priorities2

Anyone have any updates from their interviews or know when are the AE-MSN applicants expected to hear back?

Just thought I would update this thread now that I'm almost done with my first half of nursing school and clinicals. Can't believe I'll be a senior in just a month! So, I've gotten straight A's, worked as a student nurse on a psych unit, and got an awesome mental health summer externship in a clinic. Moral of the story: never let anyone discourage you! It's totally worth it to get through your med surg rotations of RN school if you want to be a PMHNP, FNP, CRNA, CNM or whatever other profession that requires an RN as a stepping stone. Plus, you don't clean up gross things every shift. I have only cleaned body excretions 3-4 times out of about 27 clinical days. Just keep a positive attitude, get involved, learn valuable lessons from it and keep your goal in mind. Most importantly, don't let any smug superior old floor nurse anonymously ******** online get you down :)

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I think compiling such a list would be helpful to those of us planning to apply to a graduate PMHNP program and wanting to rule out online options. Specify DNP vs MSN if possible. To get started: University of California - San Francisco (MSN) Columbia University (MSN) New York University (MSN) Oregon Health Science University (MSN) Seattle University (MSN) University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill (MSN) University of Pennsylvania (MSN) University of Southern Maine (MSN) University of Texas - Austin (MSN) Yale (MSN) Copy + paste this list and add your additions.

I go to a really good BSN program and I'm a junior. I have time to work 7 hours a week, have fun with friends, and still get straight A's in school. I study/do homework on average 15 hours a week, attend the majority of my lectures, and go to clinicals. The only time I ever cried was the first time I saw a patient in a very bad condition and one other time after dealing with a difficult instructor one-on-one. Those were just two isolated incidents though in my whole nursing school career. It's hard work just like any other science-intensive college track, but people who don't do well in nursing school or say it takes hours upon hours of grueling labor to keep up are probably not that intelligent. I hate to be so judgmental, but I got a 29 on my ACT without studying. I would say that's pretty average for my program, but for other programs it could be quite high. The majority of nurses are still associates-prepared. I think how "bad" nursing school is just depends a lot on who you are and what type of program you're in.

*MSN program. Specifically, for psychiatric nurse practitioner. thanks

Thanks so much! I am excited to give applying a shot!

Hi, does anyone know of anyone who applied to the UT-Austin traditional BSN program without prior RN work experience? I am considering applying during my senior year of BSN school. Thanks!

What kind of questions do they ask in the interview? Does anyone know of anyone who got in prior to RN licensure i.e. still a senior in BSN school?

Also, is it required to do an in-person interview?

Did anyone apply to MHNP or any NP program as a senior in BSN school, prior to becoming eligible for RN licensure? I am going to be a senior in nursing school next year and am thinking about applying to OHSU's MHNP program, but don't know if it's feasible for someone with no RN experience who will not even have an RN license until after the application deadline.

Thanks!

Did anyone apply for a direct-entry program with local clinical placement? I'm considering applying to the PMHNP program during my senior year of BSN and would like to choose the non-distance, local option, but don't know if admission would be realistic.

Hello everyone. I want to be a PMHNP (psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner). I am in the home stretch of my junior year in one of the best BSN programs in the country. I'm 20 years old. By the time I graduate, I'll have extensive experience with psychiatric nursing research, a psychiatric capstone clinical, and a few months of experience working in a psychiatric unit. I spoke with my advisor and she told me that it's not uncommon for senior BSN students to apply to NP school, and that the stigma of starting NP school with no RN experience is now a thing of the past. I'm only willing to attend an in-person graduate program that provides preceptors. Whether I will get into a program that guarantees clinical preceptors to students is another question, but she said that applying as a senior is quite common at my school. I'm still deciding whether I want to pursue psychiatric RN work experience before applying to graduate school. I've always wanted to do psychotherapy and medication management -- tasks outside the scope of practice for an RN. Looking for any opinions on the topic of going to NP school (particularly PMHNP) without ever working as an RN. Thanks!!

I have a nice black pant suit, a light purple button-up blouse, 1.5-inch heals (not chunky), and was planning to go very light with make-up and jewelry. Does this sound too formal or about right for a summer student nurse internship interview? Thanks!

Have you applied many places? A lot of NP schools, especially reputable ones that provide you with clinical sites, have no RN experience requirements.

Yale Columbia MGH UPenn Vanderbilt UIC UCSF OHSU Boston College the list goes on. All these places offer direct entry Psych NP programs designed for non-RNs, some having been around 20+ years.

Just to play devil's advocate- some people do go directly to graduate school. There are varying opinions. People tend to feel their way is the best. Talk to APRNs, learn about it yourself and search this forum to figure out what's best for you.

If you're in it for the money, CRNA's by far the best route. If you also have job satisfaction in mind, you should learn about the variety of different NP education options (MSN vs DNP, part time vs full time), NP vs CNS, the various specialties, other MSN options like educator or clinical leader, PhDs, etc before pursuing further education, as a graduate degree will narrow down your job options. I recommend talking to people in the field to figure it out.

For those of you saying you figured out someone's identity from their posts - how'd you manage? With so many thousands of nurses and nursing students, I'd need a dead giveaway (e.g. pic or link to another profile). Just wondering how you figured it out so I know how to protect my own identity on here.

I get that the emphasis on customer service can seem contrived or be frustrating, but it's semantics. Therapists often use the term clients because the clients come in for a weekly therapy session and so patient doesn't fit, especially if they are seeking services because, for example, they're going through a major life transition or learning strategies to deal with an addict in their life. Psych RNs/PMHNPs might also use the term client in outpt settings for the same reasons. I think it depends, but it's really just semantics.

I'm applying to summer student nurse internships. One of my references needs to be from my current clinical instructor. I think she likes me alright and I have no choice but to use her anyway. A second reference is also required, and I can choose who writes it. I worked in a student job for 2 years and always had a good relationship with my boss but I accidentally missed a day my last week d/t mixing up of schedules. I also haven't visited work like I said I would do, although in my defense I've only been in the vicinity twice and only for one day when the office was open each time, and I was just too tired from travel to go visit. I haven't been in touch with my boss as much as I'd wanted to be after I left (we were friendly)... now I feel like it's awkward to ask for a reference out of the blue. He's a great writer so I'd love to use him, but don't want to seem selfish/disingenuous. Alternatively, I could use a different previous boss who was left with a better impression of me, knows me less well and is a worse writer. Thoughts? Ehh... reference-getting is so stressful.

I'm at a teaching hospital med surg unit this semester, next semester I'll be at the VA. Any advice for what to expect??

Specifically, I'm looking at OHSU's psych NP program. They offer a 2-year didactic masters with 680 clinical hours included. Optionally, a student could continue onto their DNP after their MS-NP, which would entirely consist of a residency + synthesis course. Would something like this - that includes a 2-semester residency in addition to the full NP masters - potentially even be more beneficial to NP practice then working as an RN for a year and then going onto a 2-year NP masters? Thoughts?

I agree with the previous two posters. Also, you don't know what the landscape will look like in 1-2 years when you are starting the clinical portion of your online NP program. Who knows if the bottleneck of NP students unable to find preceptors will get worse? It makes sense to pay for a program that provides the entirety of your education and guarantees its quality. Health care providers shouldn't put convenience over quality -- most people have to make sacrifices for their education (spending time outside the house, not being able to look at notes while taking a test, moving, competing for a limited number of spots). Education is growth and growth is not meant to be easy, especially when people's wellbeing will be in your hands.