PMHNP Competitiveness

[Zachary Browning]

Hey y'all, I'm entering my final semester in a BSN program and have a desire to continue my education and pursue a career as a PMHNP. However, I slacked off in the beginning of college and performed very poorly. I have a cumulative GPA of a 3.31 and a last 60 hour GPA of a 3.6. I have a decent resume and a good amount of work experience as a tech in the psychiatric setting, however I'm worried that my relatively low GPA will prevent me from being competitive in reputable programs. Is it worth taking retaking the courses I did poorly in (A&P, Microbiology, a few English gen eds) this Summer to boost my GPA? Would it be better to take graduate level courses to prove capability instead? I appreciate any advice you all may give me!

[Kensteak]

This obviously varies from institution to institution, but while your grades matter, they aren't usually the most important aspect of admission. 

Here are some general points that I feel are important regarding successful admission to a graduate program for a PMHNP, aside from getting good grades.

1. Make sure you craft a great essay regarding why you want to be a PMHNP; make it personal if you can e.g. "My father/mother/best friend/etc suffered from 'X', and I have seen firsthand how this can affect 'XYZ'."  However, don't lie, as it is unethical and not worth it anyways.  If you don't have a personal experience to draw on, I'm sure you have a valid reason or reasons that you can think of. Steer clear of being too vague e.g., "I want to help my community", instead try "My community in 'X' has a long history of homelessness, many of whom suffer from serious mental illness and do not receive care. I wish to remedy this by becoming a psychiatric nurse practitioner and doing 'XYZ'" or whatever your reason is. Give this some thought, because you will likely be asked this multiple times, and it will also serve to motivate you.

2. (I see you have some relevant experience already, so this may not apply so much). Get relevant experience if you can. This will help down the line, and it will also help you decide if this is even a field that you want to be in. 

3. Practice your interview skills

3a. Learn to sell yourself I.e., subtly talk yourself (and any relevant accomplishments) up.

4. Learn about/memorize some information about the University you are applying for

5. Remember, they are a business. Do your due diligence before deciding to apply to any school.

6. Relax, you got this.

[kenya.austin, BSN, RN]

This is awesome information thank you for sharing!