mmak

I know it varies on hospital or organization you work for. At the ED I work at, if a SANE case comes in while I'm on shift, I don't get any extra pay. If I get called in to do a SANE case, I clock time and a half. Some organizations in the PNW where I work contract with hospitals for SANE exams, and those SANEs get paid a flat rate of anywhere between 300-600/case.

My program is hybrid and sets up clinical sites for me (sooo nice). The application date close mid-January and I received a letter mid/end March, if I remember correctly. Lots of group work, not a ton of writing assignments. Lots of presentations in class. However, I think this can vary based on the program. My profs also do research so I assume part of the group work/presentations was to help decrease their take-home grading time. I'm happy to answer any other questions as best I can! :)

Ear irrigation is small potatoes in the grand scheme of things. My perception is that most patients presenting to the ED I work at are in fact NOT having a true "emergency" but it is so concerning for them that they come in. Does that make sense? My mentor in my undergrad nursing program told me that ED nursing is mostly running noses and belly aches with a few exciting moments sprinkled it. Now that it's been a few years, sometimes I think she's right but I still wouldn't trade it for anything! I love the variety and the pace and the collaboration.

Thanks for your feedback, all! I sure appreciate it and I will be investigating NP-RN scope laws in the state I will be working in and exploring my malpractice insurance options. :)

I doubt it... they will insure me for claims made by patients while I'm practicing as an NP.

What is a dual DNP program? I'm one quarter away from finishing my DNP and am happy to help answer questions you might have, though every program is a bit different.

Would you still recommend that I get my own insurance if my PMHNP employer is paying for my insurance?

Hi there, I'm looking for a little advice. I'm finishing up my DNP program and will begin working as a PMHNP in the summer. I'm really looking forward to it. However, I started out in the ED and still love it. I want to always keep my "foot in the door" as a bedside RN. Can I work per diem as an RN in an ED while working as an NP elsewhere? I haven't come across any scope of practice mandates that say I HAVE to work to my highest license. Anyone else doing this??

I would hiiiiiiighly recommend getting an RN job to help get your feet wet.

Don't work at the same hospital and negotiate your salary wherever you do work. FNPs are some of the lowest paid NPs around, so take that into consideration.

We do it at my level 3 ED mostly for patient satisfaction rating. As with similar postings, I use the KISS at bedside and finish report at the desk. Patients do like it, though.

Go for it! It's a fun environment and honestly, as long as you're not totally incompetent, you should be able to swim with a little help from your friends. I hope you love ED - it's the best!

Ehhh, I think that's recruiters in general. They usually don't know the ins and outs of their job. I would be a squeaky wheel and keep pestering him. His job is to get as many people into the service as possible, so you'd think he'd push forward with the waiver to check another name off the list. Keep emailing and calling, if military service is what you want.

I think MI is similar to physical illness in the sense that we can't all go our ENTIRE LIVES without getting sick at some point. Maybe it's a one time panic attack, maybe it's one episode of depression, maybe it's more. Regardless, I hate when people say you have to be crazy to work in psych because it just widens the gap between MH services and people who need them.

Hi T, Apparently I'm not active enough on AN so I can't send you a private message. I'm finishing up my final year of the DNP and just learned where I'm getting stationed come summer 2018. I'd be happy to answer some questions for you; I'm sorry I can't send you a private message yet. Gotta get 15 quality posts! I saw your post about eligibility with the AF and what happens if you get selected. I'm wondering what type of recruiter you saw and what they offered you? I'm doing the HPSP with the AF so I (theoretically) will be working as a PMHNP for them as soon as I get to my duty station. I've heard of FNPs getting placed on the floor to work as RNs because the need was greater at the bedside but for PMHNPs, that's less likely.

The great thing about suboxone, as you know, is that it keeps you from feeling w/d symptoms but it doesn't make you high like using methadone for MAT would. I don't see any reason why you couldn't work as a nurse while on suboxone. I also would think you have ground to stand on in terms of taking a MAT that doesn't make you high and is effective maintenance treatment. I would really recommend you start receiving your own bupe rx; your friend is diverting their rx and that can get them kicked out of many programs if found out. If there was a search done and you were found to have bupe on your person, it better be your own rx so the prescribing provider can go to bat for you with your employer if they have a problem with you being on it at work. You can also call the state BON and inquire anonymously. That's probably the best way to go.

Anichka - I'm interested in what my personal experience in the service will be too. My understanding with NPs (at least AF-wise) is that typically they practice with patients for a few years and then get promoted to management. It sounds like this could all go a few different ways based off of your interactions with NPs too. Did the NP on the floor say why he was on the floor and not working as an NP? I would be curious to hear that explanation!!

