HealingThoughts

Thanks pmabraham! We sure can, I haven't been this excited about anythings in ages. Congratulations!

It took a long time, but now I'm headed down the path to becoming a Nurse. I'm 45yo and nervous as heck. As it turns out I'm going to take the CNA course first. Since it's part of the pre-requisites for my local BA to BSN program. Long story short - I've been through a lot of hurdles. I was initially in a Psychology MA program. But lots of things happened during the course of that. It wasn't my path as it turned out. I did well in classes, but your know circumstances (mostly financial). So I spent two years living back at home with my mom. That's when I happened to bump into to old college friends who were now nurses. As it turns out my old college has an excellent program for second career nurses. Both of them were incredibly happy, and encouraged me to think about it. First, I'll be headed to my local community college for the pre-reqs (it's cheaper). Then I'll apply to the University for the accelerated BSN. All of this starts in a few short weeks. Also, I haven't told anyone in my family I'm doing this yet. Not even my mom. My family tends to be discouraging. I also have the rep of being the family "loser". I'm not a loser though. I've always done well school, worked hard etc. But the rest of my relatives just ended up doing better in their careers than me. I also really want to be a nurse. So I figured since I'm already unemployed - why not. It took me a few years to finally get the courage to get started. But I did it. And now I'm going to start. It's going to be hard. There are some hurdles in the way.. but hey I'm doing it anyway. How about any other older nursing students out there. Or nursing students who are in a really bad way financially? How you are all feeling about the coming challenges?

Well I made the decision to the CNA course first. It's at a local community college and is very cheap! Plus it turns out I can get a little financial help. So CNA first then my BSN 2nd Degree program next year. Thanks to the folks who answered all my questions.

I'd like to close this topic. I've decided not to attend this school. There is a much better option! Thanks for the help.

I'm getting ready to try and get into a local Nursing program. The wait list for Mott Community college is really long. While UofM Flint is very expensive. I've been considering Baker College in Flint, but I've heard a rumor that they are not accredited.. Is this true? I've already been through the ringer once, with an unaccredited school and I don't want to make the same mistake twice. Can anyone help me out with information.

This is a great article! But it should be "Woman" singular not "Women" plural. That minor issue is repeated through the article. It's still a fantastic story.

Are there any graduates of this program around? I have educational background in psychology - but want to make the switch to RN-Psychiatry. There's a local program near me that offers an accelerated BSN - but I'd be interested in a program that had a direct PMHNP track. I'd be interested to hear what people think of OHSU.

Thanks for the advice. I'm going to look into some LPN programs. I do see the value in what you saying.

Right now I'm unemployed. Unfortunately for me - I have no way to get an income other than finding a new job soon. I also want to start my pre-nursing program this fall. But in the meantime I'd like to start working, preferably in the medical field. I'm reading lots of conflicting information on what the best plan would be. I've been looking at Medical Assistant, LPN, and CNA programs. As I figured taking one of those routes would help me become employed and give me experience. The shortest route would be a CNA class. I could take a class and be working shortly. LPN and Medical assistant would be longer routes. Another option would be Pharmacy Tech - which might be interesting as my ultimate goal is psychiatric nursing. I don't know.. right now I'm just confused and anxious. I've made a lot bad decisions in my life.. and I'm not trusting myself right now. What would some of you guys do in my shoes?

Is it a good idea to get a CNA before applying to a second degree nursing program? If so what schools are good in the Flint Mi area. My end goal is to get into the second degree Nursing program at UM-Flint (I have non-nursing BA already). I've applied to the pre-nursing program for the Fall. In the meantime, I feel the clock ticking. Right now I'm unemployed. My unemployment money has dried up. So I was thinking of getting into a CNA program and working while I do my pre-reqs. The problem is, I have no clue where to train to be a CNA. I don't want to get ripped off and I need to do it as cheaply as possible. Also I've heard there might be some schools that have a bad rep which means no one hires their students. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions on where to go? Since I'm broke - a program that will let me get some sort of financial aid or loan would be ideal.

Lots of great information here. My end goal was to do a hybrid of a salaried position and workshops/private practice. While studying psych I've received training in art therapy and group therapy. So I really wanted the option to run groups and workshops as a side career (I love that stuff). * I know as a PMHNP you are mostly doing med management, treatment plans, and writing 'scrips. However, hearing about the non-compete clause has me nervous that won't be a possibility.

If you're almost done with your first degree, I would suggest just finishing it. Then you could apply to an Accelerated Second Degree (ASD) Nursing Program. These are programs for people who have a BA in non-nursing field. They can usually be completed somewhere between 16-mos and 2-years. This is because your second degree can be used to take care of basic education and elective requirements. So rather than chuck out all of the work you've already done - you are leveraging it to advance your career. Good Luck. * Edit I've done my own research, looking for NP's who are doing psych private practice. I found a few doing everything from talk therapy, hypnotherapy, NLP, and other alternative therapies. So it's definitely a possibility but looks like a rarity. Also I know that many HMO's are now offering "wellness courses" in things like yoga and meditation. With your experience, that might be an additional talent you bring to the table.

