psych nursing lots of questions

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Aug 8, 2010

hey, im interested in becoming a psych nurse. im currently in year 10 and would like to know all the things i need to know about psych nursing. like how do i get into psych nursing?

After you graduate from NS, try to apply to jobs in psychiatric facilities...however, don't be surprised if many facilities won't hire you without a year's experience. It is possible to get hired into psych as a new grad, but it's not common as far as I've seen (your area's mileage may vary).

do i need to complete highschool (year 12)? how many years do i have to study? what do i need to study, and where? ?

You need to go to a nursing school to become a LPN or an RN. In my part of the world, you need to graduate high school before you can enter in any nursing program.

The length of the nursing program varies depending on the school, what license you are pursing, whether it's diploma or degree, full or part time, etc. LPN programs are the fastest: they're usually 1-1.5 years and result in a diploma. RN programs can run from 2-4 years and can be diploma, associate's degree or bachelor's degree.

Keep in mind that these time estimates do not include any prerequisite courses that you may need to take in order to be eligible to apply for nursing school programs.

whats the easyiest way of entering this feild of nursing? do i need to have any tests? what should i expect from psych nursing? how much do you get paid? where can i do work experience? thankyou so much xx :)

Easiest way is to apply after graduation--however as I mentioned earlier, a lot of facilities are skittish about hiring new grads and often want one year of experience (preferably in psych though it could be any nursing) first. You can work in acute care psych facilities, psych wards within hospitals, outpaient treatment, residental treatment, LTC, private practices...there's a lot of places you can work in psych!

If possible, during NS try to do preceptorships/internships in psych settings. That will both give you experience that you can promote during interviews, as well as let you see if psych nursing is what you really want to do.

Pay varies depending on where you live, where you're working, and your experience. In my area, new grads start off in hospitals at 19-20/hr (not including shift differentials). Private practices usually pay less.

There are more job opportunities for RNs than LPNs, because RNs generally have a greater scope of practice. LPNs also make less money than RNs (all other things being equal, of course).

What to expect...look at the threads in this entire subforum! :)