We see boarding psych patients every day, some of them stay up to two-three weeks at a time. It is really concerning to see what we do to patients in acute psychiatric emergencies in the ED: remove all belongings, strip them of their privacy, and place them in a bare room where they get no freedom. We have no therapeutic activities for them, no groups, a psychiatrist sees them once a day while they wait to transfer to an inpatient psych unit. I voiced my frustration for the system and expressed an interest in filling a need. If we know that there are not enough providers for mental health concerns and I know that I am capable of helping fill that void, why wouldn't I do it?

The application shows a lot about your experience and background. I also got to write a two-pager answering multiple questions about why I wanted to join the AF and why psych specifically. I believe every applicant does get to interview. It is one of the main way they weed candidates out. Assuming you are a male, you might have an easier time. My final interviewer asked about my comfort level making a 3 year minimum commitment even though as a female, I might "have a family and children in my future." I found that to be sexist and inappropriate...but what do I know?! Haha.

Gliverspace: LPC2RN has great information, and a better memory than I regarding the entire process of getting the scholarship. I think I initially reached out to a health professions recruiter in March and didn't find out I got the scholarship until the end of August/beginning of Sept. You are required to have your BSN to apply, and they prefer nationally accredited programs. Mine was in the process of becoming nationally accredited when I applied and I got through ok so I am not sure if it really has more to do with the supply/demand balance. I have other family in the service and when the military was hurting for bodies, they didn't require a high school diploma. Now that they can afford to be more selective, they require a HS diploma and don't accept the plain ol' GED. Does that make sense? Like I mentioned, I work in the Emergency Dept. I have no psych experience as a licensed RN. They don't care about your prior experience per se, more that you will graduate with the specific education they need for a specific job position. The AF has a certain number of NP scholarships they give out each year. Each speciality has a certain number under that. The caveat, though, is that if the AF doesn't fill all their (example) peds NP spots but has a few PMHNP applicants waitlisted, they will give the original peds NP scholarship to the first on the waitlist. That is how I got in - I was initially waitlisted but called one day and told someone had "dropped out" of the application process because "they didn't want to wait" and then I was next in line. As far as recruiters to get in touch with: go to the AF website and type in your zip on their "find a recruiter" page. Make sure you are finding a healthcare recruiter, not a regular one. The website will show the recruiters in your area and their contact info. I had to email/call mine multiple times before I got a response, so don't feel discouraged if they don't call back within the first few days. Keep trying. I am in a DNP program in Washington state. It is 3 years total (well 2.5 technically) and I am 2 quarters in.

Gilverspace: I started the "application process" when I found out I was accepted into grad school. I have no military background prior to this. I work in the ED and am continuing to work in the ED through school. Another person in my program did 8 years as enlisted Army and then contracted with the AF before starting in our program. During school, I'm neither active or reserves; it's like being in a holding space. I do nothing for the AF until I graduate, then I am immediately active duty and I go to COT and then start working as a PMHNP for the AF. From what I have learned, every AF base has a mental health clinic that PMHNPs work in. The likelihood is that PMHNPs will work in an outpatient clinic vs inpatient unit solely because of the prevalence of outpatient clinics on the base. There are only a few inpatient units in military hospitals (like down in TX). It is possible to be deployed overseas to an AF base, however they do not typically do that immediately. My understanding is that the AF wants to keep green PMHNPs stateside for at least a year before sending them anywhere else. You can request your location and if there is a position available at that base, they can/may send you there. For the record, the chances of you being deployed to a combat zone as a PMHNP seem basically impossible to me. If someone is not mentally fit for combat, why would they stay in a combat zone? They should get flown to the hospitals in Germany, Italy, Japan, England, ect. for eval. There is competition for the scholarship spots (HPSP) and people get weeded out through MEPS and multiple interviews with higher ups in the AF medical chain. In my cohort now, there are two of us that are doing the HPSP scholarship for AF PMHNP. One other guy is going through the Army. Although my cohort is a small group, the number of us who are contracted with the military leads me to believe the scholarships are more common that many think.

I'm currently in school to become a PMHNP and I am also commissioned through the AF. To corroborate everyone else's comments, the recruits weren't able to tell me much and the only way I was able to learn ANYTHING about PHMNPs in the military was to search for them on LinkedIn. I emailed back and forth with a PMHNP to learn a bit about her experience and it was valuable for me. Here is why I joined without knowing what I was getting into (in no particular order): -Financial assistance (paying for school, get a monthly living stipend) -Desire to serve -Built-in experience of at least 3 years active duty -Opportunity to work with unique population -Travel/exciting and new areas to live in You have to understand that working as a PMHNP in the military presents as a very special experience. These men and women that I will be caring for were all "vetted" before they joined and should theoretically be of sound body and mind. However, combat, military life in general, and other stuff happens so now these people are having mental health concerns. It is really quite exciting to think about working with such an interesting population (in my opinion).