Psychiatric Nurse Cover Letter Writing Tips and Sample

Despite the high demand for mental health professionals, you still need to be a competitive job applicant. A strong psychiatric nurse cover letter gives your prospective employer a taste of who you are, so do yourself justice by writing one that intrigues the reader. Below, we share useful tips, and a sample cover letter.

Prove Your Passion

Mental health is a specialty that requires emotional resilience due your constant exposure to vicarious trauma. Suicide attempts, sexual assault, and child abuse are a fraction of the heart-wrenching subjects you must explore with your patients. Explaining the reasons why you’re willing to delve into the unsettling aspects of life can prove your intentions are genuine. Below are examples of how to do this:

• Share how you’ve overcome your personal mental health struggles.
• Describe how you’ve been impacted by the mental health of a loved one.
• Mention past mental health advocacy or time spent volunteering.

Emphasize Your Soft Skills

Much of your cover letter’s impact will stem from you elaborating your soft skills. The way in which you interact with your patients can amplify the positive effects of their medications and treatments. Some soft skills include:

• Compassion
• Emotional intelligence
• Empathy
• Therapeutic communication

Show Off Your Medication Knowledge

Aside from therapy and your awesome soft skills, various classes of psychiatric medications play a significant role in mental health treatment. Your psychiatric nurse resume gives you the opportunity to list the medications you’ve administered, but your cover letter allows you to elaborate on how they realistically impacted your practice. Here are some ways you can express this:

• Describe how you spotted and handled a patient’s adverse reaction.
• Share a time when you witnessed a medication have a visible positive impact on a patient.
• Mention ways in which you stay up to date on psych medication breakthroughs such as by reading publications or taking continuing education courses.

Psychiatric Nurse Cover Letter Sample

Reading samples helps you gain a better understanding of industry standards, and gives you ideas for your own. Take a look at our sample cover letter for a psychiatric nursing position. If you need even more inspiration, check out one or more of our many nursing cover letter examples.

Violet Jackson, RN

767 Amethyst Ave

Indigo, TX 75106

555-555-5555

firstlast@email.com / linkedin.com/violetjackson

[date]

Mary-Anne Mauve, MSN

151 Lilac Lane

Eggplant, TX 75085

Dear Ms. Mauve,

I’m a new nurse who is eager to join your general adult psych team at Iris Behavioral Health. Despite my being a recent graduate, I’m not new to mental health. Some of my closest friends have suffered from mental illness. I saw how their struggles impacted themselves, their families, and their relationships to myself and other peers. What I witnessed spurred my curiosity about mental health, how these illnesses are addressed in healthcare, and the societal stigma surrounding this issue.

Through them, I’ve learned about the amazing work you do at Iris Behavioral Health. Furthermore, I validated their shining reviews when I shadowed a nurse at your facility. I would love to be a part of your team.

I looked forward to my mental health clinical rotation on the adult general psych unit at Mulberry Memorial Hospital during nursing school. That experience made my curiosity blossom into a passion. I realized the extent to which someone’s mental health stems from a collection of factors such as genetics, generational and childhood trauma, access to quality care, demographics, and more. I also learned that a traumatic event is all that stands between anyone and the need for an inpatient stay.

I was inspired by the compassionate staff who made a significant difference in their patients’ lives with therapeutic communication and empathy. I’m grateful to have had such wonderful role models, and I seek to emulate their dedication to their professions. They reminded me of myself: their passion for this specialty started long before their official careers. Even better, I saw the same values reflected at Iris Behavioral Health.

I’m fascinated by the discoveries regarding mental illnesses, and their various treatments. During that clinical rotation, I started reading industry publications such as Mental Health Today and Periwinkle Psychology. They helped me gain a deeper understanding of various treatments and medications outside of what I learned in school.

My other rotations helped me gain a broad understanding of nursing, but I’m confident that this is the specialty for me. I look forward to elaborating in an interview, and I appreciate you for your time.

Sincerely,

Violet Jackson, RN

Psychiatric Nurse Salary

Psychiatric nurses earn between $76,300 to $94,200 per year. The average annual salary is $83,900. Your salary may vary based on your years of experience, location, and facility.

Find Your Next Great Job Today

Put in the effort to highlight your humanity in your psychiatric nurse cover letter. Then check out the latest psychiatric nurse jobs on IntelyCare today.