Instead of physical ailments, psychiatric nurses specialize in nursing for those with a mental illness. While psychiatric nurses may be found in hospitals and clinics, many also work in locked psychiatric institutions where they care for high-risk individuals who are often a danger to themselves and others. Because a psychiatric nurse must sometimes help a patient by tying him or her down, psychiatric nursing requires a certain level of mental toughness. Many psychiatric nurses who earn a master’s degree become psychiatric nurse practitioners. Psychiatric nurse practitioners put a greater focus on psychiatric diagnosis and medication treatment than do other psychiatric nurses.