Ladydaae

Rose, if you don't mind me asking, in which state do you reside and to which program did you apply? As far as I know, there aren't any such accelerated MSN programs near me...I also can't afford to go to school full time without income for 2 years! Yikes. Can you describe your plan a bit more? I'm interested.

Thanks for your perspective. I understand the vast difference in *how* the professions approach patients/clients in regards to time. However, I think the goal is more to carve my own route, eventually creating a practice where I can basically do what I want, even if that means going to another state after my education is complete. I have looked at NC laws (there is currently legislation in the NC House aimed at giving full authority to NPs) and the supervision that is currently required is more of a physician/NP agreement rather than intense oversight from what I can tell. By the time I'm a licensed NP (I'm guessing about 4 years), maybe that won't be a concern anyway. I work with trauma patients using somatic experiencing and yoga which does take TIME, but the hassle of always needing to find psychiatric referrals is daunting, time-consuming and not always successful. My plan is to do what I already do, minus the case management duties of finding appropriate referrals for medication evaluations. Upon much thought and consideration, I do not ever plan to work in a setting where I am forced to give up my integrity as a clinician or where I am not "allowed" to take the time with patients that is actually needed for healing and positive change. That's the whole point of what I do and why I do it. The system is broken in that regard and I by no means plan to enable that system, fall victim to it myself or bow to it for financial gain. I may be forced to work in such a setting to gain clinical hours and experience for educational purposes, and if so, so be it. But once I am licensed, I will likely bill out-of pocket, probably with a sliding scale, and not hassle with insurance companies (which I see as the bane of good healthcare anyway). My ultimate goal is to minimize limits to care and make it as accessible and affordable as possible for folks. In my mind, having the ability to do both therapy and prescribe meds is the route that will accomplish this. Maybe I'm naive, but I have a vision and by golly, I'm gonna try!

I was waitlisted. Do you all think it would be a beneficial thing to reach out to DUSON to express my continued interest in the school? As far as I know, the waitlist is not ranked, but I have no clue how they select from it either. That said, I was experiencing much anxiety trying to justify the 80k+ price tag of Duke (which doesn't include the living expenses that I'd also need to borrow for myself and two sons for the 16 months, bringing the total closer to 100K). I would be lying not to admit I'm much less anxious at the prospect of paying 1/10th the price at a state school, despite giving up the name and reputation of Duke. I'm torn. Any thoughts?

Hi all! I'm currently a licensed therapist of ten years. The overwhelming lack of psychiatric resources and referrals in my area has driven me to consider psychiatric nursing to help meet the high need for services. I love what I do currently, but I also sit an awful lot, and want to move my body more. I also want to engage with the mental health community and healthcare system in a different way. I feel I have a lot to bring to the table. Also, and most obviously, having the ability to prescribe medications would be invaluable to myself as a clinician and to the community I serve. So, I'm looking at going into an accelerated nursing program in the coming year with the intention to continue with NP shortly after. I am currently waitlisted at Duke (I'm in NC and bound to my area for personal reasons)...which is disappointing, but I had already determined that paying $80+grand in tuition and fees (NOT including living expenses for the 16 months of unemployment while in the program), wasn't worth a BSN. Especially considering my final destination isn't a BSN anyway, and I can go to a state school 20 minutes away for literally 1/10th the price. My questions: Does it REALLY matter where I go for the BSN? Is it WORTH getting myself into debt of about 100k? (I'm assuming where I go for the MSN/PMHNP would be more important?) What advise do YOU have, as a nurse for me, a therapist? What might I be overlooking? Finally (and I may come back to hit you all with more questions), should I keep up my therapy license? I don't see how it could hurt... Thanks! Your input is much appreciated!

Hi all! I'm currently a licensed therapist of ten years. The overwhelming lack of psychiatric resources and referrals in my area has driven me to consider psychiatric nursing to help meet the high need for services. I love what I do currently, but I also sit an awful lot, and want to move my body more. I also want to engage with the mental health community and healthcare system in a different way. I feel I have a lot to bring to the table. Also, and most obviously, having the ability to prescribe medications would be invaluable to myself as a clinician and to the community I serve. So, I'm looking at going into an accelerated nursing program in the coming year with the intention to continue with NP shortly after. I am currently waitlisted at Duke (I'm in NC and bound to my area for personal reasons)...which is disappointing, but I had already determined that paying $80+grand in tuition and fees (NOT including living expenses for the 16 months of unemployment while in the program), wasn't worth a BSN. Especially considering my final destination isn't a BSN anyway, and I can go to a state school 20 minutes away for literally 1/10th the price. My questions: Does it REALLY matter where I go for the BSN? Is it WORTH getting myself into debt of about 100k? (I'm assuming where I go for the MSN/PMHNP would be more important?) What advise do YOU have, as a nurse for me, a therapist? What might I be overlooking? Finally (and I may come back to hit you all with more questions), should I keep up my therapy license? I don't see how it could hurt... Thanks! Your input is much appreciated!

Hi all! I'm currently a licensed therapist of ten years. The overwhelming lack of psychiatric resources and referrals in my area has driven me to consider psychiatric nursing to help meet the high need for services. I love what I do currently, but I also sit an awful lot, and want to move my body more. I also want to engage with the mental health community and healthcare system in a different way. I feel I have a lot to bring to the table. Also, and most obviously, having the ability to prescribe medications would be invaluable to myself as a clinician and to the community I serve. So, I'm looking at going into an accelerated nursing program in the coming year with the intention to continue with NP shortly after. I am currently waitlisted at Duke (I'm in NC and bound to my area for personal reasons)...which is disappointing, but I had already determined that paying $80+grand in tuition and fees (NOT including living expenses for the 16 months of unemployment while in the program), wasn't worth a BSN. Especially considering my final destination isn't a BSN anyway, and I can go to a state school 20 minutes away for literally 1/10th the price. My questions: Does it REALLY matter where I go for the BSN? Is it WORTH getting myself into debt of about 100k? (I'm assuming where I go for the MSN/PMHNP would be more important?) What advise do YOU have, as a nurse for me, a therapist? What might I be overlooking? Finally (and I may come back to hit you all with more questions), should I keep up my therapy license? I don't see how it could hurt... Thanks! Your input is much appreciated!

Hi everyone! I also applied to the fall entry ABSN cohort, and I'm obviously a bit anxious as I'm sitting here googling about the program. How fun to find this thread! I look forward to continuing to check these posts and keeping up with everyone's progress. A bit about me: I have two bachelor's degrees in psychology and music and an MS/EdS in Couples and Family Counseling. I've been a licensed therapist for the past 10 years, and while I love my job, I'm looking to broaden my scope of practice. I'm interested in Midwifery and women's health, but am also considering psychiatric NP, as there's a critical shortage of mental health practictioners in our state. Fortunately, I have some time to decide. Keep us all posted...I've enjoyed reading these.