VitalCore Health Strategies logo
VitalCore Health Strategies
Meridian, Mississippi

Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner (Psychiatric APRN)

Nurse PractitionerPer Diem Physician-Supervised State

Compensation

Pay not listed

The week · per this posting

Schedule not stated in this posting — no days, weekends, call or nights given.

Ask the employer about the pay range, the work setting, call expectations and time off.

Posted 1h ago · Verified live

Job Description

Join the VitalCore Team in Mississippi! We’re people who are fueled by passion, not by profit.

VitalCore Health Strategies, (VCHS), an industry leader in Correctional Healthcare, has an opening for a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner (Psych APRN) at East Mississippi Correctional Facility in Meridian, Mississippi!

Looking for a rewarding career in the healthcare field with competitive wages, an annual incentive bonus, and an excellent benefits package?

At VitalCore we pride ourselves on retaining and acquiring hardworking ethical individuals who are committed to providing quality services. Join our team and experience first-hand how VitalCore Health Strategies promotes a positive work environment that is based on respect and appreciation of the hard work and dedication of our staff.

Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Benefits Package

  • Holiday Pay: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day
  • Medical
  • Dental
  • Vision
  • Health Savings Account
  • Life Insurance
  • Short Term/Long Term Disability
  • Identity Theft Protection
  • Pet Insurance
  • Employee Assistance Program and Discount Center
  • 401K & Plan Matching
  • PTO
  • Annual Incentive Bonus

Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Position Summary

The Psychiatric APRN / NP is responsible for providing psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy to behavioral health patients and includes screening, diagnosing, and providing care for patients facing behavioral health and substance use disorders. The Psychiatric APRN / NP works with primary care physicians and other health care professionals to coordinate care.

Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Essential Functions

  • Provides consultations and assessments to manage and stabilize emergent problems.
  • Provides consultation and follow-up to behavioral health staff to ascertain the need for psychotropic medication.
  • Reviews treatment plans for patients housed on behavioral health observation units and patients receiving medication.
  • Participates in case conferences and treatment planning for patients receiving and being considered for
  • behavioral health treatment.
  • Provides behavioral health evaluations, assessments, and follow-up care.
  • Participates in collaborative consultation with behavioral health staff regarding patient diagnosis and treatment.
  • Participates in various treatment modalities as required by the behavioral health service.
  • Participates in behavioral health and medical rounds as assigned.
  • Assigns tasks to team members as needed.
  • Conducts group sessions on behavioral health observation units including medication compliance groups.
  • Performs other duties as assigned by Supervising Psychiatrist.
  • Maintains all required credentials including CPR certification. Attends training and meetings as required.

Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Minimum Requirements

  • Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, licensed to practice in the State of contract
  • Must demonstrate clinical competence and leadership abilities such as decision-making, problem solving, communication, and interpersonal skills
  • Minimum one year of clinical nursing practice in a behavioral health setting, correctional experience preferred

Schedule

  • PRN

VitalCore Health Strategies is an equal opportunity employer and committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive workplace in which all employees have an opportunity to participate and contribute to the success of the business and are valued for their skills, experience, and unique perspectives.

Keywords: Psych NP, Nurse Practitioner, APRN, advanced practice registered nurse, mid-level provider

PRN

Key Responsibilities

The Psychiatric APRN is responsible for providing psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy to behavioral health patients, including screening, diagnosing, and managing care. They will also collaborate with primary care physicians and behavioral health staff to coordinate treatment plans and conduct patient assessments.

Requirements

Candidates must be an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse licensed in the state of the contract with at least one year of clinical nursing experience in a behavioral health setting. Correctional experience is preferred, and the role requires strong clinical competence and leadership abilities.

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Behavioral health assessmentSubstance use disorder treatmentPsychotropic medication managementCase managementPatient evaluation

Psychiatry — Nurse Practitioner Career Context

Of the 50 active Psychiatry listings this role was benchmarked against, 40% are remote, 58% have no call, 78% require no weekends.

Psychiatry pay on WeekdayDoc is up 3.5% vs. the prior quarter (through Oct 2026).

Psychiatry by the numbers
MeasureThis jobMarket
Listed paynot listedPsychiatry median $167k (middle half $137k–$167k)12 comparable listings, Nov 2026
Cost of livingMississippi index 87.0US average = 100BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Psychiatry listings in Mississippi18 active2,170 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 40% remote · 58% no call · 78% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentsign-on bonusMississippi nurse practitioner listings (all specialties): 9% state a sign-on bonus · 1% offer loan repayment136 active listings, Nov 2026
Psychiatry hiring demand#14 of 19 specialtiespostings stay open a median 34 days · 18% state a sign-on bonusWeekdayDoc Hiring Index, October 2026 · 884 postings, 1,094 closed
New Psychiatry listings1,292 in the last 30 days1,014 the 30 days before (+27%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Psychiatry pay trend+3.5% vs prior quarter—through Oct 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index, BEA Regional Price Parities (2024), WeekdayDoc Hiring Index; as of Nov 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Top contract/1099 Nurse Practitioner Jobs

36 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

26 jobs · 22 employers
4
<$135k
9
$135k-150k
12
$150k-165k
1
$169k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

18 jobs
401k / retirement match
94% this job
Sign-on bonus
50% this job
CME allowance
44%
Loan repayment
6%
Relocation assistance
6%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

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$121k-$169k
#2

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#3

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#4

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+ 34 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.4this job 3.0
Better work-life than 20% of Psychiatry (NP) listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 2,157 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

VitalCore Health Strategies logo

About VitalCore Health Strategies

Hospitals and Health Care
Topeka, Kansas
1,001-5,000 employees

Benefits & Perks

Holiday Pay
Medical
Dental
Vision
Health Savings Account
Life Insurance
Short Term/Long Term Disability
Identity Theft Protection

Living in Meridian

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$101k
Typical market rent
$1,290/mo
Residents’ average commute
19 min
State income tax
Up to 5%
Sources & methodology

Sources: Zillow home values (Sep 2026), Zillow market rents (Sep 2026), U.S. Census ACS 2024 five-year.

City-level figures. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.