Any Psych Nurse Practitioner's out there?

Nursing Students NP Students

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I recently made the choice to switch from a Mental Health Counseling program to an Accelerated BSN program. With the ultimate goal of obtaining an advanced degree (PMHNP). This was an informed decision based on some things I learned when talking to graduates of my old counseling program. The short story being that PMHNP's seem to earn more and get more respect than LPC's.

I'm also an older student (in my 40s) but will start taking my nursing pre-req's soon. I'm very clear about my path but do have some questions.

- Is it true that Mental Health Nursing is not a popular career choice?

- What is a typical day like for an Advanced Practice Mental Health Nurse?

- Do you feel well compensated salary wise?

- What is the job market like for PMHNP (I've heard there's a huge demand).

I'm 100% sure about my career choice. I love psychology but am really excited about learning more "hard science" when it comes to anatomy and physiology. My goal is to work really hard and get started on my new career ASAP.

Specializes in ICU, PCU, Trauma.

My significant other will not graduate until July of this Summer as a PMHNP at the Masters level. We live in Florida, and thus far she has received two job offers without applying. One from the place where she did her assessment clinical for 110K (to bring that service to his primary care clinic) and the other for around 90K where she is currently doing her Psych clinical. If she accepts she would be the only Psych certified NP in the facility (the others being FNP who were grandfathered into the system having obtained their masters in the the 1990's). She has also been contacted by the VA for an interview on an application that she submitted two years ago. Also, we moved from Indiana to Florida in 2009. At that time I earned $24.00 per hour on nights at Methodist hospital as a new grad. Now I earn $40.00 on nights in an ICU (albeit with no benefits) at an HCA facility. Thus, I would argue that the suppositions that the job market for psych is poor and that Florida pays worse than everywhere else is not necessarily correct.

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Specializes in Psych.
TheDude77 said:
I agree with everything he said, besides the compensation part. I think this has to do a lot with locale. In my area there are hardly and PMHNP's and the ones that do practice in outpatient settings as well as hospitals are raking 80% of what the Psychiatrists are making.

WOW! OK where are you living? Cuz I'm moving there.

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what school did your significant other went to? coz i am looking for a school here in florida and was he an experienced psych nurse before applying there? thank you.

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Pls i am in need of a preceptor for PMHNP program starting in Spring 2017.I am licensed in NY and CT. Pls it will be highly appreciated if anyone is interested in being my preceptor.Thanks

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I too am pursuing a career in nursing in hopes of becoming a psych NP. I am currently a licensed therapist and recently completed my doctoral studies in psychology. I had the pleasure of working with Psych NP's at the hospital as a part of a treatment team and became fascinated with what they do and the potential income. I am also interested in prescribing powers and the idea of opening my own practice. You, like me, am clearer than ever about my career trajectory and you, like me, are in your 40's. I'm excited as you should be. I'm looking to start in the spring of 2017. Best of luck!

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As an NP, I would avoid the South like the plague. Doctors and their advocacy groups have a strangle-hold on the legislatures, so it will be a long, long time before NPs have any practice autonomy there, even though PCPs are desperately needed there. Without the practice autonomy, the salary will always be low, while the doctors make out like bandits on their insurance reimbursement rates (rates tend to be higher where providers are scarce).

Don't get me wrong, I grew up in the South and there are some lovely places to live. But professionally, I would to where there is more respect and autonomy for NPs.

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This kind of naivete comes only before you have worked one hour as a nurse.

vigor145 said:
This is an OLD thread, however, after Miss South Carolina has responded with nothing positive or uplifting, I wish to respond. Do not forget Miss South Carolina, your negative experiences are just that...........YOURS. You cannot speak for a country as a whole. Maybe your employer is paying YOU $80,000, but just hired a new DNP graduate at $90,000 per year. Your opinion is subjective based on your intimate experience.

That being said, I am 36, almost 37. I began pre-nursing in 1996, but then change to business school for reasons beyond my control. I ended up working in IT making well around $150,000 per year, as I did graduate with 2 BS degrees in fields that were #1 and #3 in the nation at that time. Money IS NOT everything. I was in a coma 6.5 years ago for a few weeks. Coming out of that unscathed was a blessing, and over the course of a year I evaluated my life. I realized money wasn't everything; I loved IT as a hobby, but hated working it. I needed "something" that had value to me when I would walk into work. And here I am, about to enter my 2nd semester of a BSN nursing program, with the goal of earning my doctorate in PMHNP. This is a VERY personal decision to go into Psych. I have so many reasons that I cannot even share.

But all I hear from you Miss South Carolina, is about the crappy pay you're making. Do you even give a crap about making a difference to a mentally fragile individuals? If the pay is so disappointing, then why didn't you do your homework beforehand? Because your negativity..........you are rubbing it off on people who are hopeful about a career path they want to take. I gather you have your MSN? Maybe that is part of the disparity in pay you see. Get your doctorate; your pay will increase.

I will leave it with this; I do not understand how people CHOOSE the nursing field, a field where there needs to be compassion, caring, and kindness, in addition to the critical thinking and analytical skills, etc. And they come into it for the money, or in Miss South Carolina's case, the apparent lack of.

Do you homework people. It is called DUE DILIGENCE.

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Current feelings guys?

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Glad I found this post. In response to gilversplace, I'm currently going to the University of Florida's psych DNP program - I started the program immediately after finishing my BSN, with no experience at the time. I'm halfway through (4 semesters done, 4 to go) and will become a PMHNP with just under 3 years of nursing experience (psych only).

Kauaidreamer, your post is encouraging to me. Everyone says the south is so terrible, but there are currently about 40 PMHNP job postings that I've seen in the last month with a salary of six figures (in Florida). I don't anticipate having any difficulty finding a job - one of the psychiatrists at my job as an RN has already showed interesting in hiring me when I finish, and I'm only halfway through. My program also forwards emails all the time from facilities seeking PMHNPs.

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I want to become a PMHNP. I don't have any psych experience as a RN. I am a nursing clinical instructor for mental health. I really enjoy psych with my students. I have 8 years of Med-Surg experience. I want something different. Currently, I have a Masters in Nursing Education. I am working as a Med-Surg nurse and clinical instructor. I believe psych will be a great opportunity for me.

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jmnurse09, I have my Masters in Nursing Education also. I plan on starting a Poster Master's Psych NP program this coming Fall. :)

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MarleyGraceRN,

Do you have any experience in psych?

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