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Psychiatric Rn Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Psychiatric RN

La Mesa, CA

$1K - $2K/wk

$ 55 - 60 / hr Registered Nurse Amergis is seeking RNs for an acute psychiatric facility in San Diego, CA. The inpatient Registered Nurse is responsible for the delivery of quality general and ...

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Psychiatric Rn information

See California salary details

$1.1K

$2K

$2.9K

How much do psychiatric rn jobs pay per week?

As of Jun 14, 2026, the average weekly pay for psychiatric rn in California is $2,028.88, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $1,707.69 and $2,344.23 per week, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a Psychiatric RN?

A Psychiatric RN, or Psychiatric Registered Nurse, is a nursing professional who specializes in caring for patients with mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and substance abuse disorders. They work in various settings, including hospitals, mental health facilities, and outpatient clinics. Their responsibilities include assessing patients' mental health needs, administering medications, providing therapeutic interventions, and collaborating with other mental health professionals to create and implement treatment plans. Psychiatric RNs play a crucial role in supporting patients and their families during treatment and recovery.

What is the difference between Psychiatric Rn vs Mental Health Nurse?

AspectPsychiatric RnMental Health Nurse
CredentialsRegistered Nurse license, specialized psychiatric trainingRegistered Nurse license, mental health specialization often preferred
Work EnvironmentHospitals, psychiatric facilities, outpatient clinicsCommunity clinics, hospitals, mental health centers
Employer & IndustryHealthcare providers, mental health institutionsPublic health agencies, private clinics, hospitals

Both Psychiatric Rns and Mental Health Nurses are registered nurses with mental health expertise, working in similar environments. The main difference lies in terminology and regional usage, but their roles, credentials, and work settings are largely overlapping, focusing on patient care in mental health settings.

Is there a demand for psych nurses?

Psychiatric RNs are in high demand due to increasing awareness of mental health issues and a growing need for mental health services. They work in hospitals, clinics, and community settings, often requiring specialized training and certification in psychiatric nursing. Job prospects are strong across many regions, with opportunities for advancement and specialization.

Can a psych NP make 200K?

Psychiatric nurse practitioners (Psych NPs) can potentially earn $200,000 or more annually, especially with extensive experience, specialized certifications, and working in high-demand or private practice settings. Salaries vary by location, employer, and workload, with some Psych NPs earning higher incomes through overtime, telepsychiatry, or leadership roles.

What are some common challenges Psychiatric RNs face when working with patients in acute care settings?

Psychiatric RNs in acute care settings often encounter challenges such as managing unpredictable patient behaviors, addressing complex mental health crises, and maintaining safety for both patients and staff. They must use strong assessment and de-escalation skills while working within interdisciplinary teams that include psychiatrists, social workers, and therapists. Additionally, they need to balance compassionate care with enforcing boundaries and protocols to ensure a therapeutic environment, which can be emotionally demanding but also rewarding.

What is the highest paid psychiatric nurse?

The highest paid psychiatric nurses are typically those with advanced certifications, extensive experience, and specialized skills, such as psychiatric nurse practitioners or clinical nurse specialists. Salaries can reach over $100,000 annually, especially in high-demand regions or healthcare settings with advanced practice roles and additional responsibilities.

What can you do as a psychiatric nurse?

A psychiatric nurse provides mental health care to patients with psychiatric disorders, including assessing symptoms, administering medications, developing treatment plans, and offering therapy or support. They work in hospitals, clinics, or community settings, often collaborating with a multidisciplinary team and requiring specialized training and licensure in psychiatric nursing.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Psychiatric RN, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Psychiatric RN, you need a solid background in psychiatric nursing, crisis intervention, and patient assessment, supported by an RN license and specialized training in mental health. Familiarity with electronic health records (EHRs), psychiatric medications, and behavioral health documentation systems is typically required. Strong soft skills such as empathy, de-escalation, active listening, and teamwork are essential for supporting patients in distress and collaborating with multidisciplinary teams. These abilities are critical for ensuring patient safety, effective care planning, and fostering therapeutic relationships in challenging mental health environments.
What are the most commonly searched types of Psychiatric Rn jobs in California? The most popular types of Psychiatric Rn jobs in California are:
What cities in California are hiring for Psychiatric Rn jobs? Cities in California with the most Psychiatric Rn job openings:

Inpatient Psychiatric Registered Nurse (Santa Rosa) (Nursing)

Northern California Behavioral Health System

Santa Rosa, CA • On-site

$63 - $75/hr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Posted 6 days ago


Job description

ABOUT US:

Formerly Aurora Santa Rosa Hospital, SRBHH was opened in 2016 and is regarded as an integral part of the greater Santa Rosa and Northern California mental health system of care. Conveniently located in the North Bay, this hospital consists of 144 acute psychiatric inpatient beds.

Santa Rosa Behavioral Healthcare Hospital (SRBHH) is regarded as an integral part of the greater Santa Rosa and Northern California mental health system of care.

Conveniently located in the North Bay, SRBHH serves adolescents and adults. We treat both mental health and co-occurring psychiatric and substance abuse conditions.

