FNP vs. PMHNP: Average Salary
Are you planning on entering the medical field but are conflicted about what profession to choose and where to focus? If you enjoy working with different age categories of patients, from children to adults, a career as a family nurse practitioner can be very fulfilling for you. On the other hand, if you are passionate about helping patients overcome mental health issues, a career as a psychiatric nurse practitioner is precisely what you need.
Stay tuned if you are curious to learn more about each career, what they do, and how much they make!
FNP vs. PMHNP: What Is It?
A family nurse practitioner, shortly known as an FNP, is a professional practice registered nurse that focuses on delivering family-centered care to patients throughout their lives, from infants to adults. As primary care providers, family nurse practitioners can offer a wide range of services or specialize in certain areas of care, such as diabetes management, by gaining additional certifications.
On the other hand, psychiatric nurse practitioners, also known as psychiatric mental-health nurse practitioners (PMHNP), are nurse practitioners who specialize in the treatment of mental illnesses. They help assess and diagnose patients with mental diseases, disorders, and substance addiction issues.
What do they do?
Family nurse practitioners and psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners have some job duties in common, but they also have distinctions in their scope of work. The FNPs and the PMHNPs are both capable of assessing, diagnosing, and treating their patients. The primary distinction between the FNP and PMHNP is the type of patient they are permitted to treat.
The patient who seeks treatment for a medical or physical illness, such as a sore throat or abdominal pain, falls under the scope of practice of the family nurse practitioner. These professional practice nurses can perform physical examinations in the primary care setting. Their responsibilities will include caring for patients suffering from acute illnesses, infections, or injuries.
The psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, on the other hand, has the education and training to perform their job duties of caring for those suffering from a psychiatric or psychological illness. These practitioners are ideally equipped to treat patients who require a higher standard of care, have a complicated disease, or whose symptoms have not improved on time.
In addition, the psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner is responsible for psychotherapy and DSM-5 diagnosis for their patients. The family nurse practitioner is not allowed to execute either of these functions.
How to Become an FNP vs. PMHNP
Since FNPs and PMHNPs have quite different scopes of work and responsibilities, they follow different paths to become professionals in the field.
Educational requirements
When it comes to the educational requirements to become an FNP, many obtain a bachelor's degree in nursing before taking and passing the NCLEX-RN to become a licensed RN. After this, a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) is required to work as an FNP. Many schools offer MSN programs for family nurse practitioners that last 1-3 years. In addition, experience as an RN. is required, and expertise in specific equipment such as cardiac monitoring devices or nebulizers is a plus.
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When it comes to psychiatric nurse practitioners, a career as a PMHNP begins with a degree from an accredited nursing school. Since becoming a PMHNP requires a graduate degree, you must have at least a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) to be admitted to a graduate program. You could begin with a two-year degree and then complete a bridge program to obtain your BSN.
Then, to obtain a master's or doctorate, you must apply to an accredited psychiatric nurse practitioner program. To be certified, you will also need to complete 500 clinical hours in a faculty-supervised program related to your role as a PMHNP. This could occur in a hospital, a private clinic, or a mental health facility.
Certifications
When speaking of FNP certifications, the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) offer certification as a family nurse practitioner. These exams typically require an RN to have completed an accredited graduate, post-graduate, or doctoral level FNP program. The exam covers various medical topics, including informatics, research methodology, illness and disease management, and more. After passing the exam, a nurse is given the title Family Nurse Practitioner-Board Certified, or FNP-BC. This credential is valid for five years and must then be renewed.
Similarly, after completing your advanced degree and clinical hours to become a PMHNP, you can apply to take the American Nursing Credentialing Center's (ANCC) psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner exam. In addition, you must apply for PMHNP licensure in the state where you intend to practice.
Skills needed
Due to the broad nature of the role, family nurse practitioners usually complete various courses in areas like epidemiology, pharmacology, health policy, and more. To succeed in this position, FNPs must be excellent at critical thinking, have great communication skills, be detail-oriented, and form relationships with coworkers, patients, and the general public. In addition, the knowledge of electronic health records and the ability to work effectively in a team environment while providing relationship-based care are other crucial skills an FNP must have.
