From critical care to psychiatric care.
I am a registered nurse currently completing graduate education in psychiatric-mental health nursing, with an expected graduation in 2027.
Jerrin Mathew, BSN, RN · Chicago
My clinical career began in emergency medical services and continued through long-term acute care, cardiac telemetry, and neurocritical care at a Level I trauma center. In 2020 and 2021, during the pandemic surge, I worked as an ICU patient care technician managing intubated patients, lines and drains, supporting families on tablets for final conversations, and watching clinical deterioration and recovery in real time. That experience fundamentally shaped how I think about psychiatric illness in medical contexts.
Today I work in a Level I neuro ICU, where I precept newly hired nurses and float to other critical care units as needed, including the burn ICU and the coronary care unit.
Working with critically ill patients teaches a particular discipline: notice small changes early, treat brain and body as one system rather than two, and stay methodical when a situation stops being simple. Those habits transfer to psychiatry more directly than people tend to expect.
My long-term goal is to provide thoughtful outpatient psychiatric care to adults and professionals navigating complex mental-health and substance-use concerns — particularly the people whose external competence makes their difficulties easy to overlook.
Clinical timeline (11+ years)
- Emergency Medical Technician
Prehospital care • 2 years - ICU Patient Care Technician
Critical care • 2 years • COVID-19 pandemic surge, 2020–2021 - Licensed Practical Nurse
Long-term acute care • 2 years - Nursing Home Supervisor
2 years - Registered Nurse — Cardiac Telemetry
Level II trauma center • 1 year - Registered Nurse — Neurocritical Care
Level I trauma center ICU • Over 2 years • Preceptor • Floats to burn ICU and coronary care unit - Master of Science in Nursing
Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) program • Chamberlain University
Certifications
- CCRNCritical care certification, exam planned early 2027
- ACLSAdvanced Cardiovascular Life Support
- BLSBasic Life Support
- NIHSSNIH Stroke Scale
About this writing
The articles here are educational. They are written from published sources — primarily NIMH, CDC, SAMHSA, APA, and NHLBI — and every piece lists its references.
They are not clinical advice, they do not diagnose anyone, and reading them does not establish a clinician-patient relationship. I am not currently offering independent psychiatric or prescribing services.