Questions regarding MEPN to become a PMHNP

[mepnpmhnp]

Hello,

I am a recent graduate (May 2015) with a major in Psychology and a minor in Education. I graduated with an honors, and was hoping to get into a Ph.D. program in Clinical Psychology, but thought that entering a Masters Entry Program in Nursing (MEPN) to become a Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNPs) would be a more viable option (as Clinical Psychology programs can be extremely competitive). For now, my plan is to receive a terminal degree (MEPN), and after working for a few years in clinical setting, I can shift over to the research environment (by entering a Ph.D. program) if I had wanted to. Please see below for a list of my questions. Thank you so much for your help in advance!

(1) Though I have a pretty good GPA, I would need to take 2-3 semesters of community college courses to meet the prerequisites for a MEPN. Having graduated from a pretty well-known 4 year university, I am worried that taking prereqs at a CC would reflect myself to the admissions as "unprepared". How less competitive will I be for taking courses at a CC upon graduating from a university?

(2) My university was extremely research heavy, and with plans to enter a Ph.D. program, my "extra curricular" activities include much more research experience than clinical. Even if I plan to completely change my direction and apply to a MEPN, I would still have to work at some labs to receive recommendation letters from my PIs, whom I've been working with for a year to max. of 3 years. Though I know that they will write me pretty good recs, would it be disadvantageous for me to continue working in research labs?

(3) Going off of the previous question, where can people receive recommendation letters from professors while gaining clinical experience? As living in CA with only a B.A., I find this extremely difficult. I do have previous experience at working at state hospitals, suicide hotlines, and etc., but none of the supervisors were professors. Or is it OK to receive recs from non-faculty members?

(4) In order to complete all of my prereqs before admission, the earliest I can enter a MEPN is in 2018 (applying in fall/winter 2017). Aside from taking courses at a CC and prepping for my GRE, what are some recommended work/clinical experience to gain? As of now, I was planning to continue working as a R.A. (research assistant) at labs I used to work at, but I wasn't sure if this was the best idea.

(5) Lastly, this is a super general question, but is there a different working setting for PMHNPs than for clinical psychologists with a Psy.D., Ph.D., or even a psychiatrist with an M.D.?

Once again, thank you so much! :)

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Obviously you've done a lot of investigation into various options available to you. I'm sure that someone with much more psych/mental health knowledge will be along to provide you with in-depth info you need.

I just wanted to urge you to do a more careful analysis of the nursing scope of practice. It may be very different than you expect. Even though they are credentialed for advanced practice, NPs adhere to the nursing model. NPs are hands-on clinicians rather than researchers. If your goal is to become a clinical psychologist, you may find that NP to be a significant detour rather than a logical step in the process. Accelerated programs are extremely intense & it's unlikely that you would be able to devote sufficient time to working as a research assistant while maintaining all of the nursing program requirements.

Best wishes on your continued educational journey.