rd290

Hi! I'm new to the board. I'm looking into applying to the Direct Entry MSN program at VCU next year. I've been working in the IT field for 8 years now and I'm sick to death with having to sit in front of the computer all day long. For those of you that came from non-health career backgrounds prior to getting into a NP program, how did you decide what to specalize in? Do NP programs allow students to do a rotation in each specality prior to deciding which way they want to go? I'm not sure how it all works. I've always loved pyschology and wanted to be a counselor, but the pay is low IMO. Based solely on my interest in psychology, I figured I would go the Psych NP route...I see it's in big demand and the supply for PMHNPs is low, which makes me wonder why it's not one of the more popular NP specialities that students want to pursue. Please help! Any thoughts or insight is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Hi! I'm brand new to the forum and interested in becoming a NP as a second career in my life. I've always loved psychology and wanted to become either a social worker or mental health counselor, but family pressure directed me else where. I'm been reading many posts on here and it seems like there is a huge demand for PMHNPs...which leads me to believe that many students do not want to specialize in Psych NP in the first place. Why is that? Just curious... Also, unlike PA programs where you can switch specialities at any time without having to go back to school to get additional training, in NP programs it appears that you specialize in 1 thing and that's it. Given the fact that I come from a non-health related career field, how can I determine which NP specialty that I want to go in? Do NP programs make you go on several different specialty rotations before you get to choose what you want to specialize in? By the sheer fact that I've always love psychology, loved analyzing people, and read many psychology books and magazines for the joy of it, I believe that I would love to pursue a career as a Psychiatric NP....but how do I know for sure if this is the best fit for me unless I'm given a chance to test out the other specialities? Any thoughts and insights? :)