While introductory classes on psychology cover all aspects of psychology, including organizational psychology, RN classes on psychology and mental health focus on providing mental healthcare. Because understanding the psychological aspects of health is important to many other nursing school classes, this course is usually included in the first or second years. These courses cover mental health conditions and their treatment, as well as the special legal and ethical considerations associated with caring for patients with mental health conditions.

Physical and mental health are closely related, and so this course and other RN courses on mental health are vital to understanding patient well-being. Because nurses provide so much hands-on care to patients and are a vital communications link for patients, their ability to understand mental health directly affects the quality of their nursing.