elbumphis02

Thank you nicuguy for your response. I have since interviewed for the position and I am sad to say that I was not hired. I expected to be asked behavioral type questions during the interview but I was basically told how much training was involved and how busy I would be if I accepted the job. I thought I appeared eager and conveyed the message that I was up for the challenge but I'm not quite sure why I wasn't hired. Maybe they were looking for someone whose personality would mesh well with the rest of the teams' personalities. I am very energetic and excitied type and the two who interviewed me were straight-faced and to the point. Anywho, thanks for your advice. I will remember it for my next interview.

Hello, everyone! Next week I will be interviewing for an epic analyst position for a large hospital in West Tennessee next week. I have an Associate's degree in nursing with three years of Medsurg/Neurology experience. I am currently in school for my BSN and graduate next year. I have no prior informatics experience but most of my 3 years as a RN I have charted with Epic. I am very interested in this job and I feel like I would be able to excel in this career. If offered the job what would be a starting point for salary negotiations. I don't want to offend anyone by asking for too much but I also don't want to be low balled. Thanks in advance.

It really just depends on how soon you want to work. If the first job that's offered to you is not what you want then be willing to wait for what you really want. How long? I wish I had a crystal ball so I could tell you. May not be as long as you think. Just be persistent. If you ready to start right away, Med surg is not a bad place to start. You can always transfer to the ER once you get your feet wet. Either way, good luck on your decision and congrats on passing the boards!

**precepting not preventing. Oops!

Yes you do have a right to feel this way. It is completely unfair for your manager to expect you to not make mistakes and be an expert two weeks in. Your preceptor is clearly not qualified to be training anyone because she is obviously immature if she can't tell you the truth about your performance and give you advice on how to fix them and in my opinion she shouldn't be preventing anyone with only a year of experience but it happens at facilities all over. The 1 nurse to 7/8 patients is very unsafe but it can be done and it's happening in more hospitals than you think. I think this is what they mean when they say their is a nursing shortage. However, with you being a new grad when you come out of orientation they should not start you out with that many patients. These people do not value or appreciate your efforts as a nurse. If I were you I would I would stick it out just long enough to find another job but before you accept a new job ask the nurse manager questions like nurse to patient ratio and to be placed with a seasoned preceptor. Ask to shadow a nurse on the unit first. Remember, accepting a nursing job is exciting and rewarding but the person who is hiring you should do their best to show you that you made the right choice accepting the job. Every nursing job will be tough but working with a great team makes all the difference.

Portlandnp in what type of facility do you work?

I am a neuro/med-surg nurse who more often than not have one or two patients with psych issues. I can't even begin to understand how you are not respected as a nurse! On my floor, when we take report on patients and learn of their psych issues, we automatically know that it is going to be an eventful night. Saying that caring for psych patients is emotionally and physically draining is under an understatement. Clocking out in the morning I would feel like I had bricks sitting on my eyelids so hats off to any nurse who knows how to appropriately care for a psych patient and does it on a regular basis. The short times that I have encountered with psych patients made me wonder what it would be like to actually help that population...I know there has to be great job satisfaction in that.

Congratulations on coming this far in the program! Thanks for the advice and best of wishes to you!

@PMHNP-1 I'm not really interested in the therapy aspect but I am interested in getting to know the patients. I'm even more interested in being able to prescribe medicines. It's very discouraging to read the part where you said psychotropics weren't necessarily covered. The psych np program that I am interested in offers courses in Advanced Pharm and Psychopharm across the life span. I hope those are able help me! What school did you attend, if you don't mind me asking?

Thanks for the advice. I may very well start looking at different RN psych positions to get some experience. Your insight is greatly appreciated.

Hello everyone! I'm new to this site and I want to get some feedback on what psych NP programs are like. I'm a currently working as an RN and I have always been interested in psych. I recently started thinking of becoming an NP because I would like to broaden my knowledge and I think NP is better fit for me. I come across my fair share of psych patients on my neuro/ med surg floor where I work. I know neuro and psych are not the same thing but I am very interested in the psych population. If anyone could give insight on what psych NP school is like and a typical day for a psych NP who works in a mental health facility or hospital it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks 😀