does the school really matter?

[Ladydaae]

Hi all! I'm currently a licensed therapist of ten years. The overwhelming lack of psychiatric resources and referrals in my area has driven me to consider psychiatric nursing to help meet the high need for services. I love what I do currently, but I also sit an awful lot, and want to move my body more. I also want to engage with the mental health community and healthcare system in a different way. I feel I have a lot to bring to the table. Also, and most obviously, having the ability to prescribe medications would be invaluable to myself as a clinician and to the community I serve.

So, I'm looking at going into an accelerated nursing program in the coming year with the intention to continue with NP shortly after. I am currently waitlisted at Duke (I'm in NC and bound to my area for personal reasons)...which is disappointing, but I had already determined that paying $80+grand in tuition and fees (NOT including living expenses for the 16 months of unemployment while in the program), wasn't worth a BSN. Especially considering my final destination isn't a BSN anyway, and I can go to a state school 20 minutes away for literally 1/10th the price.

My questions:

Does it REALLY matter where I go for the BSN? Is it WORTH getting myself into debt of about 100k? (I'm assuming where I go for the MSN/PMHNP would be more important?)

What advise do YOU have, as a nurse for me, a therapist? What might I be overlooking?

Finally (and I may come back to hit you all with more questions), should I keep up my therapy license? I don't see how it could hurt...

Thanks! Your input is much appreciated!

[verene, MSN]

The "name brand" schools really only matter for nursing if they are exceptionally well known (e.g. Yale, Columbia) or exceptionally notorious (online diploma mill).

It is important to go a school that is regionally well respected at either ASN or BSN level. This does not need to be an expensive school. Look at the community colleges and universities in your area and find out more about their programs. Which schools are known for their nursing programs. Talk to hiring managers in your area - which programs do they like to hire out of - you may be surprised to find that managers like the students just as well or better from the 10K ASN program as from the 100K private BSN program.

As for ASN vs BSN look to your local job market to see what will get you hired. In many places ASN is all you need, particularly in a psych setting which tends to be one of the less popular nursing specialties, but other regions are really pushing for BSN due to competition. In my area (western U.S.), despite a shortage of psychiatric nurses, it is advantageous to have a BSN as some weird state regulations around mental health services means that a BSN prepared nurse has a much broader scope than an ASN prepared nurse in a psychiatric setting. So demand is for BSN prepared nurses. Just something to look into as you consider programs.

Either ASN or BSN will allow you to bridge to MSN/NP down the road.