Paging all Mental health NP's

PG2018 · Jan 15, 2016

I'm game. I'm off the next few days. If you want to post a list of questions I"ll be glad to answer them. No calls.

tarla · Jan 15, 2016

Great, thanks so much! I really appreciate it!

I know we aren't supposed to post names but I need a hypothetical name for my report please? :)

1. Why did you want to become a nurse?

2. What drew you into mental health nursing?

3. Why did you decide to become an NP?

4. How long have you worked as a nurse?

5. How long did it take you to make it through school starting from your ASN to the NP program?

6. Did you like the school you went to?

7. Was it an online program?

8. What do you like most about being a mental health NP?

9. What do you like the least?

10. If you could go back and do it all again, would you still pick psych NP?

11. What would you do different, if anything?

12. Do you love your job?

13. What does your job entail?

14. How was the job market after you graduated?

15. What do you think of the job market now?

16. Do you make the amount of money that you expected to make?

17. If you could tell a student one thing about becoming an NP what would that be?

Feel free to answer as many or as few as you like. Thanks again!

PG2018 · Jan 20, 2016

Great, thanks so much! I really appreciate it!
I know we aren't supposed to post names but I need a hypothetical name for my report please? :) How about P.G. for PsychGuy or Peter Griffin if you like.
1. Why did you want to become a nurse? So I could become a NP.
2. What drew you into mental health nursing? Neuroscience and I observed a need for trained clinicians in my previous career.
3. Why did you decide to become an NP? I feel like NPs have a more direct, autonomous, and efficacious role in healthcare. Independence is huge for me.
4. How long have you worked as a nurse? Was a RN 3 years before getting the NP cert.
5. How long did it take you to make it through school starting from your ASN to the NP program? I entered a BSN program with a BS and some post grad training towards a different master's. My previous BS included most of the prereqs. The BSN with RN work included and NP together was 5 years.
6. Did you like the school you went to? Yeah, but it needs improvements.
7. Was it an online program? Some courses were, others were hybrid, some face to face.
8. What do you like most about being a mental health NP? By all measures, I seem to be pretty good at it. It's really interesting to get persistently mentally ill who have been in treatment for years with various clinicians actually get better on my watch. I also love the income. I make more than 4 times what I did as a RN. I'm in a collaborative state but have a fully autonomous position. I'm the only guy with a prescription pad in my shop and am presently assigned to over 2000 patients. Sounds like a lot and it is. I bet only 40% are in active treatment
9. What do you like the least? NPs generally get horrible training and nursing school as well as NP school are ill designed. We also don't have enough mandatory training hours. We lose face with other clinicians because of it so it's up to the individual to bust their butt and prove their worth to the professional community.
10. If you could go back and do it all again, would you still pick psych NP? Yes, and I would've done it sooner.
11. What would you do different, if anything? Stayed the heck out of med surg as a RN. Worst experience of my life. I have also worked critical care, emergency and urgent care and was the administrator of a correctional clinic.
12. Do you love your job? Yep, there's not another like it. I promise.
13. What does your job entail? I mostly sit in an office and conduct psychiatric evaluations and medication follow-ups. I see patients sometimes who are merely present to gripe about their lack of efficacious psychotherapy. Most of the therapists don't know I trump them in that department. They're actually better at therapy but I can trash their treatment plans and have them start over. I type the occasional letter to get funding for treatment or meds, i.e. medical necessity. I sign a lot of PAs.
14. How was the job market after you graduated? GREAT
15. What do you think of the job market now? GREAT
16. Do you make the amount of money that you expected to make? Far more actually.
17. If you could tell a student one thing about becoming an NP what would that be? Don't second guess yourself. Do it and be glad you did.
Feel free to answer as many or as few as you like. Thanks again!

Hope that helps. Get more and I'll answer them too.

PG2018 · Jan 20, 2016

Answers are buried in the quote. Didn't turn out bold font as intended.