Going for Psych NP

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Hi all! Great to be here and make my first message. I'm going to ramble from top of my head about some things and any advice or reassurance will be appreciated.

I have a Bachelor's degree in Psychology (3.5 GPA) and some experience as a caregiver, and really enjoyed that line of work, but was wanting to kick things up a notch *BAM*. PHD programs for Psych are highly competitive (even more than medical school), long, expensive, and still not great pay when you're out. And your hands are tied cuz you still can't write prescriptions.

To become a psychiatrist would be 1.5 years to get my premed + volunteer work done and MCAT, then 4 years of med school, then 4 years in residency. Tons of debt, stress, and so much time (I'm already 30 years old).

So was looking into becoming a Psych NP. I'm not afraid of moving around, and I found some listing starting at 170k-200k, and some even some for telepsychiatry (remote working).

My plan was going back to college to get my AAS degree > begin work immediately as a part-time RN in a psychiatric capacity while finishing my BSN (so will finish my BSN in 2 years with 1 year of RN experience too).... Then apply for a MSN program and continue working as a RN part-time during that 2 year program. So when I graduate with my MSN as a Psych NP I'll have 3 years of RN experience under my belt. Would that work? I don't think there's any additional benefit for going for the DNAP? And I already have a background in psychological basics.

Thanks~

Cad


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Specializes in psych/medical-surgical.

No one can tell you or decide what is best for you. With a critical eye, I too examined most of the options besides the phD (I know reseaech/teaching focus is not for me) besdies anyone can teach with a masters - and I know I don't want to be limited to just talk therapy, so psychology was never a question. Only other difference is that I have a BSN. After careful consideration of medical school (Cost too much money and time - another 8 years?) when as an independent NP you can make 200k if you work a lil more... pharmacy school and nurse anestheisa, I proceeded with my DNP in Psych/mental health. I believe this path has the most flexibility other than being a psychiatrist. We can do talk therapy and write prescriptions, on top of other specialties if you wanna go back for another year. Many people I know are dual certified, PMHNP and FNP. All depends of course on where you want to end up and what you enjoy doing!

Not sure what DNAP is and don't listen to anyone saying this market is flooded esp Psych. Tons of people need help and in a city of 1.7 mil I see the same providers everywhere I go lol...

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Specializes in Psychiatric nursing.

As someone with a bachelors in psychology I think going back and getting my BSN was the best decision I could have made. I did an accelerated BSN program which I started in Dec 2017 and finished in Dec 2018 and became an RN in Feb 2019. You should definitely look into an accelerated program, it will be super stressful but definitely saves you on time. I’ve seen people get accepted into MSN/DNP programs right out of finishing their bachelors or with just 1 year of RN experience, it depends on the program.

The field is changing with regards to some places wanting their NPs to be doctorate prepared. Some schools are reflecting that by not having MSN programs but having BSN-DNP programs. It’s not mandatory but it is beginning to shift towards that which is why my school was strongly recommending students to just get a DNP.

Hope this helps! Good luck!

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Specializes in Behavioral Health.
On 12/9/2019 at 2:37 AM, A. Cadmus said:

Hi all! Great to be here and make my first message. I'm going to ramble from top of my head about some things and any advice or reassurance will be appreciated.

I have a Bachelor's degree in Psychology (3.5 GPA) and some experience as a caregiver, and really enjoyed that line of work, but was wanting to kick things up a notch *BAM*. PHD programs for Psych are highly competitive (even more than medical school), long, expensive, and still not great pay when you're out. And your hands are tied cuz you still can't write prescriptions.

To become a psychiatrist would be 1.5 years to get my premed + volunteer work done and MCAT, then 4 years of med school, then 4 years in residency. Tons of debt, stress, and so much time (I'm already 30 years old).

So was looking into becoming a Psych NP. I'm not afraid of moving around, and I found some listing starting at 170k-200k, and some even some for telepsychiatry (remote working).

My plan was going back to college to get my AAS degree > begin work immediately as a part-time RN in a psychiatric capacity while finishing my BSN (so will finish my BSN in 2 years with 1 year of RN experience too).... Then apply for a MSN program and continue working as a RN part-time during that 2 year program. So when I graduate with my MSN as a Psych NP I'll have 3 years of RN experience under my belt. Would that work? I don't think there's any additional benefit for going for the DNAP? And I already have a background in psychological basics.

Thanks~

Cad

Not sure how close you are to ct, but yale school of nursing has an accelerated program where you go in with your bachelor's by yr 2 you'll have your RN and the following yr you'll graduate being a psych np. I'm sure there are similar programs throughout the country

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