Certification for Psychiatric Nursing

[GaGal777]

Hello everyone! I am currently taking pre-requisites for nursing school but trying to think ahead.

I already know I want to specialize in Psychiatric Nursing. It's been my passion for years.

What do I need do to get certified in this field? Is there anyway I can do it while in the Nursing Program?

Thanks,

Wanda

[elkpark]

The psychiatric nursing certification requires that you be a licensed RN and have worked in psychiatric nursing for two years in order to be eligible. There isn't anything you can do in nursing school to pursue certification.

I encourage you to "keep an open mind" in nursing school -- many, many of us have had the experience of starting nursing school sure that we knew we wanted to specialize in a particular area only to find, by the time we graduated (or early on in our career) that we were much more interested in another area entirely. It's hard to have a clear idea of what working in a particular specialty is like until you've actually had some "real life" experience in it, which is hard to do until you're in nursing. Also, most people have no idea of the incredibly wide range of career paths and possibilities available within nursing until they're in nursing for a while.

Best wishes for your studies! :balloons:

[GaGal777]

Thanks a million for your help.

While working in a state psychiatric hospital, it became my passion.

Not to mention personal experiences with family members and friends with mental illnesses.

But you are right. There is a strong possibility that I will find something else I am interested in.

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

I encourage you to "keep an open mind" in nursing school -- many, many of us have had the experience of starting nursing school sure that we knew we wanted to specialize in a particular area only to find, by the time we graduated (or early on in our career) that we were much more interested in another area entirely.

Including me--I swore I'd never do psych nursing and here I am loving it :) Several of my classmates started off interested in one area to change their mind several times before they graduated. On the other hand, there were also some classmates that knew what they wanted from day 1 and went right into that area after graduation. So if you are interested in psych, definitely pursue it! Just don't be surprised if other areas catch your interest, even for a little while.

Also, if you can work during nursing school, get a job as a mental health tech--not only will it give you more insight into what psych nursing is like, it may help you make connections for getting a nursing job after you graduate.