Psychiatric Nurses

High School

Psychiatric nurses must first become registered nurses. To prepare for this career, you should take high school mathematics and science courses, including biology, chemistry, and physics. Health courses will also be helpful. English and speech courses should not be neglected because you must be able to communicate well with patients. Nurses also use computers to maintain patient information, so taking a few basic computer science classes will be useful. 

Postsecondary Training

There are three basic kinds of training programs that you may choose from to become a registered nurse: associate's degree, diploma, and bachelor's degree. Deciding on which of the three training programs to choose should depend on your career goals. A bachelor's degree in nursing is required for most supervisory or administrative positions, for jobs in public health agencies, and for admission to graduate nursing programs. A master's degree is usually necessary to prepare for a nursing specialty or to teach. For some specialties, such as nursing research, a Ph.D. is essential.

Entry-level requirements to become a psychiatric nurse depend on the state, the institution, its size, whom it serves, and the availability of nurses in that specialty and geographical region. Usually nurses must have some nursing experience before entering the psychiatric nursing field. Some institutions may require certification as a psychiatric nurse. Psychiatric nurses who wish to advance their education may take graduate level courses and become clinical nurse specialists or nurse practitioners.

Other Education or Training

The American Psychiatric Nurses Association offers continuing education opportunities at its annual conference, via its Clinical Psychopharmacology Institute (where attendees receive targeted education on drug therapies), and through online courses on topics such as special skills for psychiatric mental health nurses and psychopharmacology. Contact the association for more information.