A strong psychiatric nurse resume is key to landing a role in mental health care, whether you’re applying to inpatient psychiatric units, outpatient therapy clinics, substance abuse facilities, or correctional settings. As a psych nurse, your resume should reflect your ability to assess, support, and advocate for patients with mental health challenges while collaborating with interdisciplinary teams.
Here’s how to craft a psych nurse resume that communicates your expertise and compassion.
Building Your Nursing Resume: Essential Tips and Examples
Download Now1. Choose the right resume format
Use a format that emphasizes both your nursing experience and mental health expertise. Choosing the right format is crucial because it determines how easily recruiters and hiring managers can assess your qualifications. A well-structured resume ensures that your most relevant clinical and mental health experience is immediately visible and logically organized.
Most psych nurses benefit from the reverse chronological format, which prioritizes recent clinical roles. This format is ideal if you have extensive work history in nursing or behavioral health, as it clearly shows your career progression and current competencies.
If you’re shifting into psychiatric care from another nursing specialty, or if your experience is varied, a combination format can help highlight transferable skills such as therapeutic communication, crisis response, and patient advocacy. This approach lets you feature key competencies at the top of your resume, followed by a detailed employment history, making it especially effective for candidates transitioning into mental health roles.
2. Add your contact information
Include your full name, phone number, professional email, LinkedIn profile, location, and any professional title or license (e.g., Psychiatric RN). This section is essential because it is often the first thing recruiters see and must communicate professionalism and accessibility. Make sure your email is professional, your LinkedIn profile is up-to-date, and your name is consistent across all professional platforms.
You may also choose to include optional details that can enhance your resume, such as:
- A link to a professional portfolio or writing samples
- Personal pronouns (e.g., she/her, they/them)
- A brief tagline or mission statement
- Availability for relocation or telehealth roles
- Preferred method or hours of contact
Example:
Tanya Green, BSN, RN
[email protected] | (555) 789-1234 | LinkedIn.com/in/tanyagreen | Chicago, IL
Psychiatric Nurse | Behavioral Health Specialist
Portfolio: www.tanyagreenRNwrites.com
Pronouns: she/her | Available for relocation | Best contacted via email
3. Write a compelling summary statement
This section introduces your background, specializations, and passion for psychiatric nursing. A well-crafted summary acts as your resume's headline, capturing the attention of hiring managers by showcasing your experience and what makes you uniquely qualified.
It should be tailored to reflect your commitment to mental health care, your core clinical competencies, and your alignment with the values of psychiatric practice. Use strong adjectives, specific roles, and skills that meet the employer's needs.
Example:
"Empathetic and patient-focused psychiatric nurse with 5+ years of experience in acute inpatient and community-based mental health settings. Skilled in de-escalation techniques, therapeutic communication, and psychotropic medication management. Proven ability to provide trauma-informed care and lead interdisciplinary interventions for patients with complex psychiatric and co-occurring conditions. Passionate about advocating for mental health equity and fostering safe therapeutic environments."
4. Showcase psychiatric and clinical nursing experience
List relevant nursing roles in reverse chronological order. This method emphasizes your most recent and applicable experience first, making it easier for hiring managers to quickly assess your qualifications.
When describing each role, go beyond listing basic tasks — instead, focus on the depth of your experience, types of patient populations served, and the therapeutic approaches or interventions you used. Also, emphasize how you contributed to team-based care and improved patient outcomes.
Focus on:
- Mental health populations served (e.g., adolescents, veterans, dual-diagnosis patients)
- Types of interventions used (e.g., CBT, group therapy facilitation, medication management)
- Collaboration with behavioral health teams
- Crisis or safety response participation
- Use of tools like behavioral assessments, EMRs, and outcome tracking systems
Example:
Psychiatric Staff Nurse
Sunrise Behavioral Hospital, Chicago, IL
March 2020 – Present
- Provide direct care for adult patients with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD, and co-occurring substance use disorders in a 30-bed acute care psychiatric unit.
