As a nurse, you’re passionate about helping patients to live their best lives, and for you, protecting their mental health is a top priority. Fortunately, through psych nursing, you can provide patients with the support and aid they need and, in turn, positively impact your community.

The problem? You get antsy when you stay in one city or at one medical center for too long. You certainly want to be a psych nurse, but you don’t want to be confined to a single facility.

The solution? You can become a psych travel nurse.

The field of psych travel nursing offers high levels of job satisfaction by providing variety, stimulation, and the opportunity to make a difference in society. Here’s a rundown on everything you need to know about embarking on a new career path as a psych travel nurse.

The Work of a Psych Travel Nurse

A psych travel nurse also called a mental health travel nurse, is responsible for providing mental health treatment for patients with psychiatric problems or mental health issues in a variety of locations. These locations range from prisons to schools, hospitals, recovery/therapeutic settings, and centers that provide mental health care. 

As a professional in this nursing specialty, you can expect to assess each patient’s needs as he or she visits a hospital, clinic, or psychiatric unit. Then, you’ll develop nursing diagnoses by performing psychiatric testing and creating plans of care. You’ll also administer psychiatric medications to patients. This is an important responsibility in the industry, as patients who are on psychiatric medications have to be monitored very closely in outpatient as well as inpatient settings. 

Finally, you’ll evaluate clients’ progress as they undergo treatment. During this process, you will work with individuals as well as groups, families, and even communities.

In the psych travel nursing field, a travel nursing agency will provide you with assignments that best meet your needs. These assignments may span from a single day to multiple months at a time. In addition, you’ll most likely work with other members of a comprehensive and cohesive care team. These members range from psych techs to other nurses and doctors.

Benefits of Being a Psych Travel Nurse

One of the core benefits of being a mental health travel nurse is that travel nursing jobs generally pay 15% more than traditional nursing jobs do. As a result, they can help you to more quickly and efficiently achieve your particular financial goals. On top of this, you may be able to take advantage of such perks as tuition assistance, a 401(k) retirement savings plan, and dental and medical benefits. 

As a mental health travel nurse, you can also receive help with industry credentialing and licensing. You can furthermore capitalize on a generous allowance for housing or private, free housing.

How to Become a Psych Travel Nurse

To enter the psych travel nursing field, you’ll need to earn a nursing degree along with a license in nursing. The majority of employers prefer travel nurses with bachelor’s degrees in the field. In addition, you can earn a registered nurse designation by passing the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses, or NCLEX-RN test.

You’ll additionally need to have at least a couple of years of experience in the field to claim a job as a mental health travel nurse. Certification is also available in the field, which may further increase your chances of landing psych travel nurse jobs.

Tap into the Benefits of Psych Travel Nurse Jobs Today!

If you’re interested in catering to patients’ mental health needs in a variety of health care environments, cities, and states, then psych travel nursing couldn’t be a better career option for you. Fortunately, at Coast Medical Service, we can help you to connect with facilities seeking psych travel nurses to join their teams.

As a leading travel nursing agency, we’re proud to be preferred among many of today’s top hospitals. In addition, we provide exceptional nursing assignments throughout the United States, extensive benefits, and highly competitive pay rates. 

Contact us to learn more about how we can help you to make your psych travel nursing career goals come true in the weeks, months, and years ahead.