Soon to be PN graduate looking for a career in mental health

andrewschultz, LVN · Aug 4, 2013

Hello all! I will be graduating from my pn program in 4 weeks and I'm super excited I'm feeling very confident about the Nclex but still extremely nervous. I plan on returning back to school immediately upon successfully passing the Nclex to start the RN program. I really really, really want to work in mental health or the jail but not sure if I can do so as a Lpn does anyone know if this is possible & have any advice on applying for jobs, when should I start looking and applying?[/quote']
Hey... I graduated in March and passed NCLEX recently. You can do it! Where are you living? The county jail here in Los Angeles will not hire a LPN unless there is at least 1 year experience. That is pretty much solid everywhere. Psych hospitals in the area do hire LPNs. I want to go into that field myself. I am currently in the process of waiting for my RN program too. :)
You can look, but actually can't work till you have that license in hand. You can apply without license, but most if the time you might get passed over. Several agencies and places I called tell me to only call back or apply once that license is in hand. Hope this helps a bit. Also, if you wanna be a psych nurse, google what you need to be certified. It's intense as far as hands on hours go. Formulate your plan based on that as well and rock on!