Emergency Room Nurse looking at Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP)

[Paul DeHart]

I'm currently an emergency room nurse with two years of experience, a half year of that experience was also spent working in behavioral health crisis access within the emergency room. Within the next five years I would like to have my psychiatric nurse practitioning license and start working in the mental health field. My question is this, is there any reason that I should not go into psychiatric nurse practitioning? I've had both sides of an argument where one is told me that there is no way I should ever touch it because I lack the experience on a psychiatric floor, while another one tells me that I should still follow it to pursue it regardless of my lack of psychiatric floor experience. So what do you guys think, should I go ahead and pursue my goals or should I try to refocus on something else? Also would there be anything impeding me from going through school and gaining my license and getting a job out of school?

Thank you all for taking the time to read and reply.

[umbdude, MSN, APRN]

On 2/20/2020 at 2:16 AM, Paul DeHart said:

My question is this, is there any reason that I should not go into psychiatric nurse practitioning?

That's a question for you to answer. I would say that going in for the sole purpose of job security and/or money might be unwise.

On 2/20/2020 at 2:16 AM, Paul DeHart said:

So what do you guys think, should I go ahead and pursue my goals or should I try to refocus on something else?

People's opinions vary on this and you have to make the final decision. Personally I don't think psych floor experience is a must. It's more important where you get your training and I would suggest going to a solid NP program. However, if you want to start out as a PMHNP in an acute inpatient unit, having some inpatient RN experience and relevant clinical preceptorship will help a lot.

On 2/20/2020 at 2:16 AM, Paul DeHart said:

Also would there be anything impeding me from going through school and gaining my license and getting a job out of school?

Not having psych floor experience won't impede you from going through school or getting board certified as a PMHNP, and it shouldn't hold you back from getting a job given the current demand.