Psych NP student -Part Time working Full Time

PG2018 · Aug 4, 2014

I started the a MSN - PMHNP program in August 2010. I graduated nursing school in May 2010, FWIW. I have no kids either and got a job working as a med-surg charge nurse. We worked 12 hour shifts 5 days one week, two days the next. While working in that capacity, I undertook all of my initial, core coursework online through a state university affiliated with an academic medical center and medical school. The first semester I took 10 hours including research methodology, adv. pharmacology, adv. physio/patho, and intro. to practice mgmt. The second semester I took adv. research utilization, nursing theory (ridiculous class), public health concepts, and adv. practice mgmt. During that summer I quit and took an office job.

At the office job that involved a primary care, clinic component, but mostly administrative duties, I worked 10 hours a day, four days a week. I was actually exempt so as long as the work was done it didn't really matter if I put in exactly 10 hours a day four days each week. In the fall of that year I took adv. health assessment/diagnostic reasoning lecture and practicum. The practicum required me to attend an academic medical center and work with live patients and anatomical models. Usually I did this on Fridays. I also had an introductory course in psychiatric theory. The following spring I took a class in psychopharmacology, psychopathology, and psych theory II. In May I quit that job, relocated, and took a job working as a psych intake nurse and did my first psych practicum focusing on psychotherapy for which we were not sufficiently trained. Two weeks ago I quit that job because it was a really, really bad job and place to work and immediately took a job working in an ER three days per week. (In the past I had been a paramedic as a side job/hobby, and I've kept fairly current on that type of stuff).

I don't yet know how it will play out, but I'll work another month or so during the day then switch to a night shift, and this fall I'll be taking psych theory III and a 270 hour practicum focusing on med mgmt. I'm sure it'll be fine. I also have a long trip/vacation planned in December. Next spring, I'll take pscyh IV a 180 hour practicum and some kind of cumulative type of class.

Overall, there have been a lot of miles put on the odometer, probably a hundred hours of lost sleep, enough frustration to break the morale of a large army, and I've cursed the program quite a few times. However, the program has been fairly inexpensive, I've learned a lot, generally had every other weekend, if not every weekend, off, and I've been off for every major holiday through the program, have taken two vacations - one to Disney World, and I've enjoyed my hobbies, my wife, and life in general. That being said, I love to read, however, I don't really read textbooks as I'm assigned. I learned a long time ago how to punch out a 10 page paper in about eight to twelve hours, and I procrastinate like a fiend.

Also, prior to nursing school, I had another B.S. degree, had taken several graduate courses, had administered a considerable number of employees and money in state government, and held a previous career so the challenges of nursing school weren't hard or unique - just different.

dianearc, BSN, RN · Jun 26, 2023

PG2018 said:

I started the a MSN - PMHNP program in August 2010. I graduated nursing school in May 2010, FWIW. I have no kids either and got a job working as a med-surg charge nurse. We worked 12 hour shifts 5 days one week, two days the next. While working in that capacity, I undertook all of my initial, core coursework online through a state university affiliated with an academic medical center and medical school. The first semester I took 10 hours including research methodology, adv. pharmacology, adv. physio/patho, and intro. to practice mgmt. The second semester I took adv. research utilization, nursing theory (ridiculous class), public health concepts, and adv. practice mgmt. During that Summer I quit and took an office job.

At the office job that involved a primary care, clinic component, but mostly administrative duties, I worked 10 hours a day, four days a week. I was actually exempt so as long as the work was done it didn't really matter if I put in exactly 10 hours a day four days each week. In the fall of that year I took adv. health assessment/diagnostic reasoning lecture and practicum. The practicum required me to attend an academic medical center and work with live patients and anatomical models. Usually I did this on Fridays. I also had an introductory course in psychiatric theory. The following Spring I took a class in psychopharmacology, psychopathology, and psych theory II. In May I quit that job, relocated, and took a job working as a psych intake nurse and did my first psych practicum focusing on psychotherapy for which we were not sufficiently trained. Two weeks ago I quit that job because it was a really, really bad job and place to work and immediately took a job working in an ER three days per week. (In the past I had been a paramedic as a side job/hobby, and I've kept fairly current on that type of stuff).

I don't yet know how it will play out, but I'll work another month or so during the day then switch to a night shift, and this fall I'll be taking psych theory III and a 270 hour practicum focusing on med mgmt. I'm sure it'll be fine. I also have a long trip/vacation planned in December. Next Spring, I'll take pscyh IV a 180 hour practicum and some kind of cumulative type of class.

Overall, there have been a lot of miles put on the odometer, probably a hundred hours of lost sleep, enough frustration to break the morale of a large army, and I've cursed the program quite a few times. However, the program has been fairly inexpensive, I've learned a lot, generally had every other weekend, if not every weekend, off, and I've been off for every major holiday through the program, have taken two vacations - one to Disney World, and I've enjoyed my hobbies, my wife, and life in general. That being said, I love to read, however, I don't really read textbooks as I'm assigned. I learned a long time ago how to punch out a 10 page paper in about eight to twelve hours, and I procrastinate like a fiend.

Also, prior to nursing school, I had another B.S. degree, had taken several graduate courses, had administered a considerable number of employees and money in state government, and held a previous career so the challenges of nursing school weren't hard or unique - just different.

Okay, I'm not sure if you answered the question or not but from reading this, I gather, you were able to work full time while going to school fulltime, for the most part.