I'm in the same boat as you - but I'm an older student. My take is to try to keep going. Life has a habit of getting in the way and delaying your plans. While it would be ideal to take off a year and work, it's hard to go back to school. Use the power of momentum to keep it going. My plan is to look into the possibility of working part-time while pursuing my PMHNP masters. There are also some programs that are designed for working nurses. So that may be an option as well. I started a similar question thread here... and got some great answers: https://allnurses.com/pre-nurse-practitioner/any-psych-nurse-918050.html#post7860243 Good Luck.

Thanks for the information! For what it's worth LPC's and LCSW's usually have heavy caseloads as well. They are pretty low on the hierarchy despite many years of school & training. Not too mention the 3,000 hours of supervised (and usually unpaid) hours they must take. So after a Bachelors, then a 60-credit hour masters, on top of the supervised hours.. it's almost as much work as going the PMHNP track (at least in my opinion). So for me the PMNHP decision just makes good sense. I do like the suggestion of gaining medical experience.. since it's where I'd be weakest. I think that's a very wise bit of advice!

Thanks @mtsteelhorse and psychrnoklahoma! Yes, I do think this is a smart career choice. While I'm a little bummed I wasted some time in a counseling program, at least the courses I took will be applicable. Most of the people I knew who went LPC or MSW are now very unsatisfied with their pay and employment prospects. Also they have to do an incredible amount of "internship hours" before they can even start to practice. Most of those unpaid! I love psychology it's always been a huge interest of mine. I wish I'd know about PMHNP much sooner. While I know PMHNP's mostly do med management. I understand there is the opportunity to branch out into other areas, if you are driven enough. I know of at least one person who is a licensed counselor who is now looking into Accelerated MSN programs. She plans to continue to perform counseling services in addition to med management. I am nervous about my age and the coursework load. I wish I'd done this earlier in my life. The adviser I spoke to here though was very supportive of my choice. She said it was a smart move in her opinion.

I recently made the choice to switch from a Mental Health Counseling program to an Accelerated BSN program. With the ultimate goal of obtaining an advanced degree (PMHNP). This was an informed decision based on some things I learned when talking to graduates of my old counseling program. The short story being that PMHNP's seem to earn more and get more respect than LPC's. I'm also an older student (in my 40s) but will start taking my nursing pre-req's soon. I'm very clear about my path but do have some questions. - Is it true that Mental Health Nursing is not a popular career choice? - What is a typical day like for an Advanced Practice Mental Health Nurse? - Do you feel well compensated salary wise? - What is the job market like for PMHNP (I've heard there's a huge demand). I'm 100% sure about my career choice. I love psychology but am really excited about learning more "hard science" when it comes to anatomy and physiology. My goal is to work really hard and get started on my new career ASAP.

I just applied to a second degree program at a local University. In your shoes and at your age, I'd say go for the MS degree. You already have an undergraduate degree in the sciences. For me, my undergrad degree (and work experience) was in non-science related field. That's why I made the choice I did. Also, it takes the same amount of time to get a Masters as it does an accelerated BSN. So why not just go for it. Also, while working a regular job may be impossible, there are volunteer and summer opportunities you could consider for experience. Perhaps talk to a counselor at your program. They are usually thrilled when students come to them looking for ways to gain experience.

Well I did it.. at least I got started. I went to an informational meeting tonight. After talking to the counselor, I went home and sent in my application for the "Pre-nursing" program. That's basically the program this school has to get all the pre-reqs out of the way! I got a ton of information from the adviser tonight, that I'm still trying to digest. Also, it looks like I'll be far from the oldest student in my classes. She proudly informed that their oldest student is 60 and quite a few students are over 30. Still nervous and excited though. This is probably the most exciting thing I've ever done with my life.

Please consider talking to another doctor for a second opinion. I highly question any doctor who would take your son's threats to harm himself and others so lightly. Perhaps chat with those administering your son's care in the Hospital. Maybe then can recommend a good social worker, therapist, or psychiatrist to assist you.

I'm an older student (43) who's decided to make the second career switch into Nursing. I'm specifically interested in Psychiatric Nursing. I'm not nervous about the Psych Part. A few years ago I was enrolled in a Masters of Counseling program. I did quite well and I only had to quit because of financial reasons. I'm back on my feet and after some research I found an awesome 2nd Degree nursing program. Here's my question, I want to go all the way and be an advanced practice nurse. My only worries are: 1) I have zero hospital experience 2) My age: By my calculations I'd need at least a year of experience after school, before going on to the Masters level. The plus side is I'm very motivated. If I had known this career path existed, I would've done it ages ago. Any insight or advice from other Psych Nurses out there?

Wow I'm so glad I found this thread. After my third layoff in 6-years, I made the decision to back to school for Nursing. My main career was in technical support. So I'm not worried about the pressure. I used to walk cranky 80-yo's through setting up their computer for the first time on a daily basis! I'm 43 but already have a BA - with luck I'll make into a local second degree BSN program. Two good friends have finished that program already, both being my age! I'm nervous and my family thinks I'm having a mid-life crisis. But I'm going for it anyway! The one bit of advice I got was to get certified as a CNA or Medical Assistant while working on my pre-reqs. That way some practical work experience can be gained. That's the plan at least. I'm really nervous, but excited to try something new.