Career transition from counseling to psychiatric nursing

[Ecfox03]

I'm 38 yrs old with a masters in counseling psychology. I do not have my counseling license yet but plan to obtain it soon. I was thinking about pursing a PhD in clinical or counseling psychology but do not have an interest in research or teaching. I've been reading about getting an advanced degree as a psychiatric-mental health nurse since I enjoy the clinical aspect of working with mental health patients in addition to doing therapy. I wanted to get some advice regarding whether or not nursing would be a good career move. I am concerned about job security and salary and I understand there is a limit to how much I can earn as a licensed counselor. Thanks for any advice!

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

Go to the First Job Hunt Forum and the First Year after Licensure Forums to get an idea of how tough it is for new grads to get a job right now. It's pretty bad. If you're in California, it's twice as bad.

That being said, two things to consider...

1. Who knows what the job market will be like when you graduate? It may be better, or worse, or not change one whit. I hope it gets better for you (all of you new grads). But the crystal ball is in the shop, so I can't tell you for certain how things will be when you get out.

2. You want psych. Most new grads run screaming from psych. This works in your favor. Plus you will have relevant experience, which may help you land a psych nursing job.

As far as job security goes, that's also uncertain given the economy, fluctuating hospital censuses and the impending healthcare changes that will be going live this year and next. A lot of nurses (not just in psych) find themselves having to flex off or use PTO because the censuses are low. A lot of places are choosing to hire part-times and per-diems instead of full-time staff so they can escape having to provide benefits. A lot of facilities just aren't hiring period. Nurses are often one of the first ones that are thrown under the bus should something go wrong, so firings can and do happen.

Salary...depends on the part of the country you live in. I don't know what counselors make so I can't tell you if a nurse's salary is better or worse than it. But I can tell you that you're not going to make as much money as a RN as you think--it's not the cash cow that it was several years ago.

Hope this helps somewhat.