Psychiatric nursing or LCPC?

[Cydpsyche]

Hi there,

I actually have a B.A. in psychology and I am applying for graduate programs to obtain a master's degree. In psychology, to work as a therapist, you must have at least a master's degree and there are several designations within the field such as LCPC (licensed clinical professional counselor), LCSW (licensed clinical social worker), MFT (marriage and family therapist) etc. I am applying to programs which will enable me to obtain a LCP (whereupon one must be supervised for an additional 2000 hours/2 years to get an LCPC (whereupon one may hang a shingle in private practice, etc. That is 4 years to independence.

With all of the coming challenges in health care I am considering if psychiatric nursing might be an option worth exploring. I certainly have a strong desire to be a mental health clinician, but I want to be certain that I am making informed choices. A few years ago I worked in a psychiatric private practice and there was a master's level nurse-practitioner at the clinic. She saw patients, wrote prescriptions, etc. As far as I know she functioned in a role similar to a psychiatrist.

It appears that one may become an R.N. at the associates degree level. Is that typical for someone working inpatient psychiatric? If I already have a bachelor's in psychology and got an associates degree to obtain an R.N. would that enable me to work inpatient psychiatric? Or does this sort of nursing require the relative autonomy of a master's degree? Standard nursing holds no appeal to me and although I would find the academics interesting I would not want to go through different clinical rotations in the role of a nurse. I'm relatively OK with blood, but I just don't think I would cope well with strangers vomiting on me- ick.

Although I am probably asking some questions from an unusual perspective, I would be very interested in hearing about the reality of psychiatric nursing. Most likely I should go for the LCPC and am not an ideal candidate for nursing, but input from other related professionals is always a great way to learn. Thanks very much.

Cydpsyche

[elkpark]

Even as a psych NP, you would have to complete a basic nursing program with classroom and clinical education in all areas of nursing practice. The US trains and licenses nurses as generalists, and then you specialize from there. You could certainly work as a staff RN in psychiatric settings with an ADN and RN licensure, although many facilities prefer to hire BSN-prepared RNs and may or may not consider an ADN + BA in psychology to be the equivalent. There are accelerated BSN programs for individuals who already have a BA/BS in another discipline, which are v. intense and rigorous but would be quicker for you to get licensed as an RN (and would give you a BSN instead of an ADN.

You may want to look over some of the threads on the site about "regular" psychiatric nursing (not advanced practice, NP, level). Generalist RNs in psych settings do lots of hands-on, direct care, give meds, manage the unit milieu, and do some groups and individual education/counseling of clients, but the role and focus is v. different from the psych NP (who, as you note, functions essentially in the same role as a psychiatrist).

There are also the so-called "direct entry" MSN programs for individuals with a BA/BS in another discipline who want to become advanced practice nurses. These programs consist of, basically, an accelerated BSN program plus MSN program; you go in as a "non-nurse" and come out, ~3years later, as an advanced practice nurse. There are lots of threads on this site about those programs, as well. They are pretty competitive and demanding. You would need to find a program with a psych NP specialty (there are plenty of them out there).

How independently you could practice as a psych NP depends largely on what state you would be in; there is a lot of variation among states in advanced practice nursing licensure and practice.