POSITION TITLE: Inpatient Psychiatric Registered Nurse

PAY RANGE: $63.00-$75.00 Per Hour

REPORTS TO: Chief Nursing Officer

DESCRIPTION OF POSITION:

The Inpatient Psychiatric RN top priority is to deliver high quality safe care to psychiatric inpatients in the acute locked hospital facility. The Inpatient Psychiatric RN provides direct care and treatment to inpatients and coordinates the care provided by other nursing personnel. The Inpatient Psychiatric RN plans and coordinates each patient’s individual nursing care plans, and implements nursing related aspects of the multidisciplinary treatment plan (MDTP). The Inpatient Psychiatric RN embraces Santa Rosa Behavioral Healthcare Hospital’s (SRBHH) mission, vision and value statements and adheres to and follows all the hospital policies and procedures. The Inpatient Psychiatric RN understands the regulations and standards that govern acute psychiatric hospital services and provides clear direction to their immediate nursing team to meet all regulations, standards, and requirements. The Registered Nurse maintains knowledge of, participates in further training provided, and understands the potential risks regarding occupational health hazards (e.g. bloodborne pathogen exposures).

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Assess inpatient needs, nursing staff resources and complete inpatient/unit assignments based on acuity, inpatient treatment plan goals, and unit operations.
  • Assess all inpatients’ status, provide direct care to assigned group of inpatients, documents patient care and assessments rendered, prepares and administers medications as needed, and ensure necessary documentation is completed at the end of each shift.
  • Provide clinical summary information to other team members at treatment team meetings, shift reports and other hand-offs. The Inpatient Psychiatric RN provides continual oversight of all inpatients and inpatient psychiatric unit operations.
  • Work with nursing and other clinical staff to plan and document patient care. Document care plans on the MDTP and include inpatient problems, goals for hospitalization, and short-term goals. Includes interventions provided by team members to assist inpatients in returning to a reasonable mental health status and ultimately lower level of care.
  • Provide patient care by routinely demonstrating knowledge of mental health diagnoses, standards of care, evidenced based practice, medications (including old and new psychotropic medications), high risks for mental health patients, National Patient Safety Goals, and models of care.
  • Apply nursing process and process improvement principles to all levels of the organization. The scope of this process ranges from patient needs to the hospital needs as a whole. This includes ability to assess, collect data, define problems, set goals, initiate interventions and evaluate interventions. Complete timely Incident Reports and submits them to the Nurse Manager or RN House Supervisor.
  • Identify staffing needs based on staffing plan and acuity assessments.
  • Provide direct clinical oversight to other nursing staff throughout the shift in conjunction with the Nurse Manager, RN House Supervisor, or Director of Nursing (DON) as appropriate.
  • Coordinate team members’ immediate response during psychiatric crises of inpatients and provide effective leadership at all times.
  • Perform other related duties as assigned.

Requirements

Education/Licensure:

  • Current California RN License
  • Current Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) certification required, or obtained within initial orientation period.
  • Verbal de-escalation and physical intervention program as approved by the CNO.
  • Knowledge and experience of psychiatric diagnosis and associated risks, medications, biological systems, nursing process, treatment planning, inpatient hospital unit operations, and leadership. New RN graduates may meet these requirements if they have completed a psychiatric rotation as part of nursing school or have psychiatric experience in another role.
  • English proficiency required.

Skills and Competencies:

The Inpatient Psychiatric RN will pass initial and annual competency evaluations including (not limited to): suicide prevention, safe use of restraints, de-escalation interventions, medication knowledge, code blue/emergency interventions, infection prevention, and appropriate use of seclusion and restraints. The Inpatient Psychiatric RN will demonstrate skill in applying knowledge and competency in daily nursing practice. Maintain a working knowledge of commonly used policies, awareness of policy changes and knows where to find additional polices and needed information.

Physical Requirements

While performing the duties of this job, this position is frequently required to do the following:

  • Stoop, kneel, crouch, reach, and stand for sustained period of time.
  • Walk, push, pull, lift, carry objects from a lower to higher position or horizontally from position to position or otherwise move objects.
  • Feel sizes, shapes, temperatures, and textures by touching with skin, particularly that of the fingertips.
  • Express or exchange ideas orally and potentially loudly, accurately, or quickly.
  • Perceive the nature of sound with no less than a 40 db loss @ 1000 Hz and 2000 Hz with or without correction.
  • Exert up to 100 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 20 pounds of force frequently.
  • Able to provide manual and mechanical restraints for patients who are physically acting out and are potentially dangerous (at times this occurs on the floor.)
  • Minimum standard of visual acuity with or without correction.
  • While worker may possibly be subjected to temperature changes, the worker is generally not substantially exposed to adverse environmental conditions as the work is predominantly inside.

Benefits

  • Health Insurance
  • Vision Insurance
  • Dental Insurance
  • 401k Retirement Plan
  • Healthcare Spending Account
  • Life Insurance
    (Supplemental Life, Term and Universal plans are also available)
  • Short and Long-Term Disability
    (with additional buy-in opportunities)
  • PTO Plan with Holiday Premium Pay
  • Discounted Cafeteria Meal Plan
  • Tuition Reimbursement