ba in psych considering a career in psych nursing

elkpark · Jan 3, 2005

Hi -- I just logged in for the first time in a while, and I see that your post has been here a while without anyone else responding, so I will take a crack at it (keep in mind that this is all just one person's opinion & experience ...) I am a child psych CS who worked for many years as a psych RN at the staff nurse level (and have also been nursing faculty), so I have broad experience in most all psych settings and roles. I'll try to address your questions in order:

1) Because of confidentiality and safety concerns, I would expect you may find it difficult, if not impossible, to find an opportunity to "shadow" a psych nurse at work. Inpatient psych units rarely even use hospital volunteers for anything, because of the strict rules and concerns about patient privacy and safety for everyone. I'm sure you can agree that no one should be on an inpatient psych unit unless they have a darned good reason for being there!

2) Any nursing program in any accredited school should accept transfer of credits from any other accredited college or university. You may find that your psych BA credits don't cover a lot of the nursing pre-reqs, which tend to be v. heavy on the hard sciences. Just talk to the schools you're interested in, and ask them about your transcripts and their requirements. They will be happy to tell you what you would need to do/take. You will find that, because there is so much interest in nursing these days and so few "slots" available in nursing programs, the programs can afford to be v. selective. Start talking to the schools you are interested in as soon as possible, and start building a relationship with the people responsible for nursing admissions -- can't hurt! :)

3) Staff nurses (RNs without graduate education) do lots of personal interaction with patients, both groups and individuals, but do not do psychotherapy, according to the practice standards for psychiatric nursing developed by the applicable professional organizations. Staff nurses do counseling and education with individuals and groups. Psych CSs and NPs are prepared (through their graduate education and national certification) as psychotherapists. How much therapy an individual CS or NP does on a daily basis depends on her/his specific job, and varies greatly. I have, at different times, had jobs in which I did nothing but therapy, and jobs in which I did no therapy at all (and jobs in which I did some therapy and some other stuff ...)

4) When you say, "besides earning potential," does that mean that you've already figured out that psych nurses make a lot more than social workers? Since I've never been a social worker, I don't feel I can speak authoritatively to their career opportunities, but I do know that my friends who are social workers have been v. envious of my career opportunities and marketability as a psych CS. As for who does more therapy, see #3 above -- there are social workers who do nothing but therapy; most social workers are not psychiatric social workers and don't do any therapy at all (just as most RNs are not psych nurses ...), and every possibilty in between -- same with psych nurses.

5) Most of the psych CSs I have known have had outpatient private practices, and have been successful (BTW, when you say "successful," do you mean they're making a lot of $$$ or they are happy with what they are doing?). I have been considered an anomaly in prefering to work in inpatient settings. It is NOT true that most psych CSs end up in administrative roles. It is true that most managers of psychiatric units (at least in larger hospitals) are Master's-prepared. However, people with MSNs in psych nursing do all sorts of things. In addition to working as therapists (or management!) in inpatient and outpatient psychiatric settings, there is also psychiatric consultation-liaison work in hospitals (where you provide psych support to all the other areas of the hospital besides the psychiatric unit -- considered a subspecialty of psych, and v. interesting and challenging work (I did that for two years at a big, urban teaching hospital, and really enjoyed it)), teaching nursing and being involved in nursing research, and there are probably psych MSNs out there doing lots of other things that I've never heard of or thought of. A psych MSN who is doing administrative work is doing so because that is what s/he wants to do.

6) This is something I don't know much about, since I've never wanted to be in private practice. I have heard from other psych CSs in the past that it is harder for them to get accepted onto the provider lists of different insurance companies than it is for social workers, only because the insurance company people are more familiar with social workers than they are with advanced practice nurses, but that may have changed over time.

Whew, that is a lot of stuff! Keep in mind that you have to be a "regular" RN in order to be a psych nurse -- you'll have to take all the courses and rotate through all the clinical specialties in nursing school, not just psych, pass the same general licensing exam that we all take, and you will be legally accountable for all the knowledge and skills that the RN license implies. I don't mean to sound at all like I'm discouraging you, but I've known several people with psychology degrees over the years who looked around and figured they could make a lot more money as an RN than as a psychologist and do pretty much the same stuff, but when it came to getting through nursing school they found it definitely wasn't for them! It's not just a means of making more money for doing the same thing -- it's an entirely different discipline. Again, I don't mean to sound like I'm discouraging you, but I would encourage you to look seriously into whether nursing, in general, is something you're seriously interested in. If it is, GREAT!, and welcome to the family ... :) If not, that's great, too, and best wishes with whatever you decide.

