FNP vs PMHNP Post Grad Certificate

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Specializes in Academia, Med/Surg, Primary Care, Patho/Pharm.

Hello, everyone! I have my master's in nursing education and work as a nursing professor. I am currently enrolled in an MSN-DNP program, and I am doing a post-master's certificate at the same time to become an APRN. I keep going back and forth between PMHNP and FNP. My ultimate career goal is to open my own clinic that focuses primarily on parenthood transitions. The goal would be for women to receive routine medical care postpartum, which would include an on-site pelvic floor PT. It would also include mental healthcare. Not only is PPD/PPA so prevalent, but even without it, parenthood transitions are HARD. I want parents to have access to therapy and medication (if needed). Parents would be routinely screened. Not through a forgotten form but through a conversation. There would also be an on-site lactation consultant for those who desire that option. No more running around to a bunch of offices and parents feeling like they are forgotten in the chaos. It is probably a pipe dream, but it won't stop me from trying. 

In a perfect world, I would be a PMHNP and FNP. However, I have 3 young kids, and I don't think it is likely I will return to school. So I want to pick the one that will be the best long-term career option. 

Option #1: PMHNP
I care deeply about mental healthcare, particularly in the intrapartum and postpartum phases. I struggled quite a bit, but nobody knew. I am a whole new person now that I have proper treatment. My DNP scholarly project would be on training nurses in pediatric offices to screen parents at every well-child check in the first year for PPA/PPD and other struggles. As a mom to young kids, I also love the idea of the flexibility of telehealth. I would be lying if I said that the high need for mental health providers and the higher pay were not factors. It would enable me to work fewer hours because of the higher salary. I don't do it for the money, but we have bills to pay, and I want to maximize my time with my kids. The downside is I would be strictly limited to mental healthcare. The postpartum care, infant care, etc, would be for someone else to do. 

Option #2: FNP
I love women's health and babies. If babies could be born during business hours, I would be a midwife. The only thing I love more than pregnancy, childbirth, and newborns are my guaranteed evenings, weekends, and holidays with my family. Being an FNP would allow me to work with the entire age span and women's health. I could provide more of the services in my previously mentioned clinic. Telehealth is still an option, but not nearly as common as it is for mental healthcare. FNPs tend to be very oversaturated, so jobs can be harder to get. The pay generally is not as high. However, the career options are much broader. I can work in a family practice office. An office that only sees adults. A pediatric office. Urgent care. Sometimes in an ER. Any outpatient specialty office. In women's health or with an OB/Gyn doing the gyn side. 
 

As you can see, I have talked myself in circles about these options. I have been in school for almost 2 years, but I have been front-loading my DNP courses and the "3 Ps," so either option is fair game at this point. Any advice, thoughts, or opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

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Specializes in Former NP now Internal medicine PGY-3.

I would first try to see if it is financial viable or if a clinic in your area has a similar set up. 

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Specializes in Academia, Med/Surg, Primary Care, Patho/Pharm.
17 hours ago, Tegridy said:

I would first try to see if it is financial viable or if a clinic in your area has a similar set up. 

I do know there are no others in my area like this. I did a quick internet search and didn't find any anywhere. It doesn't mean they don't exist, but it certainly is not a popular model. I know finding funding will be challenging. I know it may not be possible. I want something that will set me up for long-term career success regardless of if my idea works out. 

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Specializes in Former NP now Internal medicine PGY-3.
7 hours ago, GirlMomNurse said:

I do know there are no others in my area like this. I did a quick internet search and didn't find any anywhere. It doesn't mean they don't exist, but it certainly is not a popular model. I know finding funding will be challenging. I know it may not be possible. I want something that will set me up for long-term career success regardless of if my idea works out. 

May be easier to start a reg job first and try to add a special aspect of the clinic. For that I would probably do FNP. Post partum is a rather brief time period of someone’s life and may be hard to get enough patients just for tha

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Is there a way to PM on this website? If so, PM me! We have very similar interests ?

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Specializes in Academia, Med/Surg, Primary Care, Patho/Pharm.
mjjg said:

Is there a way to PM on this website? If so, PM me! We have very similar interests ?

Yes, but you have to make 15 posts first. 

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I am dual certified as a FNP/PMHNP.  I think the education and the scope is more versatile as a FNP.  If you are working for someone though, the pay is definitely beter as a PMHNP.    Best wishes on your journey.

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Specializes in Academia, Med/Surg, Primary Care, Patho/Pharm.
Rnis said:

I am dual certified as a FNP/PMHNP.  I think the education and the scope is more versatile as a FNP.  If you are working for someone though, the pay is definitely beter as a PMHNP.    Best wishes on your journey.

Thank you! It seems backward, but it appears to make more sense to do PMHNP first. That way, if I never make it back to school, I have an in-demand and well-paying job. PMHNP also has more classes than FNP. I hope I will eventually make it back to add FNP so I can provide more comprehensive care to perinatal patients. 

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Specializes in FNP.

I graduated with my FNP in 2020, had my second child in early 2021 and started my new NP career full-time once my daughter was 4 months old. I have been thinking about going back for my post-grad PMHNP and I've been dreaming about specializing in antepartum and postpartum mental health because of my personal mental health journey since motherhood. I love your idea and just wanted offer support for what you want to do. I would love to do something similar. I often brainstorm ways to pitch adding a PMHNP to the OB/GYN office I go to. I can't say which is better (FNP vs PMHNP) but I wish you the best in your journey! Happy to connect in the future. 

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Specializes in Academia, Med/Surg, Primary Care, Patho/Pharm.
MaineMomFNP said:

I graduated with my FNP in 2020, had my second child in early 2021 and started my new NP career full-time once my daughter was 4 months old. I have been thinking about going back for my post-grad PMHNP and I've been dreaming about specializing in antepartum and postpartum mental health because of my personal mental health journey since motherhood. I love your idea and just wanted offer support for what you want to do. I would love to do something similar. I often brainstorm ways to pitch adding a PMHNP to the OB/GYN office I go to. I can't say which is better (FNP vs PMHNP) but I wish you the best in your journey! Happy to connect in the future. 

Thank you! I decided to stick with PMHNP for now. It's the one thing I know for sure and it is more classes. It will also give me more flexibility with my schedule as mental health is more telehealth friendly. 

I'm debating if I want to do FNP or WHNP down the road. I wanted to do FNP because I basically want PNP + WHNP. However, most FNP programs I find heavily emphasize the AGNP aspect and not a lot on the PNP/WHNP aspect. I never planned to fill a pediatrician's shoes anyway, but instead wanted knowledge/expertise to guide parents who aren't feeling heard with their little ones. So then I wondered if WHNP would allow me to provide primary care (mental and physical) to women (with a heavy emphasis on perinatal) and my RN knowledge would allow me to provide advice on the pediatric aspect. So many options! :)

I would love to stay in touch! 

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Hello

 

just wondering how your doing in the DNP and post master program at the same time?

 

thinking of doing the same. 
 

 

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Specializes in Academia, Med/Surg, Primary Care, Patho/Pharm.
sh3rylanne said:

Hello

 

just wondering how your doing in the DNP and post master program at the same time?

 

thinking of doing the same. 
 

 

I have my MSN (nursing education), so I am in a post-master's DNP program + a postgrad certificate for NP Program. Some schools have MSN-DNP programs for those who are not APRNs and include the APRN certification in the curriculum, too. 

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