how to get certified as a psychiatric RN

[rpnrn]

Hi. I'm coming up on 2 years of med-surg nursing. I graduated from nursing school in 2012 and have an ADN. I also hold a Bachelor's degree in fine art, formerly, and spent years working in mental health jobs prior to becoming an RN. My ambition is to become a Psych NP. I'm currently licensed and working in NM. I'm planning a move to Portland, OR, where I'd like to get a job as a psychiatric floor nurse. I'm looking for the best information I can get to enhance my chances of landing a job in this specialty area (e.g., certifications, etc.) I'm male, if that's important. My understanding is that there is a great demand for males in the psychiatric field. All advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[MrChicagoRN, RN]

Welcome.

Your interests and past experiences should help you get your foot in the door. Make sure that stands out in your resume and cover letter.

You won't be able to test for ANCC psych nursing certification without continuing ed, and I think it's 2000 hours of experience.

Take a look at. Home - American Psychiatric Nurses Association for some solid information.

[rpnrn]

thank you! do you work in oregon? what's the market like for ADN's with > 1 year acute care seeking gigs in psych?

[MrChicagoRN, RN]

thank you! do you work in oregon? what's the market like for ADN's with > 1 year acute care seeking gigs in psych?

my name is my location. Don't know how the job market is there, but you need to be sure that you make your plans known to potential employers.

i personally would rather hire an ADN with a genuine interest in psych, than a BSN just looking for a job.

[Hotfornursing, RN]

Hope this helps, good luck :-)

Psychiatricâ€"Mental Health Nursing Certification Eligibility Criteria

Psychiatric–Mental Health Nursing Certification Eligibility Criteria

Credential Awarded: RN-BC

Eligibility Criteria

Hold a current, active RN license within a state or territory of the United States or the professional, legally recognized equivalent in another country. International Applicants: Learn about additional requirements for candidates outside the US.

Have practiced the equivalent of 2 years full-time as a registered nurse.

Have a minimum of 2,000 hours of clinical practice in psychiatric–mental health nursing within the last 3 years.

Have completed 30 hours of continuing education in psychiatric–mental health nursing within the last 3 years.

[chevyv, BSN, RN]

When you do go for CEU's, make sure the ANCC approves the course before you pay $$. The CEU's are not too time consuming or expensive, but I didn't check to make sure the first few I took were accepted. I wasted about $50 and had to retake a few. It's pretty easy to find 15 CEU's in one course. It took me about 3hrs to do the requirement. The ANCC will check your hours worked in mental health and the CEU's. Good luck!

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

IMO, you need to actually work in psych before attempting to get certified in it. The certification test is far more difficult than the psych portion of the NCLEX, and you really need to have the actual experience.

Also, you may have encountered psych issues/patients while working in med-surg, but that would be considered exposure to psych and not actual psych nursing experience, unless you were on a specific psych-medical unit. As it stands now, you do not meet the experience requirement for testing.

Given that you have past mental health experience as well as a genuine interest, I think you have a decent shot at getting a psych job. Apply for whatever you can--even if it's per-diem. Good luck.