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How to hire a Psychiatric Registered Nurse

Psychiatric registered nurse hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring psychiatric registered nurses in the United States:

  • The median cost to hire a psychiatric registered nurse is $1,633.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • HR departments typically allocate 15% of their budget towards recruitment efforts.
  • Small businesses spend $1,105 per psychiatric registered nurse on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
  • It takes approximately 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
  • There are a total of 37,250 psychiatric registered nurses in the US, and there are currently 640,480 job openings in this field.
  • Nashville, TN, has the highest demand for psychiatric registered nurses, with 34 job openings.

How to hire a psychiatric registered nurse, step by step

To hire a psychiatric registered nurse, consider the skills and experience you are looking for in a candidate, allocate a budget for the position, and post and promote the job opening to reach potential candidates. Follow these steps to hire a psychiatric registered nurse:

Here's a step-by-step psychiatric registered nurse 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 registered nurse job description
  • Step 5: Post your job
  • Step 6: Interview candidates
  • Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new psychiatric registered nurse
  • Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a Psychiatric Registered Nurse do?

A registered psychiatric nurse works alongside mental health experts to develop and administer psychiatric treatment plans according to the patients' needs. Among their responsibilities include gathering and organizing patient information, studying the patients' medical histories, conducting interviews and assessments, providing counseling, administering medicine, and restraining unsettled patients. There are also instances when they must conduct inspections to remove potentially harmful objects and provide psychoeducation to the patients' families. Above all, a registered psychiatric nurse must closely monitor the behavior of patients, record their daily progress, and report to the psychiatrists regularly.

Learn more about the specifics of what a psychiatric registered nurse does
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  1. Identify your hiring needs

    Before you post your psychiatric registered nurse 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 registered nurse 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?

    A psychiatric registered nurse's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, psychiatric registered nurses from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

    This list shows salaries for various types of psychiatric registered nurses.

    Type Of Psychiatric Registered NurseDescriptionHourly Rate
    Psychiatric Registered NurseRegistered nurses (RNs) provide and coordinate patient care, educate patients and the public about various health conditions, and provide advice and emotional support to patients and their family members.$21-56
    Staff NurseStaff nurses are registered nurses who are usually assigned to work in a care home, a company, or in a clinical setting. They advise the physical assessments of patients, employees, and residents... Show More$20-52
    Advanced Registered Nurse PractitionerAn advanced registered nurse practitioner (ARNP) is responsible for patient care. An ARNP may practice independently or work with other healthcare professionals such as physicians... Show More$29-73
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common Skills:
    • Patients
    • Home Health
    • Patient Safety
    • Substance Abuse
    • Triage
    • IM
    • Mental Illness
    • Chemical Dependency
    • CPI
    • Medical Care
    • Medication Administration
    • Discharge Planning
    • Therapeutic Environment
    • Patient Education
    Check All Skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
    • Collaborate with psychiatrists and therapists to coordinate detoxification protocol, medical and psychiatric care for mental health and substance abuse patients.
    • Perform psychiatric nursing assessments and medication management for patients in a residential detox and rehab for alcohol and substance abuse.
    • Certify CPR instructor and conduct CPR training sessions.
    • Staff RN; function in various duties of triage, staff, and charge nurse positions.
    • Communicate triage decisions to psychiatrists.
    More Psychiatric Registered Nurse duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in the psychiatric registered nurse job description is a good way to get more applicants. A psychiatric registered nurse salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

    For example, the average salary for a psychiatric registered nurse in Kansas may be lower than in New York, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level psychiatric registered nurse. Additionally, a psychiatric registered nurse with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

    Average psychiatric registered nurse salary

    $73,053yearly

    $35.12 hourly rate

    Entry-level psychiatric registered nurse salary
    $45,000 yearly salary
    Updated February 10, 2025

    Average psychiatric registered nurse salary by state

    RankStateAvg. SalaryHourly Rate
    1New York$112,814$54
    2California$112,400$54
    3Connecticut$108,606$52
    4Pennsylvania$96,665$46
    5New Jersey$94,096$45
    6Oregon$90,883$44
    7Washington$86,511$42
    8Michigan$82,734$40
    9Maryland$81,657$39
    10Illinois$81,166$39
    11Arizona$77,144$37
    12Virginia$74,652$36
    13Ohio$70,639$34
    14Georgia$68,533$33
    15Colorado$68,042$33
    16Indiana$65,770$32
    17Tennessee$63,818$31
    18Texas$63,806$31
    19Kansas$61,905$30
    20Florida$60,540$29

