Help me navigate the nursing journey.

[iwanttopsychnurse]

Hi! I am currently working for 10 years at a 9-5 desk job, plus a 3 hour commute. I have been unhappy and stuck in it for a long time. Therapy has me wanting to make my life more meaningful while I work. I have a BS, but need a few pre-reqs to apply.

I have a million questions but I'll just start with a few.

1. Do all NYC schools have the same pre-requisites? If not, is there a place to compare them online somewhere?
   
2. How much time does it take up from your daily life to be in nursing school? I have two kids and I would be leaving my 9-5 career for something more gratifying, but I don't want it to be at the expense of my kids.
   
3. Is there a separate program for nurses to become "psychiatric nurses?"
   
4. Is there a separate program for Nurse Practitioners to become "Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners? This is my end goal.
   
5. Do I need to go back to school and major in psych to be better prepared for a career in psych nursing?
   

[EllaBella1, BSN]

1. No, not all schools have the same pre-reqs. No, there is not a website to compare requirements.

2. Nursing school takes up a tremendous amount of your life. A few questions- are you applying to traditional or accelerated programs? BSN or ADN? How fast are you looking to complete a program? These factors will all play into how much time it takes up. If you do an accelerated BSN program you will be tremendously busy with school- you're likely looking at school hours similar to your work hours, plus homework at night. If you were to do a ADN program at a community college where you can go part time and stretch the program out you would have a lot more family time to work with.

3. No, in the US you do not specialize what type of RN you want to be in school. You graduate and take the licensing exam and then can choose which area of employment to pursue.

4. Yes, NP programs are specialized and some schools offer psych NP tracks.

5. No, I wouldn't say you NEED to go back to school for psychology first, though some familiarity with it might be helpful. You will have to take a few psych courses as pre-reqs likely, and you will have a psych nursing rotation in nursing school.