It can be done! (BSN straight to PMHNP)

[hakhama]

For anyone who's been thinking about going straight to NP school after undergrad in nursing:

It can be done! I just finished the last exam of my BSN degree. I have no RN experience and have not even taken the NCLEX yet. I graduate next week. I've already been admitted to multiple prestigious PMHNP master's programs (that guarantee clinical placements) and I now officially consider myself a soon-to-be psych nurse practitioner student at one of these schools!!!

The reason I post this is because I got a lot of flack on this website for considering going straight to NP. Some people even told me not to go into nursing if I wanted to be a psych NP just because I wouldn't like the RN education portion.

If you think you want to be a psych NP (or FNP, etc) and you think the path suits you, go for it! The world needs more NPs. :) If you want any specific advice, feel free to PM me. I got a lot of good advice and would love to give back.

[RNjazzie12]

Hello,

I just like to chime in. I see both sides of this argument. However, take into consideration that although these programs are direct-entry, a good number of students still work while they are in school. So essentially they are working and gaining experience prior to actually starting their clinical preceptorships.

[hakhama]

I'm still working on finding the JNP article you added. For some reason OVID won't give it up and the JNP isn't recognizing me as having access although they send me the stinking thing free each month which I rarely keep as most times there are few articles that are of benefit for my specialty and the ones that are kind of nursing research light type written about psych seem more geared to GPs.

Something I found in my hunt that was interesting is level of preparation was the highest rated component although there doesn't seem to be a cut and dry description of what that should entail. Is it experience, clinical education, orientation? Probably all of the above would be ideal. Comments on Role Preparation topic include:

Understand the educational preparation to clarify expectations Recognize that ACNPs need clinical experience in the area. Recognize the impact on time due to the initial dependence on physician mentorship”

Both physicians and ACNPs wanted improved role preparation via ACNP education programs. For ACNPs, this meant access to nursing mentors, greater understanding of their scope of practice, and improved access to continuing education. Physicians wanted to understand the ACNP program content to help clarify expectations and also thought that more clinical experience during the pro- gram would be helpful.”

From: Success Indicators and Barriers to Acute Nurse Practitioner Role Implementation in Four Ontario Hospitals Mary H. van Soeren, RN, PhD, ACNP; Vaska Micevski, RN, MScN, ACNP

First I will respond to your points and then I'll outline some points from other studies.

1) This study focused on acute care nurse practitioners and says nothing about other specialties such as PMHNP.

2) Nothing you quoted shows that the study compared the outcomes of acute care nurse practitioners who gained RN experience before NP school with those who went directly into an NP program without prior RN experience. Therefore, you can't draw any conclusion that those with RN experience were better prepared according to a valid measure (based on this study).

Now for some research that backs up the point that NPs can succeed without RN experience:

From Rich, 2005, "Does RN experience relate to NP clinical skills?" -- the article begins:

"This study assessed whether a relationship exists between duration of prior RN experience and NP clinical skills competence in professional practice. Nurse practitioner skills were assessed by NPs and collaborating physicians. Nurse practitioner data showed no significant correlation between RN experience and skills competence. Data from MDs showed a significant negative correlation; lengthier RN experience was associated with lower ranking of NP clinical skills competence."

And the more recent study I listed above from 2015 stated the following:

"This is the first study to provide empirical data on NP role transition in relationship to prior RN experience and receiving a formal orientation in the first NP position; it provides a foundation for future research on this topic. The results are unexpected and interesting because NP role transition had a nonsignificant relationship with prior RN experience, and the 2 independent variables explained only 9% of the variance of NP role transition. "

[llbrooks91]

I am not able to PM you because I only have posted twice in the last two years. I graduated may 8th and passed the nclex. I am very interested in PMHNP but the only school in North Carolina is UNC and they require inpatient psych experience. Would you mind disclosing what schools you applied to and if any are online. Thank you

[hakhama]

Feel free to check my post history to see where I applied. :)

[Hearmerawr]

This is exactly what I want to do! I graduate with my BSN in May 2016. I just need to know how to apply and what my next steps should be for the PMHNP path. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Is it too early to apply for the next program?

[B_rac777]

What schools did you apply to that guarantee clinical placements?

[Stephers85]

Let me first state, I rarely post and certainly refrain from chiming in when it seems like a post has taken a wrong turn toward argument. However, I think the original intent of the post was to serve as encouragement for those who aspire to be providers one day and learned in nursing school perhaps they did not really have an interest in bedside nursing, that they didn't have to "serve their time." I have to agree with Jules A.'s postings with regard to taking caution in having a large shift in new nurses to using nursing as a means-to-an-end for getting into the provider role. While the original poster wants to share their successes, their postings began to come across as more of a slap-in-the-face toward nurses who believe in gaining experience before taking advanced practice roles. I, for one, believe in gaining at least a couple of years at the bedside because it is truly where you develop those critical thinking skills, regardless of your specialty. Being a nurse who has a background in ER and in psych nursing, I found the original poster's comments somewhat offensive in suggesting there is no need to build those bedside skills in order to be a PMHNP. In adding to what Jules A. posted, being at the bedside helps to build your skills as a provider, you get to see what it is like on both sides of practice. For argument's sake, a provider role and a nurse are very different, but that added experience at the bedside is what makes APRNs unique from physician's and PAs. I find it irritating when people seem to try to use nursing as a short-cut to become a provider and skip the essential experiences of having at least some bedside experiences...the same experiences that shape your own personal practice, such as improved bedside manner, therapeutic communication, and holistic approach to care. Before you anyone gets offended, I find it irritating because no matter what your advanced practice specialty is, you are a NURSE first and you should gain experience in nursing and in support of being a nurse first, your advanced practice degree is nothing if your RN isn't up to date. And like Jules mentioned, it is quite notable to other nurses when someone cruises straight through to advanced practice. It's not that experienced nurses hate on those going for NP, but the flack you were experiencing was likely rooted in concerns of bypassing the arena where you gain so much experience. Nursing is a lot like the military, you gain most respect from time in, not just your credentials. Just my two cents!

[AspiringRN-MSN]

This is such a relief to read as someone looking to break into the field. Hakhama i am sending you a PM to discuss some things. Thanks!