    Average psychiatric registered nurse salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
    1Scripps Health$154,720$74.38155
    2Common Ground$146,757$70.563
    3Familylinks, Inc.$136,017$65.391
    4Terros Health$131,165$63.065
    5Tenet Healthcare$126,286$60.711,218
    6Canvas Health$122,580$58.931
    7Providence Health & Services$114,411$55.01831
    8Northwestern Medicine$112,816$54.24274
    9Harris Health System$108,245$52.0413
    10Huntington Hospital$106,538$51.2264
    11Heritage Valley Health System$104,053$50.0320
    12Community Medical Center$103,413$49.72116
    13Soliant$101,290$48.7045
    14Logan Health$99,854$48.0175
    15Mercy Health$99,554$47.86845
    16Accountable Healthcare Holdings Corp.$96,852$46.56121
    17Mission Health Services$95,763$46.04101
    18Mountain View Hospital$95,679$46.0048
    19CHKD Thrift Store$95,176$45.76
    20Maxim Healthcare Group$93,860$45.132,155
  4. Writing a Psychiatric Registered Nurse Job Description

    A job description for a psychiatric registered nurse role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a psychiatric registered nurse job description:

    Psychiatric Registered Nurse job description example

    Registered Nurse RN, Adult Behavioral Unit, Full Time, Nights
    SIGN ON BONUS and RELOCATION available for qualified candidates We are looking for a Registered Nurse (RN) to join our Adult Behavioral Team in Albuquerque, NM.
    **Accepting New Graduates, grow your career with Lovelace!
    This job is located at Lovelace Medical Center, in the heart of Albuquerque, is an acute care hospital providing comprehensive care, including around-the-clock emergency care, surgical services, non-invasive robotic spine surgery, cardiology, stroke care, radiology and oncology services, including the state's only Gamma Knife Center for non-invasive radiologic brain surgery.

    Responsibilities

    Registered Nurse (RN) Job Requirements:
    Responsible and accountable for the practice of Professional Nursing, to include patient care and staff management assigned to the RN in his/her charge within the behavioral health/pyschiatric unit. May serve in the role of Charge Nurse and is accountable for professional practice. Adheres to policies and procedures and regulations to ensure compliance and patient safety.
    Qualifications

    Registered Nurse (RN) Education and Experience Requirements: Minimum: Associate's Degree or Diploma of Nursing Desired: Bachelor's Degree in Nursing Desired: One (1) year experience Valid NM RN License or valid multi-state compact license BLS; ACLS and PALS may be required by hiring department Ability to maintain strict patient confidentiality Management skills Strong organization and problem solving skills Works well in a team setting Communicates effectively both orally and in writing Why Lovelace?
    New Mexico Hospital Association/ American Hospital Association Quest for Excellence award, general Acute Hospital, 2021 U.S. News & World Report, Chest Pain MI Registry Performance achievement Award, 2021 "A" grade from Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, 2019, Fall 2020 Healthgrades 2020 Specialty Excellence Awards: Pulmonology Care excellence, 2020; American's 100 Modern Healthcare's Best Places to Work, 2016-2019 U.S. New & World Report "Best Hospitals," in Congestive Heart Failure, Heart Attack, 2021-2022 Best Hospitals for cardiac care, 2019; America's 100 Best Hospitals for Coronary Intervention, 2019 American Heart Association/ American Stroke Association "Get with the Guidelines" Stroke gold Plus quality Achievement Award, 2012-2022 (Target Honor Roll - Elite Plus, 2019-2022) Lovelace is a drug-free employer with smoke free campuses. With 30 hospitals and hundreds of clinics, Ardent Health Services is a premier provider of health care services, delivered with compassion for patients and their families and with respect for employees, physicians and other health professionals. Nearly half of our facilities have been recognized among healthcare's best places to work. Our hospitals and health systems include; Hillcrest Health System in Oklahoma, UT Health East Texas, BSA Health System, and Seton Medical Center Harker Heights in Texas, Lovelace Health System in New Mexico, University of Kansas Health System St. Francis Campus in Kansas, Portneuf Medical Center in Idaho, as well as Hackensack Meridian Health at Pascack Valley, and Hackensack Meridian Health Mountainside hospitals in New Jersey.
  5. Post your job

    To find psychiatric registered nurses for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

    • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
    • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any psychiatric registered nurses they would recommend.
    • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level psychiatric registered nurses with the right educational background.
    • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.
    Post your job online:
    • Post your psychiatric registered nurse job on Zippia to find and recruit psychiatric registered nurse candidates who meet your exact specifications.
    • Use field-specific websites.
    • Post a job on free websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    To successfully recruit psychiatric registered nurses, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up 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 registered nurse

    Once you have selected a candidate for the psychiatric registered nurse position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

    It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

    To prepare for the new psychiatric registered nurse first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

  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 registered nurse?

There are different types of costs for hiring psychiatric registered nurses. One-time cost per hire for the recruitment process. Ongoing costs include employee salary, training, onboarding, benefits, insurance, and equipment. It is essential to consider all of these costs when evaluating hiring a new psychiatric registered nurse employee.

You can expect to pay around $73,053 per year for a psychiatric registered nurse, as this is the median yearly salary nationally. This can vary depending on what state or city you're hiring in. If you're hiring for contract work or on a per-project basis, hourly rates for psychiatric registered nurses in the US typically range between $21 and $56 an hour.

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