Debating between doing Psych NP and FNP

[danse87]

I have a passion for Psych and have worked as a psych nurse for close to 3 years now. I have friends starting their FNP and they are discouraging from doing Psych NP in that Ii am limiting my practice just to psych. I have been reading some articles online about psych and some say that the field is flooded. There are now these new DNP programs too. I don't know if it's worth doing the DNP or just the NP. Do DNPs make more money ?

[Grumble88]

FNPs do have a generally much broader scope of practice, but are limited in the field of psychiatry. As an FNP you can only legally treat mild to moderate depression, anxiety, and ADHD. For severe cases of those issues you will be out of your scope and you will not be able to manage care of bipolar disorders or psychotic illnesses, you also won't be able to provide or bill for psychotherapy.

[Dogen]

I haven't heard that the field is flooded, but there are regional variations and your geographic area may be. Nationally, and in my area, there are a ton of opportunities for all kinds of mental health providers. The number of psychiatrists hasn't kept pace with population growth, and the ACA expanded access to mental health services, so psych NPs have been doing well. In fact, (again, in my area) PMHNPs are generally paid better than FNPs because of the demand.

However, the other side of Grumble88's coin is that as a PMHNP your scope is strictly treating mental illness and the side effects of medication. So, you may end up prescribing metformin, compazine, or docusate, but you'd be out of your scope to prescribe pain meds, antibiotics, etc.

[reggaemuffin, MSN, NP, CNS]

DNPs do not make more money. The issue is that they are threatening to make a DNP the educational minimum for NPs- although who knows if that will actually happen...

Ive actually heard the exact opposite regarding psych NPs but maybe it's all location based.