psychiatric nurse practitioners

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I am going to be starting a psychiatric nurse practitioner program-online. Can anyone tell me what the courses and clinicals are like? Is it much harder than nursing school? Also can anyone tell me what kind of job they have and what they are doing in the job? Can you tell me what your background was before becomeing a psychiatric nurse practitioner. Do you feel that med surg experience is a necessity? Do you feel that hospital psych nursing is a necessity? Thank you.

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Sorry can't help with your primary questions. I'm not an APRN. But I work with a couple. My hospital, one of the oldest private psych hospitals in the USA employs two of them. They are sharp cookies.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Geriatric, Behavioral Health.

Although not an an NP, I am a Psychiatric CNS, currently on inactive status...needed a break. However, I think I can answer a little bit of your question. Advanced practice nurses in psych, such as NP, focus or specialize in that field above and beyond the generic entry program. With meds being the forte of treatment nowadays and the push in prescriptive authority (depending on the state), NP and CNS training focus alot on medications (indications for therapeutic use, dosing, lab work, and evaluation of effectiveness). Along with this of course, is learning more about each type of psychiatric diagnosis and improving one's interventional knowledge base (therapeutic approaches and treatment and handling psychiatric emergencies and conditions). In the psychiatric field, CNS (Clinical Nurse Specialists) have mostly been the standing advanced practice nurse in the USA for a long time, whereas in non-psychiatric fields of nursing, it has been the NP. However, since it appears that the NP has become more widely known in the medical and nursing communities, the push to create psychiatric NP's has gotten more of a following and schools/programs have been created. I hope this helps.

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Thunderwolf and Charlie RN, and any other psych nurses or psychiatric nurse practitioners or CNS's, what is your opinion of a BSN with school nursing experience and a med surg refresher course getting a master's in psychiatric nursing and having no psych or med surg experience? Crazy? When I graduate, should I start out as a psych nurse to get experience or as a psychiatric nurse practitioner working directly under a psychiatrist? I have tried to get a psych nurse job and couldn't due to no med surg experience. I am starting my program in the spring. Should I take another med surg refresher course this fall? My last one was two years ago.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Geriatric, Behavioral Health.

No...not crazy. Many nurses who start off in psych do not have any psych background at all beyond their student clinical rotation. However, I do believe there is nothing like experience, so keep trying to apply for positions to get your feet wet. I would recommend working on a psych unit first before waiting to work under a psychiatrist as an NP. Med-surg....recommend getting your feet wet here too if you can and taking refreshers. Many think psych patients only have psych issues or problems. Far from the truth! Many have legit, significant physical health problems too that need addressed. And believe it or not, may have had surgery. Also, getting your feet wet in some med-surg will only help you better as a psych NP because you will be called upon to assess and to intervene on med-surg patients who just so happen to have concurrent psych issues. Hopes this helps.

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Sorry can't help with your primary questions. I'm not an APRN. But I work with a couple. My hospital, one of the oldest private psych hospitals in the USA employs two of them. They are sharp cookies.

Sharp in what way? What is their day like in terms of what they do? Thanks Krisssy

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Hi. I received my msn in community mental health nursing, CNS, but in the state of Fl. with the proper courses you can be a NP. I am currently working as a psych np in an outpatient office, considered self-employed or contract as you will. I definately recommend getting your feet wet working in a psych unit as a psych nurse. What about working part time while going to school? Also, if you do not have med-surg experience, you need that for sure. One of the arguements that is made for NP's prescriping and not psychologists is the broad based medical knowledge we have. Not everything that goes wrong with a person is psych based. So many times I have sent people to their gp or to the hospital for medical purposes when they blame their psych meds. TIA's occur independently of psych problems and sometimes can mimic problems with psych meds, such as word finding. It is a fascinating field, but you have to take care of yourself and make sure you don't get burned out. Hope this helps. deb

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