Psych nurse practitioner

Nursing Students NP Students

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I just got accepted into a psych nurse practitioner program....However, I now have a second thought on accepting it after talking to a couple of PA and MD. I was told that unless I have some sort of inside track, it would be very hard for me to find a job in the mental health field as a NP. I work in the state of South Dakota and wonders if there's a higher demand in the either coasts? I have not even come close to pay off my BSN student loan and really hesitate to pile more debt especially in this economy.

Any insights would be appreciated.

Specializes in Psych, ER, OB, M/S, teaching, FNP.

I recently graduated as an FNP in 2006 and just last week finished my post masters as a psych NP. I have had way more interest in me as a psych NP than an FNP. I wanted to work in out patient family medicine but got a much better offer as a hospital based NP in a mental health unit.

Contact your SBON to see if you can find any psych NPs and talk to them. Call your local mental health center to see if they employ NPs and the VA usually hires lots of NPs. Nursing homes are contracting with psychiatrists and psych NPs as well as Hospice. That may depend on how independent your state allows you to be. Even some big ERs will hire a psych NP for the numerous psych patients that present. One of my preceptors focused most of her time with kids and she contacted a pediatrician and he hired her after she graduated. He loved having a psych NP in his practice for the kids he saw. Another classmate had been an OB nurse and got her psych NP so approached a big OB/GYN practice and they gave her a job doing referrals within their own practice. If you don't find something in your face, look for a job you can create.

Good luck!

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I am interested in going the psych route for NP. My question is what does a psych NP do? I have no desire to be a FNP or ACNP. I going back and forth between cardiac NP and psych NP. I have one year left in my program.

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I'm in the middle of a FNP program and was looking at the government job listings... They were mainly Psych NP jobs! The PsychNP jobs were paying more than any of the others too (about 90k). If you're willing to relocate, it seems like a smart thing to do! Good luck!

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I love hearing these promising posts about Psych NP jobs....Psych NP is what I really want to do as far as personal interest, but being employable at the end of the journey will certainly increase career satisfaction. Lets hope the trends stay the same for the foreseeable future!

Quick question that hijacks a little: I am at the early stages of this career path (was in academia/research, but now want a clinical career).

The path I have learned about, and assumed was right for my desires in psych is RN with BSN to NP with MSN (or DNP down the road if necessary). However, PA schools are also out there as similar to NP work - but - for Psych, is it true that NP would be a more appropriate credential?

My NP preference came from considering the course sequences at a few schools, and also talking to a friend who is Psy.D. However, many are praising the rigor of PA schools to me, and I wanted to be sure I wasn't prematurely ruling it out.

But, that I can tell, PA school doesn't give much if any prep in Psychiatric, it seems A PA gains specialty experience through internship. I do see job postings that require either NP or PA for Psych positions...... so it must be possible.

Hope someone more in the know than myself can help me out :)

Thanks!

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I love hearing these promising posts about Psych NP jobs....Psych NP is what I really want to do as far as personal interest, but being employable at the end of the journey will certainly increase career satisfaction. Lets hope the trends stay the same for the foreseeable future!

Quick question that hijacks a little: I am at the early stages of this career path (was in academia/research, but now want a clinical career).

The path I have learned about, and assumed was right for my desires in psych is RN with BSN to NP with MSN (or DNP down the road if necessary). However, PA schools are also out there as similar to NP work - but - for Psych, is it true that NP would be a more appropriate credential?

My NP preference came from considering the course sequences at a few schools, and also talking to a friend who is Psy.D. However, many are praising the rigor of PA schools to me, and I wanted to be sure I wasn't prematurely ruling it out.

But, that I can tell, PA school doesn't give much if any prep in Psychiatric, it seems A PA gains specialty experience through internship. I do see job postings that require either NP or PA for Psych positions...... so it must be possible.

Hope someone more in the know than myself can help me out :)

Thanks!

