Are these the right steps to become a mental health nurse?

U.S.A. Ohio

Published

I'm complete high school next year and i was considering being a nurse . i was thinking about hocking college they have a LPN , ADN AND A LPN TO ADN programs and i want to be a LPN first ( i know some people think they have now jobs even my mom but i checked indeed.com they seem to be plentiful ) .Then do their LPN TO ADN program and switch to AKRON u ADN TO BSN program . But i don't know what else i need to be a mental health nurse a i know this seems long just want to make shore nursing is for me.

PS : Sorry if this looks like a hot mess got a little nervous

BeachsideRN, ASN

1,722 Posts

Specializes in NICU, Trauma, Oncology.

Personally I would skip the LPN and go straight for ADN or BSN. After that you will have the foundation to practice in mental health. From there, once you have a BSN, you can go on to become a mental health nurse practitioner by getting a MSN or DNP

elkpark

14,633 Posts

Doing an LPN program first is a reasonable way to figure out whether nursing is something you want to pursue further. You can stay an LPN, or you can choose to return to school later and become an RN. You can work in psychiatric nursing as either an LPN or an RN (the roles will be a little different), although many nurses have had the experience of starting school sure that they know what area they want to specialize in but, by the time they've gone through school and been exposed to all the different specialty areas, they find they are more interested in something else entirely. There are lots of different specialties and career paths in nursing that people aren't even aware of until they get into nursing. Best wishes for your journey!

wwdahn

24 Posts

thank you for the advice will mental health hospitals hire LPNS in ohio or anywhere else and can nurse specialize in working with children with special needs like autism

wwdahn

24 Posts

thank you for the advice

elkpark

14,633 Posts

thank you for the advice will mental health hospitals hire LPNS in ohio or anywhere else and can nurse specialize in working with children with special needs like autism

Lots of psych facilities and programs hire LPNs, lots don't. I can't speak to specific hiring practices in OH. One has a wider range of opportunities as an RN. But, yes, you can specialize in working with in children with psychiatric and developmental disorders like autism.

wwdahn

24 Posts

thank you

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