Wages

It depends quite a bit on what type of psych facility it is. The behavior health unit at the hospital tends to pay more than a private psychiatric hospital from my experience. A large psychiatric hospital (not private) seems to pay better also.

Just what I have seen here in the South..........

I'm being paid more as a psych nurse at my current position than I was in my previous jobs as a med/surg nurse.

at my hospital, every new grad nurse (not including night differential) makes the same at every floor.

I think it very much depends on where you practice...If you are on a psych floor within a hospital you will likely be paid as much as the other floor nurses; if, however, you go to a freestanding inpatient site, such as a Psy Solutions hospital, (which I'd recommend avoiding freestanding psych hospitals like the plague) you will likely make less; however, I think once you gain experience, you are more likely to make more in other specialties (SICU, onc, PICU, ER, etc.) because there are more educational and cert. opportunities (i.e., not a lot of ACLS, PALS certified, chemo certified, psych. nurses)

I agree with above post....psych hospitals pay is usually less than other nursing specialties.....also the area in which you live has more to do with it than anything.....I am in the South and make much less than a friend of mine in the North.....BUT, I don't mind...I hate cold whether!!!!!