4 answers
Katherine
Student
Durham, North Carolina
1
Question
Updated
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Where are some places to work, other than hospitals, for a psychiatric nurse practitioner??
I am currently preparing to become a registered nurse at a local community college.
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4 answers
Ann Schlensig
Family Nurse Practitioner
45
Answers
Phoenix, Arizona
Updated
Ann’s Answer
I know several psychiatric nurse practitioners who have started their own practices and work on their own. Besides working in a hospital, a psychiatric nurse practitioner can also work in outpatient centers, community clinics, and private offices or groups. They can also offer telehealth or online sessions. There are many different places where a psychiatric nurse practitioner can work.
Martin Schoen
APRN
387
Answers
Ocala, Florida
Updated
Martin’s Answer
Psychiatric NPs have more job opportunities outside hospitals than any other specialty. They can work in private practices, VA clinics, healthcare facilities, and skilled nursing facilities.
Thanks, can't wait to put this advice into action!
Katherine
Chinyere Okafor
Educationist and Counseling Psychologist
1205
Answers
Port Harcourt, Rivers, Nigeria
Updated
Chinyere’s Answer
Hi Katherine,
That's a fantastic question, and it's a very wise one to put forward at this early stage. Many people believe that psychiatric nurse practitioners solely work in hospitals, but in reality, the field is far broader and more flexible, particularly as mental health care continues to move into outpatient and community-based settings.
In addition to hospitals, a large number of psychiatric nurse practitioners operate in private offices and outpatient mental health facilities. Long-term patient relationships, therapy collaboration, and medication management tend to be the main focuses of these environments. Some PMHNPs eventually create or join private practices, which can provide greater autonomy, improved work-life balance, and scheduling flexibility.
PMHNPs assist marginalized groups in nonprofit organizations and community mental health, which is another important field. Working with people who suffer from serious mental illness, substance use issues, or homelessness may fall under this category. These positions are impact-driven that often focus on providing trauma-informed, culturally sensitive care and high-value employment if you value advocacy and service.
In order to support students with anxiety, depression, ADHD, and crisis intervention, psychiatric nurse practitioners are also in high demand in educational institutions and university health clinics. PMHNPs are also used in forensic and correctional settings to deliver mental health services in jails, prisons, and rehabilitation centers.
Opportunities can also be found in the rapidly evolving fields of virtual psychiatry and telehealth. Nowadays, a large number of PMHNPs provide evaluations and medication management across states, either entirely or partially remotely (depending on license). This option is particularly appealing if your long-term goals include scalability and flexibility.
Residential treatment facilities, drug rehab programs, integrated primary care clinics, military or veteran services, and research or policy-focused positions are some other less evident but expanding areas. Some PMHNPs even work in startup mental health platforms, consultancy, or corporate wellness.
The best course of action as you progress through nursing school is to look for early clinical exposure in behavioral health settings, whether as a volunteer, assistant, or tech. This experience builds up quickly and assists you in determining which settings best suit your values, energy, and goals for the future.
In summary, becoming a psychiatric nurse practitioner can lead to opportunities outside of hospitals. You will have significant influence over the development of a meaningful and long-lasting career if you are intentional about your training and clinical experiences.
Best wishes!
That's a fantastic question, and it's a very wise one to put forward at this early stage. Many people believe that psychiatric nurse practitioners solely work in hospitals, but in reality, the field is far broader and more flexible, particularly as mental health care continues to move into outpatient and community-based settings.
In addition to hospitals, a large number of psychiatric nurse practitioners operate in private offices and outpatient mental health facilities. Long-term patient relationships, therapy collaboration, and medication management tend to be the main focuses of these environments. Some PMHNPs eventually create or join private practices, which can provide greater autonomy, improved work-life balance, and scheduling flexibility.
PMHNPs assist marginalized groups in nonprofit organizations and community mental health, which is another important field. Working with people who suffer from serious mental illness, substance use issues, or homelessness may fall under this category. These positions are impact-driven that often focus on providing trauma-informed, culturally sensitive care and high-value employment if you value advocacy and service.
In order to support students with anxiety, depression, ADHD, and crisis intervention, psychiatric nurse practitioners are also in high demand in educational institutions and university health clinics. PMHNPs are also used in forensic and correctional settings to deliver mental health services in jails, prisons, and rehabilitation centers.
Opportunities can also be found in the rapidly evolving fields of virtual psychiatry and telehealth. Nowadays, a large number of PMHNPs provide evaluations and medication management across states, either entirely or partially remotely (depending on license). This option is particularly appealing if your long-term goals include scalability and flexibility.
Residential treatment facilities, drug rehab programs, integrated primary care clinics, military or veteran services, and research or policy-focused positions are some other less evident but expanding areas. Some PMHNPs even work in startup mental health platforms, consultancy, or corporate wellness.
The best course of action as you progress through nursing school is to look for early clinical exposure in behavioral health settings, whether as a volunteer, assistant, or tech. This experience builds up quickly and assists you in determining which settings best suit your values, energy, and goals for the future.
In summary, becoming a psychiatric nurse practitioner can lead to opportunities outside of hospitals. You will have significant influence over the development of a meaningful and long-lasting career if you are intentional about your training and clinical experiences.
Best wishes!
I appreciate you taking the time to answer this.
Katherine
You're welcome!
Chinyere Okafor
Rebecca Gitomer
Fundraising, Partnerships, and Art
32
Answers
Denver, Colorado
Updated
Rebecca’s Answer
Hi Katherine! While I am not a nurse, I work for CareerVillage.org and wanted to make sure you're aware of our free other platform: Coach. We have dedicated activities for students pursuing nursing occupations and in fact are currently running a scholarship program until Dec 12 -- it's a great opportunity to get this exact question answered by a trusted tool AND enter yourself to potentially win an awesome scholarship. The tool was built exactly for questions like this one!! Here's more information on the scholarship and how to enter/sign up: https://challenges.careervillage.org/coach-2025-nursing-scholarship-2/
Thank you for the advice.
Katherine