10.4 Medical Careers

Anne Nichol

10.4 Medical Careers

Many medical careers exist that involve caring for justice-involved people with mental disorders. Doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals who want to serve this population can be employed in jails and prisons, as well as psychiatric hospitals and community settings. Medical careers require significant education, from a minimum of a bachelor’s degree for a registered nurse to a medical degree followed by years of residency and specialization programs for a physician (OOH, 2024g). Whether this work is of interest to you or not, it is important to be aware of these roles, as the people in them serve on and often lead care teams alongside the other professionals discussed in this chapter.

A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders (figure 10.15). In addition to providing therapy, a psychiatrist can prescribe and oversee the use of medications, such as antipsychotic medications or mood stabilizing medications, that treat mental disorders (discussed in Chapter 2 of this text). The ability to prescribe medications is a primary difference between psychiatrists and psychologists.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9URvIhGEzk

Figure 10.15. This optional video describes the role of a forensic psychiatrist working in a hospital. Forensic psychiatrists specialize in the area of psychiatry that deals with legal issues and criminally involved patients. Transcript.

Nurse practitioners have advanced nursing degrees—at least a master’s degree in nursing but often a doctoral degree—and a license that qualifies them to diagnose and care for patients. Like physicians, nurse practitioners can prescribe and oversee the use of medications. They may work in a variety of settings, including hospitals, community-based mental health programs, residential settings, or controlled environments, such as prisons, jails, or psychiatric hospitals. Nurse practitioners may work with more general populations (e.g., providing primary care for adults) or they may be trained and certified in a specialty, such as psychiatric or mental health care. A psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) is specially trained and licensed to provide psychiatric care, including diagnosing mental disorders and prescribing psychiatric medications (e.g., antipsychotic medications or mood stabilizing medications to treat disorders like schizophrenia or bipolar) as part of their patient-care role (Oregon Health & Science University, 2023). Nurse practitioners will consult with physicians as necessary, but they can and do practice independently (OOH, 2024e).

Two optional videos describing the role of a nurse practitioner are linked here. The first video shares the experience of a nurse practitioner who enjoys her work in a prison setting (figure 10.16). The second offers the perspective of a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner who works in a psychiatric hospital (figure 10.17).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyHO0HYG8z0

Figure 10.16. The nurse practitioner in this optional video shares the importance of her meaningful contribution as a care provider in a women’s prison. Transcript.