Need Advice, Seeking a BSN-MSN route

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Hello all!

So let me introduce myself a little. I am 26 years old, married, no kids. I just received my MS in criminal justice this past August (CJ? yes, that's right). I have a BA in psychology. I earned a 3.32 GPA as an undergrad and a 3.78 GPA grad. I am very passionate about helping people, especially when it comes to mental health. I volunteered as a court advocate to advocate for children in court. They came from such broken homes, often quite abused (phsycially and sexually). I really wanted to help them in a mental health capacity. I also feel this way about military members and domestic violence victims. My husband used to be in the army and there are so many people that could benefit from mental health services, whether they are active duty currently or are a veteran. There seems to be a shortage of those services.

I have been searching for jobs that would allow me to do this, but there really aren't a lot of options for someone with my degrees. The closest thing is a victim advocate but these positions are hard to get, as they usually require a lot of experience. I am a recent grad. I have been researching various degrees for a long time, and i really think a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner is my calling. It is everything i would like to do (from what i've researched). I've actually had therapy myself from a psychiatric NP, and her job seemed very interesting and rewarding to me.

Now, i know i have to take the nursing pre-req's, take an exam, and then get into the BSN program. I'm not too worried about that. I've always been good at science, and i live near UNG which has a very affordable BSN program with reasonable admission requirements (no 3.8 GPA requirement, thank god). I've found several MSN programs that have a PMHNP track. Some do not even require work experience as an RN, which i thought was unheard of. Others require as little as 1-2 years of clinical experience.

I know there are other options like MSW or LPC, but i want something more involved with science. I LOVE science, and i want more education on medical topics, such as psychopharmacology, as well as therapy techniques. I think i'd be great at this profession. Does anyone have any advice for me regarding my goal? Should i work as an RN for a couple years before finding my MSN program? I've been looking at USA's program, and it seems great. NO GRE. No letters of recommendation. That's such a blessing.

Thank you for your input!

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I should mention that it's not that i do not have an appreciation for nursing, it is in fact the opposite. I think nurses are the very backbone of a hospital. They're amazing people that deserve respect. However, I do not really wish to be a nurse in a hospital for many years before pursuing a PMHNP degree. I want to pursue my RN so that i can move on to the graduate degree. The BSN is a stepping stone. I know some people think that's horrible, but i'm just being honest. I know a lot about psych already thanks to my undergrad, now i feel that i'm ready to study the medicinal aspects of it. @PsychGuy seems to have similar interests as myself, could you give me some advice? I can't PM you due to not having enough posts yet. Thanks!

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Hey, there! First of all, I believe that you are an excellent candidate for a PMHNP program. Your background will serve you well if you choose to pursue this as your career. A few things:

1. PMHNPs focus a lot of their time on psychotropic medication management. While it varies, you will most likely be visiting with each client for a short window of time to adjust dosages of medications. A lot of the time someone else will provide the talk therapy and then you will receive the patient for a medication consultation (in some cases, this time window can be 15 minutes in length). I briefly shadowed a PMHNP a long time ago and it is very fast paced, precision work. You have to know your drugs and be able to prescribe/adjust them accurately in a timely manner. Most of your time will be working with the medications, not providing therapy in the traditional "talking" sense. I don't know how you would feel about this, but just keep it in mind!

2. Your prior experience with this population is definitely a plus. I think it's great that you have narrowed down some groups that you are passionate about working with. Both children and veterans require the services that PMHNPs provide. As far as working as an RN? I think it can only help. You should not feel bad about using the RN as a stepping stone, but know that because of the heavy emphasis on psychotropic therapy in the PMHNP role, it may benefit you to work in this area as an RN so that you can familiarize yourself with the various diagnoses and medications that are used to treat these conditions. There is something to be said about learning about a disease or disorder, and then seeing it in clinical practice. It really helps solidify a lot of that information when you pair those things together.

There are some great PMHNPs here that will have better advice for you about the day to day work and whether or not RN experience is necessary. Best of luck to you!

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Thank you! Do you have any program recommendations for it? I am trying to avoid the GRE if possible. It is really expensive and i will already be paying for the pre nursing exam and the exam to get my RN license. I've been trying to look into direct-entry BSN-MSN programs but i am facing one key problem - there aren't any near me! I need to either have it online or near my home. Also, i want the PMHNP focus and those are no where to be found in Georgia (where i am).

Also, i have read a few accounts of PMHNPs that talk about their daily work life. They sound exactly like my previous therapist. They have their own office, set their own hours, listen to the patients, and then adjust\prescribe meds as needed. Is this how many PMHNPs are? I would love to have my own practice like this one day. I would imagine you'd work under a psychiatrist or someone else that has an MD. But i'd love to have the freedom to set my own hours and provide some therapy. Any advice on how to acheive this career goal?

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Specializes in GENERAL.

Check out (collegescorecard.ed.gov). This site will help you complile a list of schools that may be good for you.

Be careful of schools that don't require letters of recommendation or GRE. Typically these are lowest common denominator choices and they are concentrated in the for profit sector but also throughout the education "industry" in general.

As far as helping people is concerned, this is a noble aspiration but it can also be a frustrating one as you must learn to work within a system that can be very bureaucratic and heartless.

Take it one step at a time. Become an RN as frugally as possible. Get a job with a mental health facility and if your zeal to help the helpless or the recalcitrant doesn't wane, you'll know what to do.

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Thanks I'll check out that site. I went to the third best grad school in the nation for my MS in criminal justice (not trying to sound like I'm bragging, just making a point) and they did not require the GRE. I had great professors and the courses were challenging. So I'm not too worried about schools that don't require GRE scores. However, my school did ask for at least 1 letter of recommendation so it did have that part. I just personally cannot stand the GRE because it's a ridiculous waste of time, effort and money when I've given so much money already to the education industry. So the more grad schools that actually concentrate on things like GPA, work experience, or letters of recommendation, the better. I hope one day standardized testing gets totally eliminated for admissions.

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