All of my experience is as a paramedic, ICU RN, Transport RN at a large university with very sick patients, and soon to be Flight RN. I'm used to directing care by myself, knowing medication doses, intubating, managing vents, etc. My background looks good for ACNP. Yet, I just don't know if I want to do this stuff anymore. My passion is gone it seems and I no longer enjoy the hassle of sick patients. I'm still considering it, but what used to be glamorous to me feels like meaninglessly keeping dead people alive (no offense intended, just want to illustrate how I feel lately).
I might want something completely different. After dealing with psych issues of my own, I feel like I might have more of a passion helping people in this area than I do in critical care, which feels pointless at most times. I have no psych nursing experience though. The big downside I see if I don't like being a PMHNP I don't really have much if any room to change, and I would have lost my critical care skills.
I really would like to do outpatient. Some of the more severe inpatient cases probably wouldn't be something I would enjoy. It seems that med management is the primary role of PMHNP, but I really am curious how hard it would be to be trained and perform some CBT as well. After seeing how CBT changed my life from severe OCD, it's part of what is driving my passion towards mental health.
Should I try to shadow a PMHNP? Would I even be considered due to my lack of psych experience? Any advice would be appreciated.
Have you pursued experience in psych since this post? If so, how have your experiences been and what recommendations do you have?
I am also experience in critical care. However, I am very curious about transitioning and continuing school into psych for numerous professional and personal reasons.
Specializes in Surgical, CVICU & Oncology, Med/Surg.
Nurse Magnolia said:
I don't understand how someone can become a psych NP without psych experience? As a psych nurse, I couldn't go for an acute care NP without acute care experience, nor should I be able to. Our patients are just as important and deserve NP's that have experience working with the most critically mentally ill. Those patients show up to outpatient clinics once released from the inpatient units. I worked community mental health for years prior to nursing school and lack of providers is a major issue - but having ill equipt providers is another issue.
I'd say get a job as a psych nurse first, make sure you really do feel a passion for helping this type of patient. THEN go on for your NP. Psych nursing units are usually pretty accepting of specialty changers and they also usually need staff, so you may not have a difficult transition.
I commend your desire - I just don't think anyone should be able to go for an NP in a specialty in which they have zero experience.
Honestly this is BS of course if you only have psych experience you shouldn't go for ACNP but you can certainly go for psych NP school with ICU experience & thrive tremendously.
kekunsman, BSN, RN
6 Posts
Have you pursued experience in psych since this post? If so, how have your experiences been and what recommendations do you have?
I am also experience in critical care. However, I am very curious about transitioning and continuing school into psych for numerous professional and personal reasons.