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Yes, thanks. I was really hoping to connect w/someone out there. How were your classes and in what setting did you do clinicals? And how are you practicing now?
Psych NP's get a master's in their specialty and sit for a certification exam. We can do mental health assessments, therapy and medication prescriptions. Many Psych NP's work in community mental health centers, where they mostly do medication management. Therapy sessions do not pay as well, so these centers hire licensed social workers to provide therapy for clients. However, many NP's are interested in providing therapy, and so many will move to private practice to have this opportunity.
I don't see many Psych NP's working in acute hospital settings, which is too bad as we are an underutilized resource in this setting. Psych NP's are also needed at schools of nursing to help mentor students in these settings.