Hope this is helpful. If I can answer any other questions for you (or try to), feel free to PM me ...

Nessd429 · Jan 5, 2005

Thanks a lot for your lengthy and detailed reply! Much of what you said is true and was encouraging. You're right that its been nearly impossible to get a position in psych, but i have a contact at bellevue's psych unit - he's the chief of psychiatry so hopefully i can try and get something off the ground there. Do you (or anyone else reading this) think it would be helpful for me to volunteer in any area of nursing even if it isn't psych to see if - as you said- nursing in general is right for me? Perhaps it would be easier to coordinate something in another area of nursing.

In reference to masters level psych nurses being successful, I meant personally, professionally, and financially thriving - although I know this is quite a loaded question. The info you gave me on psych CS's was encouraging. I am also very interested in the work you have experience in - consulting and teaching.

This was very helpful. If you or anyone else reading this knows any psych nurses that I could contact who may be willing to do informational interviews, or that I could email with questions, that would be enormously helpful as well. I'm trying to network as much as possible. Thanks so much again!

Vanessa

maureeno · Jan 7, 2005

I had a BS in psychology

and was working at a community mental health center

as a Vista volunteer when I realized I liked the nurses' style

[this was back during Nixon times]

so off to nursing school I went

bodies and fluids make nursing more real to me

and the ability to touch people is wonderful

you could check out if nursing is for you by

volunteering in a nursing home

spaniel · Jan 9, 2005

Me too- First I had a B.A. in Psych, worked as an Activities Director,which in hind sight was not a bad job (did music,art) but it didn't pay the bills. I went on for my BSN figuring I'd be a psych nurse but ended up in critical care!

Well to make a long story short, I completed a doctorate degree in clinical psychology while working in the CCU. I've worked many years as a Clinical psychologist. But for the past few years,I've wanted to add more diversity to my work so am considering the NP or perhaps nursing Ed.

So yes, back to YOU-I'd try volunteering. But may I suggest that you do this with a very good mentor who really has your best interest at heart. I would try a facility where the psych nurses view their role as multifaceted-i.e. counseling as well as assessment.

In my opinion, the advanced psych nurse role will provide for much greater opportunity than the MSW,especially with the real shortage of psychiatrists.

Nessd429 · Jan 9, 2005

Hi spaniel,

Thanks for your reply, you have such an interesting background. I've considered clinical psych too (the psyD since I'm not at all research oriented). I wanted to know. . what made you decide to go from a BSN to a clinical doctorate? What was your experience as a clinical psychologist like? Do you feel nursing offers better earning potential than clinical psych?

I noticed you mentioned a need for diversity. . you are considering being a psych NP? Diversity is a huge thing for me, and it's why I've considered nursing. Psych nursing seems like it offers more options than a psyD would(different settings, diverse responsibilities). Opportunities for teaching are also really important for me and I dont know how much a psyD would offer in that area. Are teaching opportunities available with a BSN or is an NP necessary?

spaniel · Jan 10, 2005

Hi- I sent you a private message. Very long one-the essence of which pertains to supply/demand!

Nessd429 · Jan 11, 2005

Thanks very much, your reply was very helpful. I guess my big concern at the moment (taking things one day at a time) is that I'd like to shadow a psych nurse but there are so many barriers with safety/confidentiality. I'm worried that I won't get a true sense of what psych nursing is really like unless i can shadow a psych nurse. If i were to apply to school w/out shadowing I'd feel like I wouldn't truly know what i was getting myself into. I live in nyc, and 've tried hospitals (both general and psychiatric) with no luck so far. Does anyone have any ideas about where I might be able to see a psych nurse in action other than hospitals? Maybe (i'm shooting the breeze here) smaller clinics, crisis intervention, or drug treatment programs where counseling is provided?

Thanks everyone:) this forum has been really helpful and encouraging so far!