- Conduct suicide and violence risk assessments and serve as a lead responder for behavioral emergency calls.
- Facilitate medication education groups and one-on-one therapeutic interventions to support treatment adherence.
- Collaborate with psychiatrists, therapists, case managers, and family members during daily behavioral health rounds.
- Utilize EMR systems (Avatar, Cerner) for timely documentation, care planning, and incident tracking.
5. Emphasize psych-specific skills
Psychiatric nursing demands a unique blend of clinical, emotional, and observational skills. Highlighting these in a dedicated skills section can help differentiate you from other candidates and show your preparedness to handle complex mental health scenarios. These skills demonstrate your ability to provide compassionate care, maintain patient safety, and communicate effectively with both patients and interdisciplinary teams.
Make sure to list both technical and soft skills to reflect your holistic approach to care. For example, crisis intervention and behavioral de-escalation show your readiness for emergencies, while therapeutic communication and trauma-informed care emphasize your ability to connect with patients.
Examples of psych-specific skills to include:
- Crisis intervention and stabilization techniques
- Therapeutic communication and rapport building
- Suicide risk assessment and safety planning
- Behavioral de-escalation in high-acuity settings
- Trauma-informed care approaches
- Mental status examinations and behavioral charting
- EMR documentation (e.g., Avatar, Cerner)
- Group facilitation for psychoeducation or therapy sessions
6. List your education, certifications, and licensure
Include your nursing degree(s) and any mental health–related certifications. This section is vital because it validates your professional qualifications and demonstrates your preparedness for a psychiatric nursing role. Most mental health facilities require a valid RN license and current certifications to ensure patient safety and legal compliance. Plus, listing your credentials in a clear, consistent format reassures hiring managers of your credibility and current standing in the field.
In addition to standard credentials like your RN license and BLS, specialized certifications can significantly boost your resume. The PMHN-BC (Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing Certification) signifies expertise in mental health care and is highly regarded among behavioral health employers. De-escalation and crisis prevention training, such as CPI (Crisis Prevention Institute) or Handle With Care, are also essential, especially in inpatient or high-acuity psychiatric settings.
When listing these, include the issuing organization, certification validity dates, and license numbers when applicable. If you're currently pursuing a certification, you can indicate it as "In Progress" or "Expected [Month/Year]."
Example:
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), Loyola University Chicago – 2017
- RN, Illinois State Board of Nursing – License #RN876543 (Expires 12/2026)
- BLS, American Heart Association – Valid through 05/2026
- PMHN-BC, ANCC – Board Certified 2022
- CPI Certification, Crisis Prevention Institute – Valid through 09/2025
7. Tailor your resume to each position
Adjust your summary, experience, and keywords to reflect the job description. Customizing your resume for each application is essential for demonstrating that you are a well-matched candidate. It shows hiring managers that you understand the role and can meet the specific needs of their patient population and care setting. Using targeted language also helps your resume perform better with Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), which scan for job-specific terminology.
If applying to a pediatric facility, highlight your experience working with children and adolescents in behavioral health. For forensic or addiction care roles, emphasize your familiarity with trauma-informed care, substance use interventions, or correctional facility protocols. Whenever possible, include measurable outcomes to quantify your impact.
Use terms like "therapeutic milieu," "dual diagnosis," "crisis stabilization," "behavioral health rounds," and "trauma-informed interventions" to align with common job requirements and increase visibility.
Example:
- "Led daily group therapy sessions for patients with dual diagnoses, improving participation scores by 18% over six months."
- "Provided trauma-informed care and de-escalation interventions for adolescent patients in a psychiatric residential treatment facility, contributing to a 25% reduction in behavioral incidents."
Final thoughts
Your psych nurse resume should reflect your compassion, critical thinking, and specialized training in mental health. With a clear format, tailored content, and evidence of clinical impact, you’ll demonstrate your readiness to support vulnerable populations and contribute to quality mental health care.