Re: CNS or RN degree? - Advice needed!
I'm a psych CNS. I wouldn't have dreamed of practicing as a CNS without having a few years of nursing under my belt. I just didn't know anywhere near enough about the real side of the work to be competent in doing it.
There are
oodles more RNs than CNSs. in general hospitals where I've worked, there would be 0-1 CNS per specialty area and RNs filled all the other jobs. In psych hospitals there were no CNSs and a few general NPs who did historys and physicals and monitored medical treatment. In private practice, with a doctor, you might be the only CNS or NP with him or her while there would be a few RNs and maybe a few other staff members. Lots of places don't have CNSs or NPs at all. You could call places near you to see if they have people in those jobs or not.
Also, while you might get a CNS through your education, to get the ability to bill for your services (or to have your facility bill for your work, to Medicare and other insurances), you often have to be certified as a CNS, and that doesn't happen without work experience, so doing the work your degree would qualify you for might not be possible.
On the other hand, if you are a CNS, you surely can work as an RN, BUT, you will be held to the standards of a CNS, which are higher. It's not necessarily a legally safe position to be in.
I think you'd do well to get an RN, work awhile, and then go for the advanced degree if you decide you want it, maybe in an RN-MSN program.
Finally, being a psych CNS can be VERY similar to being a psych NP. It all depends on where you work. I don't see an advantage of one over the other.
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