Likewise, a psychiatric nurse practitioner is, first and foremost, a nurse who cares for and assists patients. PMHNPs frequently act as advocates for patients, particularly those with mental health issues, and communicate with them. As a result, it is critical for them to be able to communicate with other healthcare professionals to ensure that the patient receives the appropriate standard of care effectively.
Since PMHNPs have the additional obligation and power to provide care and prescribe medication, attention to detail is critical. When it comes to patient health and wellbeing, there is no place for mistakes or errors.
FNP vs. PMHNP: Average Salary
As stated previously, FNPs and PMHNPs have different responsibilities and duties and operate in various healthcare settings. Subsequently, there is a slight difference when it comes to the psychiatric nurse practitioner vs. the family nurse practitioner's average salary.
Family nurse practitioners in the United States make an average salary of $104,903 annually or $50 hourly. The top 10% of workers make over $143,000 annually, while the bottom 10% earn under $76,000 annually.
On the other hand, the average psychiatric nurse practitioner's salary is $103,950 annually, or $49.98 hourly, in the U.S. Workers on the lower end of that spectrum, or the bottom 10%, make roughly $68,000 a year, while the top 10% earn around $157,000.
Salary based on experience
When it comes to the FNP vs. PMHNP salary, it is easily noticeable that after years of experience, both are able to earn more satisfactory salaries. According to Payscale, psychiatric nurse practitioners with more years of experience can earn higher annual pay. The average income for PMHNPs with less than one year of experience is $105,794. An average salary of $118,742 is earned by PMHNPs with 1-4 years of experience. Psychiatric nurse practitioners with 5-9 years of experience earn an average salary of $121,830, and those with 10 to 19 years of experience earn an average salary of $120,601.
According to Payscale, an entry-level family nurse practitioner (NP) with less than 1-year experience can expect to earn an average total compensation of $92,491. An FNP with 1-4 years of experience earns a total average wage of $97,57. An FNP with 5-9 years of experience earns an average compensation of $103,063. In addition, an experienced FNP with 10-19 years of experience makes an average compensation of $105,138. And finally, in their late-career, 20 years and higher, employees earn an average total compensation of $107,950.
10 best-paying states for FNPs vs. PMHNPs
Earnings of medical professionals considerably very on the location where they work. In the U.S., bigger metropolitan areas tend to pay both FNPs and PMHNPs more compared to rural or smaller urban areas.
The ten best-paying states for family nurse practitioners include:
California: $126,773
Alaska: $120,717
Connecticut: $112,33
Massachusetts: $112,072
Nevada: $108,121
New Mexico: $108,093
New Jersey: $107,184
Oregon: $106,538
New York: $104,594
Vermont: $104,368.
On the other hand, the ten best-paying states for PMHNPs are:
New Jersey: $149,094
Alaska: $143,368
Massachusetts: $131,473
Maine: $128,299
Connecticut: $128,010
Rhode Island: $124,690
New York: $124,048
Ohio: $120,966
Vermont: $119,870
New Hampshire: $118,704.
FNP vs. PMHNP: Job Outlook
FNP is one of the most popular and well-paid specialized nursing roles, with countless employment opportunities and a steady increase in demand expected through the next decade. It is a versatile role that allows further career advancement into related fields such as healthcare administration or medical research.
Similarly, a career as a PMHNP can be very fulfilling for professionals who enjoy working in mental health. As with all nursing paths, you will have the opportunity to assist patients and make a difference in the lives of the patients who need it. In addition, the demand is very high, and the career is financially satisfying.
Since both these careers are very popular and offer good salaries, they are very high in demand and expected to grow significantly throughout the decade. The career of FNPs and PMHNPs is expected to grow by around 26% and produce roughly 62,000 job opportunities across the U.S.
Conclusion
Ultimately, these two medical professions offer work stability, great satisfaction, and high earnings. However, whether you choose to follow the path of becoming an FNP or a PMHP is up to your preferences and plans for the future, as each of them will guarantee you a secure position in the medical field.