Psych NP education vs CRNA

[Stefyxox]

Hello ! So I will be finishing nursing school soon and would either like to go on and work in psych then apply to a PMH NP Program or go the ICU route and then go CRNA. I'm passionate about both professions but was curious about the education. 

Are psych NP programs preparing students as well as CRNA programs ? People have said they don't, as the majority of your classes are "fluff" and you are writing papers rather than getting in depth clinical experience. 
 

opinions ?

[DrCOVID, DNP]

It is incredible that you are passionate about these fields fresh out of nursing school! These questions have been beaten to death here. Have a look at the respective forums. NP curriculums vary widely and I am sure the CRNA forums have good treads about programs. There is quite a big difference between PMHNP and CRNA in job and that is what you should be concerned with. 

I tried looking up clinical hours for CRNAs and there seem to be ranges depending on the program. It does seem CRNA get more clinical training, which I think is critical since you are balancing people on the edge of being alive and being dead in an OR usually. PMHNP I think shines in the outpatient, though we can work in a hospital, do acute psychiatry, drug withdrawal, PEDs, etc. At least with a DNP, you don't have to go back to school and you have more clinical hours. I just completed a DNP and did 1200 clinic hours. The capstone is useful despite all the hate, if you don't have an MSN and years of practice under your belt as you learn about clinical topic of your choosing and specialty.

There is a stark contrast between CRNA and PMHNP; one you are literally just talking with people all day (and documenting) and the other you are not really talking to patients much. But above all, you should really see if you like either field. CRNA schools require ICU to learn managing ventilation, tubes and drips to prepare you for anesthesia. Getting a little bit of experience in either the ICU/OR you will likely meet a CRNA you can talk to. I also met one doing ECT in a psych facility once, but that was all she did. Same thing with psych. A lot of people shy away from psych because they don't like dealing with peoples feelings. Your job is mostly talking to people about mood, depression, & anxiety every day, and mostly focusing on medication changes.

I would recommend either career. Years ago I thought about CRNA school, as I was interested in anesthesia, you are fairly independent ... but I never got ICU experience and so I went to a DNP program and am sitting for the PMHNP boards soon. I know and have talked with several CRNAs and of course am surrounded by PMHNPs now.  I would only ever discourage someone from doing the FNP route at the MSN level or at online only college.

[Stefyxox]

Do you feel like your education actually prepares you/ was challenging ? This is another thing I worry about as I’ve often heard people say the curriculum for NPs isn’t rigorous enough. 

46 minutes ago, DrCOVID said:

It is incredible that you are passionate about these fields fresh out of nursing school! These questions have been beaten to death here. Have a look at the respective forums. NP curriculums vary widely and I am sure the CRNA forums have good treads about programs. There is quite a big difference between PMHNP and CRNA in job and that is what you should be concerned with. 

I tried looking up clinical hours for CRNAs and there seem to be ranges depending on the program. It does seem CRNA get more clinical training, which I think is critical since you are balancing people on the edge of being alive and being dead in an OR usually. PMHNP I think shines in the outpatient, though we can work in a hospital, do acute psychiatry, drug withdrawal, PEDs, etc. At least with a DNP, you don't have to go back to school and you have more clinical hours. I just completed a DNP and did 1200 clinic hours. The capstone is useful despite all the hate, if you don't have an MSN and years of practice under your belt as you learn about clinical topic of your choosing and specialty.

There is a stark contrast between CRNA and PMHNP; one you are literally just talking with people all day (and documenting) and the other you are not really talking to patients much. But above all, you should really see if you like either field. CRNA schools require ICU to learn managing ventilation, tubes and drips to prepare you for anesthesia. Getting a little bit of experience in either the ICU/OR you will likely meet a CRNA you can talk to. I also met one doing ECT in a psych facility once, but that was all she did. Same thing with psych. A lot of people shy away from psych because they don't like dealing with peoples feelings. Your job is mostly talking to people about mood, depression, & anxiety every day, and mostly focusing on medication changes.

I would recommend either career. Years ago I thought about CRNA school, as I was interested in anesthesia, you are fairly independent ... but I never got ICU experience and so I went to a DNP program and am sitting for the PMHNP boards soon. I know and have talked with several CRNAs and of course am surrounded by PMHNPs now.  I would only ever discourage someone from doing the FNP route at the MSN level or at online only college.

Do you feel like your education actually prepares you/ was challenging ? This is another thing I worry about as I’ve often heard people say the curriculum for NPs isn’t rigorous enough. 

[DrCOVID, DNP]

Challenge is debatable and subjective. Yes I feel as prepared as I could be. I do a lot of extra-curricular learning. I listen to psychiatric and psychologic Youtube channels and podcasts in my free time. I genuinely like studying for boards and learning about therapeutic modalities in the field. I read the books I didn't get the chance to while in school. I also talk frequently with other experienced PMHNPs and psychiatrists.

While rigor is of concern for us... I think the point I try to make on this forum is, no one, even medical "doctors" should be on their own when they start. 8 years of college does not mean you are going to be a good provider. Being good takes people skills, years of applying learned knowledge and skills and good practice is a far cry from theory and school. I have met and studied with several medical students and had one just tell me, most of the stuff you do for pre-reqs are to "weed people out." That is true in no matter what program you want to do. You don't need O-Chem lab or a lot of the pre-reqs or courses in most programs to be a good health care provider. And for NPs, even with rampant fluffy curriculum, you can still push yourself to become a good provider. A lot of the threads and complaints here are nurses acting like victims rather than taking some basic professionally responsibility. Nursing/medicine are evolving and good practice takes years of practical experience any way you slice it and the wise always seek out seasoned practitioners.

[umbdude, MSN, APRN]

On 12/28/2020 at 5:34 PM, Stefyxox said:

Are psych NP programs preparing students as well as CRNA programs ?

Like other NP programs, psych NP programs vary in quality and admission standards. If you're passionate about psych, put in the work and you will be well prepared.

I went to a rigorous PMHNP program, studied and read extensively both in- and out-side of my curriculum, and had relevant psych nursing experience. I felt prepared and confident.

[Rnis, BSN, DNP, APRN, NP]

I would try to get some experience in the ICU and psych and see where that leads you.   Good luck!

[Spinmass, ADN, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

As I was researching my DNP options, it did seem to me that overall CRNA programs are a better breed of program. They all seem to be more squared away and sticking to a core set of standards. With that said, I found a PMHNP program that appears to have very high standards and rigorous entrance requirements. 

Plenty of NP programs are popping up at for profit online only programs with little to no entrance requirements except the ability to pay the tuition. I do think that this is watering down the quality of some NP's but it is what you make of it to some extent and it what you put into it. 

The scope of practice is wildly different and I am not sure that you can adequately decide which type of program to attend until you have worked in or around both environments. 

Good luck with school and your future endeavors. The great thing about nursing is our options are so broad