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i am pmhnp-adult only, i got a job in az for 86k within last few yrs, then in another city in az for 126k, and a third place offered 119k. i have friends who have been offered even higher pay in az. i have been applying in ca and most are around 85-100k. the most difficult part about getting my first job was that most places wanted at least 1 yr experience post grad school-though i think all the students who graduated from school with me had jobs soon after graduating, and as far as i know they are all still employed or have private practices.

i think this is a very employable field. there are a lot of jobs, though not always exactly in the location where you want to be. also, you can do therapy and medication- no other masters level providers can do both.

i have a counseling psychology masters, and started a psy d program (decided to change to pmhnp). i feel pmhnp gives me the most flexibility- can work in any setting (hospital, private practice, community), can bill most insurance (including medicare and medicaid), can bill for therapy or medication management, shortest time in school, and most independence in practice. i would definitely suggest pmhnp route vs counseling, sw, or psyd. pa's often aren't hired in psych, but there was 1 i worked with in the past. pa's also have to be supervised by md and nps in several states have completely independent practice. nursing school was a terrible experience for me, but i enjoy being an np and working with pts.

recommendation for pmhnp during pmhnp program-i would ask to do a graduate internal medicine rotation-even if it is just a few weeks of observing. i end up having a lot of abnml labs coming back and i always refer to pcp for treatemnt and further assessment, but i feel like internal med is my weakest area (diabetes, heart/cardiovascular disease, thyroid disease are probably most relevant). there seems to be a big push in psychiatry for psychiatrists to be able to manage medical complications of mental illness or treatments- eg antipsychotic induced high chol, esp since many mentally ill only get care through psychiatry and have poor fup with pcp. eventually this may also be true for nps. a lot of programs don't focus on therapy training, so you might ask around if a sw, counselor, psychologist, or other types of providers will let you sit in on groups or other therapy training-even if all you do is observe it is very helpful experience to have.

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Viola900, would you mind talking about why nursing school was a terrible experience for you? I ask because I am contemplating pursuing an NP program but have no nursing or medical experience, and am terrified of the nursing school part of it all. I am interested in a PMHNP degree and feel that I would do well in that particular area, but am worried about doing everything it takes to get there (very squeamish about certain things) and not sure how much of dealing with the "yucky" stuff is required...

Thank you!

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Specializes in Corrections/psych.

I'm about to finish nursing school in 3 months; my real interest is psych ( I have a bachelors in pscyhology)...to the previous post, nursing school is very rigorous...a lot to learn, intense professors, dirty tasks in clinical (do you want specifics?). Reading lately about pscyh NP, and its giving me more enthusiasm about the path I've chosen, that it ultimately will pay off in compensation, flexibility, and options. I love helping people on the pscyhological level and nursing school is, well, all about nursing...some pscyhology but largely pathophysiology, pharmacology, nursing management, etc. That said, it is a helping profession, so I think anyone who likes helping would have some level of satisfaction in nursing, as I do.

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I would love specifics if you're willing to share. Thanks!

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Specializes in Corrections/psych.

In my program, in clinical, especially in the early clinicals we are expected to do all patient care and not to take help from the CNA/PCAs, which includes cleaning patients who are incontinent. And as far as I understand, an RN in the workplace needs to show she or he is willing to do any type of patient care in order to gain confindence/cooperation of the CNA/PCA or LPNs.

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In my program, in clinical, especially in the early clinicals we are expected to do all patient care and not to take help from the CNA/PCAs, which includes cleaning patients who are incontinent. And as far as I understand, an RN in the workplace needs to show she or he is willing to do any type of patient care in order to gain confindence/cooperation of the CNA/PCA or LPNs.

In acute care settings, all of the client care, including that typically done by CNAs or LPNs is actually, legally, the responsibility and job of the RN in charge of those clients. Sometimes you're able to delegate some of that work to CNAs and/or LPNs. Sometimes you're not. In either case, it's still your responsibility as the RN. In situations where you can delegate, it's still your responsibility to ensure that the care was provided, and provided adequately/correctly. That's why nursing school involves learning to become competent in all levels/phases of direct care. It's not so much a matter of being "willing" to do any type of care "in order to gain confidence/cooperation" of colleagues as it is that it's your job in an acute care setting. That knowledge and those skills are a basic element of RN licensure and, since all NPs are licensed RNs, that is a basic element of your education and licensure as an RN even if you are planning on becoming an NP and never getting your hands dirty again.

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How do you like your job Zen? I aspire to be a Psych. NP, but am a bit fearful of the job market for that specialty. What are your thoughts on that?

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