Psych/Mental Health NP

shelbee1084 · Dec 24, 2009

al dente- you said that you are also a clinical psychologist? what type of degree do you have? is it a bachelors or masters...just curious...sounds like a great addition to an NP for ppl who love psych

myelin · Dec 24, 2009

not to answer for al dente, but a clinical psychologist has a PhD. The degree typically takes 6-8 years (or even longer) to earn. It really isn't an auxiliary degree.

al dente · Dec 25, 2009

Yes, a doctorate is required for licensure as a psychologist - a master's will not suffice. Psychologists have doctorates (PhD - Doctor of Philosophy, PsyD - Doctor of Psychology, or EdD - Doctor of Education) in psychology - usually clinical or counseling psychology but some are also in school psychology or industrial/organizational psychology. Psychologists practicing as clinicians have to be trained for clinical work which is why almost all psychologists have doctorates in clinical or counseling psychology. The process of earning a doctorate takes a minimum of 5 years post-bachelor's but the mean time to completion is 5-7 year due in large part to the requirement of successfully defending a dissertation (not something I would recommend if you can avoid it).

I had been practicing for several years as a psychologist and decided to return to school to train as a PMHNP because it was like pulling teeth to get any of my patients into see a psychiatrist or PMHNP. If I was lucky, it was 6 weeks but the modal time was more like 10 weeks.

I am happy I went to nursing school, but essentially I use my training as a PMHNP to prescribe and monitor medication. Psychologists are independent providers in all 50 states and have no requirements for any oversight from any other health care profession. But, psychologists can only prescribe in 2 states so far, so in my case, it made more sense to train as a PMHNP instead of waiting for my state to pass Rx authority for psychologists.

shelbee1084 · Dec 25, 2009

oh ok thank you very much for the info. I had no idea a psychologist was actually a PhD.

MunkiRN, BSN, RN · Dec 27, 2009

Al Dente, where is it that you practice?

al dente · Dec 28, 2009

I'm in private practice in Arizona.

zenman · Dec 28, 2009

I'm in private practice in Arizona.

Save some space for me there :chuckle

Has the economy affected your practice?

"Al dente"...must be Italian!

zenman · Jan 8, 2010

I'm starting to work on my business plan for private practice in Arizona so if anyone has any handy resources let me know. I've done business plans before so just need stuff related to PMHNPs.

Al dente, pm me to let me know if you're area is crowded or not. In addition to patients, I'm looking for lakes, rivers, mountain bike trails, hiking trails. I don't necessarily want a large city but one should be within an hour or so. My wife will visit AZ this summer but I can't go with her.

MunkiRN, BSN, RN · Jan 25, 2010

Zenman

I know you asked this question to al dente but I live in Mesa, az and thought I could answer the lakes, rivers, trails part of the question :) I currently trail run, rock climb, hike and fish. I am never in want of something to do living in the phoenix metro area. I have 5-6 mountains all within 45 min driving distance and a couple that are closer. All offer good hiking/running trails, and many offer great mountain biking. A series of lakes are about 45 min to the east of me and more lakes are to the west. The salt river is great in the summer to tube down, but I'm not sure about the fishing. So, all in all Arizona is a great place to live if you love the outdoors, and with the weather you can stay active year round. I just got back from a ski trip yesterday and only had to travel 2 hours to get to the slopes. You can't get much better then that! Hope you decide to join us :)

al dente · Jan 27, 2010

Zenman, did you get my PM?

zenman · Jan 27, 2010

Yes, thanks. I thought I replied.

ANPFNPGNP · Jan 27, 2010

My state also requires a signed collaborative practice agreement and a separate agreement for prescribing controlled substances. While I have consulted my collaborative physician, mainly because we work together, I have consulted other physicians just as often. My private practice partner rarely has any contact at all with her collaborative physician. I think the main purpose of the requirement is to discourage independent practice.

Very interesting. I live in TX and supposedly we're independent, but not really, since we also have to have a signed collaborative practice agreement and another form signed for prescribing CS's.

I'm opening a minor emergency clinic (should be open by April) and I'm having to pay a physician $1,000 per month to come on site and review 10% of my charts. We have to keep a log of the charts reviewed and the number of hours the physician is on site each month. I was wondering if $1,000 per month sounded excessive to you?

Also, how long did it take to get credentialed with insurance companies? I know someone who has been waiting 7 months, however I was told it would take less than 90 days, since I'm already credentialed and just have to "switch" everything to my business name.

One more thing, how did you go about buying stock medications for your clinic? I was told that I can purchase supplies, but I have to go through my "collaborative physician" in order to buy meds (Toradol, Decadron, and other noncontrolled substances). I'm trying to have as little to do with my collaborative physician as possible, so the last thing I want to do is buy my stock medications through him. Is there any way around this? This is ridiculous!

You are 100% right about these stupid collaborative agreements being designed to keep us dependent and under the "control" of the doctors. I can tell you this, it all comes down to MONEY! Doctors don't want us practicing on our own b/c they can't handle the competition.