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Psychiatric nursing assistant education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
2 min read
Usually, psychiatric nursing assistants don't need a college education. The most common degree for psychiatric nursing assistants is bachelor's degree with 38% graduates, with only 22% psychiatric nursing assistant graduates earning high school diploma. Psychiatric nursing assistants who decided to graduate from college often finish University of Iowa or University of Phoenix. Some good skills to have in this position include patients, mental health and vital signs.

Popular psychiatric nursing assistant certifications include Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA), Medical Assistant, or Basic Life Support (BLS). To improve psychiatric nursing assistant qualification and skills, we prepared some online courses to help in psychiatric nursing assistant education paths.

What education do you need to become a psychiatric nursing assistant?

What degree do you need to be a psychiatric nursing assistant?

The most common degree for psychiatric nursing assistants is bachelor's degree, with 38% of psychiatric nursing assistants earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are high school diploma degree at 22% and high school diploma degree at 21%.
  • Bachelor's, 38%
  • High School Diploma, 22%
  • Associate, 21%
  • Diploma, 6%
  • Other Degrees, 13%

What should I major in to become a psychiatric nursing assistant?

You should major in psychology to become a psychiatric nursing assistant. 20% of psychiatric nursing assistants major in psychology. Other common majors for a psychiatric nursing assistant include nursing and business.

Best majors for psychiatric nursing assistants

RankMajorPercentages
1Psychology20.0%
2Nursing15.7%
3Business9.7%
4Criminal Justice7.4%
5General Studies6.4%

20 best online courses for psychiatric nursing assistants

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1. Operations and Patient Safety for Healthcare IT Staff

coursera

Now that you've been introduced to the world of Health IT and the important role played by electronic health records (EHRs), we'll focus on other technologies that play a role in maintaining ongoing operations in healthcare. Telemedicine, patient portals, barcode scanners, printers, and medical devices are just some of the technologies that impact providers and patients. As an IT support specialist, you’ll be asked to troubleshoot issues with a wide variety of tools. You'll see a scenario with...

2. Prehospital care of acute stroke and patient selection for endovascular treatment using the RACE scale

coursera

Acute stroke is a time-dependent medical emergency. In acute ischemic stroke, the first objective is to restore brain flow using sistemic thrombolytic treatment and, in patients with large vessel occlusion, by endovascular treatment. In hemorrhagic stroke there are also specific treatments that can improve the clinical outcome. The sooner the initiation of all these therapies the higher the clinical benefit. Thus, the organization of Stroke Code systems coordinated between emergency medical...

3. Crisis Intervention Seminar

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The emphasis is on the development of fundamental clinical skills in the area of crisis intervention...

4. Home Health Aide, Nurse Aide, Caregiver Certification Course

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4.6
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Become A Certified Home Health Aide, Personal Care Aide, Nurse Aide/ Caregiver At The End Of This Course. Enroll Now!!...

5. Addiction Treatment: Clinical Skills for Healthcare Providers

coursera

This course is designed with a singular goal: to improve the care you provide to your patients with substance use disorders. By delving into a model case performed by actors, seven Yale instructors from various fields provide techniques to screen your patients for substance use disorder risk, diagnose patients to gauge the severity of their use, directly manage treatment plans, refer out to treatment services, and navigate the various conditions that may limit your patient’s access to treatment...

6. Medical Emergencies: CPR, Toxicology, and Wilderness

coursera

In this course, you will develop the knowledge and skills to assess and stabilize certain types of patients for transport. By the end of this course, you will be able to: (1) Identify the signs and symptoms associated with a patient in shock, to describe the major categories of shock, to assess a patient with signs of shock and formulate a plan for treatment to stabilize the patient for transport, (2) Identify a patient in cardiac arrest and to describe the components of high performance CPR...

7. Cat Behavior Rectification & Cat Health Care: 2 courses in 1

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4.2
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1. Common Cat Behavior Issues and training methods to rectify them 2. Tips for better healthcare of your cat...

8. Abnormal Behavior & Clinical Psychology (Certificate)

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4.4
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Guiding students into the field of mental health services for either personal and/or professional development...

9. Health After Cancer: Cancer Survivorship for Primary Care

coursera

This course presents basic principles of cancer survivorship to primary-care physicians. Developed by a team of experts in caring for cancer survivors, and narrated by a primary-care physician, this course provides practical tips and tools that can be easily integrated into medical practice. You will learn about the complex physical and psychosocial needs and concerns of the growing number of cancer survivors, along with the key role that primary care physicians have in guiding these patients...

