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Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Salary

By Allison Skoglind, allied health world contributing writer
Published: January, 22 2011

What is the average psychiatric nurse practitioner salary?

The National Salary and Workplace Survey of Nurse Practitioners reported that the average nurse practitioner salary in 2009 was $89,579. Yet, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner salaries can differ widely depending, in part, on which state a professional chooses to practice in.

According to salaryexpert.com, which gathers salary finding from sources such as the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS), US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), US Occupational Employment Statistics, and the Economic Research Institute (ERI), the average psychiatric nurse practitioner annual salary figures in ten major cities throughout the United States are as follows: Orlando, Florida ($55,437); Charlotte, North Carolina ($57,606); Indianapolis, Indiana ($62,033); Atlanta, Georgia ($62,922); Dallas, Texas ($67,755); Phoenix, Arizona ($68,427); Chicago, Illinois ($69,078); Houston, Texas ($69,411); New York/Manhattan, New York ($77,799); and Boston, Massachusetts ($89,026).

Of course, psychiatric nurse practitioners frequently find greater job availability in cities with high population densities. However, these same cities don't necessarily offer higher salaries than more rural communities. Since geographic location is a determining factor for salaries, professionals that are willing and able to relocate or commute for a particular position often enjoy the benefit of higher-end salaries.

What factors impact a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner's salary?

Although psychiatric nurse practitioner salaries vary between geographic locations, salaries are also influenced by a number of other factors. According to the National Salary and Workplace Survey of Nurse Practitioners, salaries for NPs, including psychiatric nurse practitioners, are largely determined by work setting, education, and experience.

As it relates to work environment, professionals in private practice can earn salaries as high as $116,021/yr. However, those that are employed in emergency departments earn $104,369/yr. while professionals working in mental health settings earn closer to $100,140/yr. Average salaries for other employment sites include: house calls ($98,915/yr.), hospitals ($93,694/yr.), family practice ($86,520/yr.), and academia ($81,552/yr.)

Still another factor that determines salary is the psychiatric nurse practitioner program completed and the academic degree held. Currently, nurse practitioners that hold doctorate degrees (DNP) typically earned $7,688/yr. more than those with master's degrees (MSN). This salary disparity in relation to education is expected to narrow considerably because by 2015 all psychiatric nurse practitioners will be required to hold a DNP before becoming eligible for entry-level positions.

Finally, those with many years of work experience can earn considerably higher salaries than those with very little experience. For example, psychiatric nurse practitioners with between eleven and fifteen years of experience earn an average salary of $94,142/yr. By contrast, entry-level professionals earn a lower salary of $82,020/yr.

Even though salaries are important to psychiatric nurse practitioners as they look for employment, it is not the only consideration. Professionals are often very interested in the employee benefits that are offered in addition to salaries. Some benefits that employers may also compensate psychiatric nurse practitioners with include health care insurance, continuing education, paid vacation, malpractice insurance, retirement plans, and paid time off.