Psych BSN

Nurse Ratched, RN · Feb 18, 2005

Nobody that I noticed :).

ZZTopRN, BSN, RN · Feb 19, 2005

Nobody that I noticed :).

Thanks Nurse Rached: There was a post somewhere that someone said so. I am studying to retake my boards after being out of nursing for a long time and I thought I had better check on this.

You're a cutie.

mv

TitaniaSidhe · Feb 19, 2005

It definately is not NECESSARY but it is helpful as most facillities (at least near me in NE) are requiring BSN for anything beyond a staff nurse position. I guess it all depends on where you wish to go with it. Too me it is kinda stupid b/c the best psych nurses I have worked with have been the ones possessing plain old common sense, degree or diploma mattered not.

ZZTopRN, BSN, RN · Feb 20, 2005

It definately is not NECESSARY but it is helpful as most facillities (at least near me in NE) are requiring BSN for anything beyond a staff nurse position. I guess it all depends on where you wish to go with it. Too me it is kinda stupid b/c the best psych nurses I have worked with have been the ones possessing plain old common sense, degree or diploma mattered not.

Thank you very much for answering. I have been studying for a few months to retake my RN NCLEX since I let mine lapse and you have to retake the boards if you have been out over 8 years. Then I saw a post somewhere that said you had to be a BSN, kind of panicked me. All the studying, paperwork. I finally completed my application the lst part of January and have not received word back from them for permission to take the NCLEX. It says on the board that it takes 4-6 weeks, and do not call before 60 days if you haven't heard. So this is going on the 6th week and I'm getting kind of edgy. Anyway I'm getting of the topic of my first question and thanks for replying.

mv

CharlieRN · Feb 23, 2005

Psych is an area where degrees are helpful both in getting the job and in doinig it. Clinical experience in a large psych facility is a more important indicator of competence, but it is hard to quantify that. (You don't have to be sane to get a degree, but your peers will catch on to you if you try to work long in a clinical psych setting with too much "baggage".)

ARNPsomeday · Feb 23, 2005

Psych is an area where degrees are helpful both in getting the job and in doinig it. Clinical experience in a large psych facility is a more important indicator of competence, but it is hard to quantify that. (You don't have to be sane to get a degree, but your peers will catch on to you if you try to work long in a clinical psych setting with too much "baggage".)

CharlieRN, maybe I'm too tired, but I don't get what you mean.

CharlieRN · Feb 23, 2005

Over the years I have seen various psych professionals come into the hospital setting after getting impressive degree's and even being in private practice, and then seeing them fall apart. Sanity is a requirement of safe function in patient care but schools don't routinely screen for it. Clinical settings do.

ARNPsomeday · Feb 23, 2005

Over the years I have seen various psych professionals come into the hospital setting after getting impressive degree's and even being in private practice, and then seeing them fall apart. Sanity is a requirement of safe function in patient care but schools don't routinely screen for it. Clinical settings do.

Oh, my goodnes!

Nurse Ratched, RN · Feb 23, 2005

True, one is somewhat more limited to staff nursing without a BSN, but that's not to imply that staff nursing isn't a perfectly fine long term option for nursing, especially if you're good at it and that's where your heart is.

As far as CharlieRN's comments (and I don't want to put words in your mouth) but are you referring to the old saw about people getting into psych nursing to work out their own issues? Yeah, there are a few, but I don't think any more as a percentage than the ones who are attracted to nursing in general because of co-dependency issues. Neither kind typically lasts.

CharlieRN · Mar 1, 2005

nurse R, I don't know about an old saw but I've seen what I have seen. If I were in the market for a psych pro, I would want one who had worked in a clinical setting, not gone from school to private practice.

ARNPsomeday · Mar 1, 2005

nurse R, I don't know about an old saw but I've seen what I have seen. If I were in the market for a psych pro, I would want one who had worked in a clinical setting, not gone from school to private practice.

Okay, CharlieRN, now I understand. That makes sense.