The Psychiatric Nursing Profession...a thread to begin learning about it

Is the salary the same as other nurses? Salary.com come says they earn less.

Is the salary the same as other nurses? Salary.com come says they earn less.

From my experience, salaries are mainly comperable if not the same for psych nurses who are employed at hospitals with inpatient psych units as are other nurses in that same hospital. If you plan on working in the outpatient setting, salaries may be a bit lower. State psych hospitals usually pay well, and from what I hear, have excellent benefits (as do most state government jobs). I don't have much experience with the VA/federal gov't psych positions, but I would imagine the pay is pretty good there as well. Of course, salaries are often based on years of experience and ANCC certification as well. Hope this helps.

Originally Posted by Paramedic80

Hey Everyone!

I'm just entering school for nursing after a short (5yrs) career as a paramedic, I'm interested in RPN. Every job has its perks and downsides, I'm generally interested on how being an RPN has affected your life in a positive and negative way whether you deal strictly in mental health, persay, addictions or forensics..etc.

I've looked at a number of websites so I'm now just looking for personal experiences/opinions.

Thank-you all so very much :)

Paramedic80

From my experience, psych nursing can be very challenging, but rewarding. I find that we often have a high burnout rate because we deal with such challenging clientele. We can be sworn at, hit, punched, kicked...etc., and still come to work the next day and listen to Joe Doe speak about how horrible his life is and how we wants to kill himself. It's not a profession for the faint of heart. However, with that being said, it can be very rewarding when you see a client deal with a very difficult issue...as psych nurses, I feel we are often undervalued, but provide an amazing service with care.

If you have more questions, feel free to ask me.

Cheers and good luck!

Ryan

Hello everyone,

Quick question, Would it be feesable to do a 30 unit RN minor with a BA psychology then apply for FNP/PMHNP?

Just wondering, I am just leaving the service and have about 84 credits toward a psy BA, it just seems to be a waste if I have to do a whole other BSN right along with it.

thanks,

Mark

Do you think it would be a mistake to go directly into psych nursing?

Dawn

Yes do Psych. nursing first as a separate unit, ie. to become a psych RN is a great way to go. It certainly prepares you for the other areas of nursing and life in general! It prepares you for dealing with people - not just the nuts but also the 'certified sane'. I can now appreciate completing my three years in-hospital psych training which was followed by two years training in mentally and physically disabled area then finally general medical/surgical nursing. (I have met only a few who have actually completed all three in any order.) Now of course all nurse training is done through university. A pitty I feel there's nothing like working during your training!

I will probably get a few answers to that!

Mister Chris:chair:

Thank you for posting the site and promoting the importance of involvement in professional organizations. It is something I had taken for granted prior to enrolling in school for my masters. It has really been an eye opener. I am a member of APNA.

I recently had to write an editorial on "scarce resources" and chose the impact of the nursing shortage on the specialty area of psychiatric nursing. I found some very interesting articles in JAPNA. It was good to see how active the journal is in making nurses aware of the crisis which is looming on our horizon. Pretty scary stuff.

Hi,

I am new to this forum. I am considering getting an MSN as a psychiatric nurse practitioner. I have 1 1/2 yr of professional counseling but decided that the program was too long and too expensive. Also that a MSN was a better route as far as options.

When I look in the ads for jobs, I see very very few ads for psychiatric nurse practioners. I live in Columbus, OH. Is it difficult to find work? What kind of positions are out there. Eventually I want to have a private practice.

Thanks.

sst17

hi, I am a new grad (graduated 2 yrs ago, and just passed boards finally). I am starting my first nursing job in adolescent psych on Monday. I am so glad there is a forum for this topic. I feel like I know nothing! I just know I want to work with kids, and hated med-surg.

Ally

:mortarboard:hi , i just finished my nursing course last april...but i already finished psychology course last 1996.....i would like 2 ask anybody can u give me advise about psyche nursing....im intersted on this field....i would appreciate ur advice ty

:mortarboard:hi , i just finished my nursing course last april...but i already finished psychology course last 1996.....i would like 2 ask anybody can u give me advise about psyche nursing....im intersted on this field....i would appreciate ur advice ty

welcome to allnurses.com.

what kind of advice are you looking for? the more specific your questions, the more detailed the answers are likely to be.

why don't you tell us something about yourself--your educational background, what you're doing now, what you hope to do in the future, and anything else you'd care to share.

what about psych nursing attracts you? have you had any jobs in this area? what kinds of things can you see yourself doing or not doing in this field?

again, the more you give us to work with, the better we can tailor our responses to your situation.

we're glad you found us.

I'm a second semester student nurse and when I return to school I'll be working at a Psychiatric Hospital. Can you share any of your experiences with me? I hear there are also people there that have commited various crimes.

Thanks.

The reality is that people with mental illness have a 3% violence rate which is lower than the 3.5% violence rate of the "normal" population. Your more apt to run into a person who committed various crimes in the med-surg area than psych.