Cydpsyche

Hi there, I actually have a B.A. in psychology and I am applying for graduate programs to obtain a master's degree. In psychology, to work as a therapist, you must have at least a master's degree and there are several designations within the field such as LCPC (licensed clinical professional counselor), LCSW (licensed clinical social worker), MFT (marriage and family therapist) etc. I am applying to programs which will enable me to obtain a LCP (whereupon one must be supervised for an additional 2000 hours/2 years to get an LCPC (whereupon one may hang a shingle in private practice, etc. That is 4 years to independence. With all of the coming challenges in health care I am considering if psychiatric nursing might be an option worth exploring. I certainly have a strong desire to be a mental health clinician, but I want to be certain that I am making informed choices. A few years ago I worked in a psychiatric private practice and there was a master's level nurse-practitioner at the clinic. She saw patients, wrote prescriptions, etc. As far as I know she functioned in a role similar to a psychiatrist. It appears that one may become an R.N. at the associates degree level. Is that typical for someone working inpatient psychiatric? If I already have a bachelor's in psychology and got an associates degree to obtain an R.N. would that enable me to work inpatient psychiatric? Or does this sort of nursing require the relative autonomy of a master's degree? Standard nursing holds no appeal to me and although I would find the academics interesting I would not want to go through different clinical rotations in the role of a nurse. I'm relatively OK with blood, but I just don't think I would cope well with strangers vomiting on me- ick. Although I am probably asking some questions from an unusual perspective, I would be very interested in hearing about the reality of psychiatric nursing. Most likely I should go for the LCPC and am not an ideal candidate for nursing, but input from other related professionals is always a great way to learn. Thanks very much. Cydpsyche