10. The Critical Role of IT Support Staff in Healthcare

coursera

This is a very exciting time to be exploring a career in Health IT Support! In this introductory course, you’ll learn about various roles in IT support that are common in healthcare. IT support staff play critical roles in many different healthcare venues. In addition to helping clinics, hospitals, and emergency rooms, you may end up providing support in a skilled nursing facility, ambulatory surgical center, virtual care setting, or even a patient’s home! On any given day, you may interact...

11. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT): The Complete Course

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Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)...

12. Introduction to Integrative Nursing

coursera

This course is designed for nurses who are drawn to practice in a different way – nurses who value whole-person care and know that the essence of nursing practice is truly caring and healing. You will learn about the principles and practices of Integrative Nursing and how you can be a healing presence to all you serve. Then, you will do an integrative assessment and apply the principles of Integrative Nursing to improve symptom management and overall patient outcomes. Finally, you will explore...

13. Patient Safety

coursera

Preventable patient harms, including medical errors and healthcare-associated complications, are a global public health threat. Moreover, patients frequently do not receive treatments and interventions known to improve their outcomes. These shortcomings typically result not from individual clinicians’ mistakes, but from systemic problems -- communication breakdowns, poor teamwork, and poorly designed care processes, to name a few.\n\nThe Patient Safety & Quality Leadership Specialization covers...

14. Clinical Kidney, Pancreas and Islet Transplantation

coursera

Kidney transplantation is a major advance of modern medicine which provides high-quality of life for patients with end-stage renal disease. What used to be an experimental, risky, and very limited treatment option more than 50 years ago is now routinely performed in many countries worldwide. The number of renal transplants is expected to rise sharply in the next decade since the proportion of patients with end stage renal disease is increasing. Are you interested in clinical kidney, pancreas...

15. Value-Based Care: Managing Processes to Improve Outcomes

coursera

COURSE 3 of 7. This course is designed to introduce you to critical office-based processes that a value-based practice must manage in the drive towards improved patient outcomes. In Module 2, we’ll focus on office-based and clinical patient-based supporting functions. At every level in healthcare, guidelines, processes, and functions exist to improve outcomes, and following a consistent process will return the best effect. Refine your understanding of value and learn strategies to provide real...

16. Motivational Enhancement Techniques: Working with Patients with Opioid & Substance Use Disorders or High Risk Use MAT Waiver Training S...

coursera

WORKING WITH PATIENTS WITH SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS OR HIGH RISK This optional online course opportunity is made possible through a joint partnership with University of Virginia School of Medicine (UVASOM) and Nursing (SON) and the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry (AAAP), DATA 2000 sponsor. This content was created by the AAAP and has been used with permission. The course consists of one 1-hour session for healthcare providers who wish to enhance their effectiveness in treating high-risk...

17. Integrative Nursing

coursera

You will identify ways to implement the six principles of Integrative Nursing in your work setting, then learn how to practice and apply specific integrative therapies at work, in alignment with the research evidence and safety and quality considerations. In short, you will be ready to partner with patients on developing a plan of integrative care that fits their needs and preferences. Each course is eligible for Minnesota Board of Nursing continuing education requirements and may be eligible...

18. COVID-19 Training for Healthcare Workers

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COVID-19 is rapidly spreading across the globe and all providers must be prepared to recognize, stabilize and treat patients with novel coronavirus infection. Following completion of this short course physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals will have a unified, evidenced-based approach to saving the lives of patients with COVID-19, including those who are critically ill. Learning modules are broken into short videos presented in a richly illustrated and compelling manner. The...

19. Palliative Care Always

coursera

Palliative Care Always is a specialization for health care practitioners, patients and caregivers. We’ve designed this specialization to demonstrate how palliative medicine integrates with patient care, and to help you develop primary palliative care skills. Over the next five courses, you will develop skills in symptom management, goals of care and effective communication to improve the quality of life for patients and families suffering with serious illness. Our hope is that you feel...

20. Emergency Care: Pregnancy, Infants, and Children

coursera

Welcome to the final course of lectures in your quest to master EMT basics. In this course, we will cover some of the highest-stress patient populations: pregnant patients and kids, also known as pediatrics. To wrap up your EMT knowledge we will end this course with information about hazmat situations, extricating patients from tight spots and finally how you write a note about your patient care. You will learn to ensure it communicates what your assessment of the patient was, what...

Average psychiatric nursing assistant salary by education level

According to our data, psychiatric nursing assistants with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $34,654 annually. Psychiatric nursing assistants with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $33,407.
Psychiatric nursing assistant education levelPsychiatric nursing assistant salary
Master's Degree$34,654
High School Diploma or Less$31,487
Bachelor's Degree$33,407
Some College/ Associate Degree$32,268

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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