincerely held religious belief accommodation.
   SHIFTS AVAILABLE: Day Shift: Thursday - Sunday 8:00am - 6:00pm
   WHAT YOU NEED TO GET THE JOB DONE: Must be licensed to work in Washington State as an Advanced Practice Nurse, and a Registered Nurse, with a minimum of two years’ experience in a related field, certified psychiatric nurse preferred. Must be able to pass WA State Patrol and/or national background checks. Must be able to represent the Agency in a positive and professional manner. Must be able to communicate clearly, both verbally and in writing. Must be able to enter information into a computer network system. Must comply with agency policies and procedures. Must have a valid driver’s license. Must be able to operate a motor vehicle. Must be able to gain access to all types of buildings and residences regardless of the structures’ handicapped accessibility or lack thereof. Must maintain current home telephone and address on file with the Human Resources office.
   WHAT YOU'LL DO: Provide psychiatric assessments and treatment planning. Participate in the multidisciplinary treatment teams and work collaboratively with other disciplines in planning for treatment of clients. Coordinates care with psychiatric nursing staff. Provides individual, family, group therapy, and case management and medication management as appropriate. Coordinates treatment services with agency programs, other relevant agencies and others involved in the client’s life, i.e. family, friends, employer and others the client may choose. Provides court testimony as requested/required. Completes all documentations requirements within timeframes established by Medical and/or Nursing Director. Attend and participate in clinical assessment team (CAT) meetings. Maintains records and reports in accordance with agency policies and procedures. Participates in supervision, consultation and training at the direction of the supervisor. Coordinate client data processing procedures and provides consultation to Cascade staff, including primary clinician/ETC staff, regarding client care as needed. Provides reports in accordance with agency policies and procedures. Ensures that ethical and professional standards of practice are maintained. Participates in other selected activities at the direction of the Chief Medical Officer and Chief of Inpatient Services.
   WHAT YOU'LL LOVE ABOUT US: Meaningful work. The services we provide have a big impact and it makes what we do count.
   Self-Care, time away from work. Start off with 13 hours of paid time off (PTO) earned monthly, and 11 paid holidays plus one personal holiday. Pro-rated based on FTE. PTO and Personal Holiday available after 90-days of employment.
   Health Benefits. Medical, dental, and vision. HSA and FSA options available.
   Additional benefits: Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Teladoc, AD&D Group Life Insurance, and voluntary long-term disability.
   Preparing for your Future. 401(k), after 6-months of employment Cascade contributes 5% of your gross earnings monthly. No match required.
   Working towards licensure? We have Team Managers that will provide those hours at no charge to you.
   Cascade covers the cost of Department of Health licensure renewals and other certification renewals that are required for you to do your job (DEA, CPR/BLS, etc.).

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find psychiatric nurse practitioners for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your psychiatric nurse practitioner job on Zippia to find and attract quality psychiatric nurse practitioner candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with psychiatric nurse practitioner candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new psychiatric nurse practitioner

   Once you've found the psychiatric nurse practitioner candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new psychiatric nurse practitioner. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a psychiatric nurse practitioner?