tofcancer

Well, I completed my application for NP with focus in psychiatry, so if I get accepted and can find a way to pay for it, I suppose I'll have my own answer and let you all know. Thank youuu

Thank you for your input - I had not put 2 and 2 together that FNP duties are not really related to those of a med-surg nurse. My heart is leaning towards psychiatry.

I'm facing a dilemma. I'm 26 years old, and I've been working as a bedside nurse (psychiatry) for just over three years. I LOVE my job, and I'm great at it, and to those who would say psychiatric nurses aren't "real" nurses, I'm not even insulted, because I recognize that our skill set and job demands are extremely divergent. Although I work at a medical center and therefore care for psych patients with some serious medical co-morbidities, I would be truly lost on an acute med-surg floor. I would probably be as lost as the med-surg floats are when they try to de-escalate a psychotic patient. I feel that I am stagnating, however, and my good friend recently applied for and was admitted to a university to obtain her NP as a family nurse practitioner. Neither one of us has any experience on a med-surg floor. I am interested in continuing my education, and pharmacology was my favorite course in college, but I'm not sure whether to pursue FNP or psychiatric NP. My relevant concerns are not only which I will enjoy more, but which is more employable, especially given where our healthcare system is going. For instance, I can see FNPs caring for clients with "basic" psych issues the same way primary care doctors now prescribe antidepressants and anxiety medications. I question whether I shouldn't try to get experience in med-surg before I make a decision, but that is easier said than done around here. I work at a union hospital with great pay and benefits, but the transition to med-surg while staying with this healthcare system is very difficult because most "entry-level" med-surg nurses are only able to get a foot in the door as per diem, and I need the insurance and benefits of a staff nurse right now. Ultimately, I might be looking at waiting for another year or two before gaining med-surg experience. I'd prefer not to make that commitment unless I'm sure that I'll be pursuing my FNP rather than NP. Sorry for the long post. Any insights? If it's relevant, I live in Boston, MA.

So, I was offered a pretty lucrative side job stripping and I have been scouring the MNA contracts to see if there is anything forbidding a member from this kind of activity. Does anyone have any information?