USI PMHNP 2019

Exodus09, ASN, BSN, MSN, APRN · May 8, 2019

Congratulations! I have MSN-Ed and in the process of applying for post master’s certificate PMHNP for 2020. So if the sample plan is true for us, then we may just come together next fall!? I’m already trying to study for N617 (patho). I’m also interested in networking and would love to hear about your experience with admissions/acceptance.

JENFKB, BSN, MSN, RN · May 14, 2019

absolutely, let's stay in touch! I start Patho Fall 2019.

myoglobin, ASN, BSN, MSN · May 19, 2019

I believe that some of the best advice would be to "pre read" Sadock, and Stahl along with getting access to something like Boardvitals.com and working through as many videos and quizzes as possible. In addition, www.khanacademy.org has excellent resources as does www.boardvitals.com. The stronger base you can enter with the more manageable time you will have. Also be aware that you will probably need to not work during your final semester over Summer since this will be four days per week in clinical. In addition, it is never to early to start working on clinical sites.

JENFKB, BSN, MSN, RN · May 19, 2019

12 hours ago, myoglobin said:
I believe that some of the best advice would be to "pre read" Sadock, and Stahl along with getting access to something like Boardvitals.com and working through as many videos and quizzes as possible. In addition, www.khanacademy.org has excellent resources as does www.boardvitals.com. The stronger base you can enter with the more manageable time you will have. Also be aware that you will probably need to not work during your final semester over Summer since this will be four days per week in clinical. In addition, it is never to early to start working on clinical sites.

So you attended USI? How did you like the program?

myoglobin, ASN, BSN, MSN · May 19, 2019

It's a good program. I am finishing up now. The instructors are helpful. The advanced pharmacology class was especially difficult, and I felt that some of the exam answers were not correct. Stahls textbook (as opposed to his drug guide) isn't especially user friendly in my opinion, but its sort of "the only game in town". However, with regard to the other courses the instructors were extremely responsive and open to discussion. I do wish the final course was over a Fall or Spring semester rather than a 10 week Summer given that it means 32 to 40 hours per week in clinical. My advice however would apply to most programs. Read "foundational" texts at your leisure and do 1000's of review questions before entering and your base will be so strong that you will benefit exponentially more from the curriculum and reduce your stress considerably. Also, figure out a strategy to minimize your work load (for income) during the last year of your program and eliminate working your final semester.

myoglobin, ASN, BSN, MSN · May 20, 2019

Sorry, the class that I felt was extremely difficult was the advanced psychopharmacology. The pharmacology class was quite reasonable. It was the psychopharmacology based upon Stahl's textbook that I found amiss both on content and "correctness" of questions (on some of the exams). I felt as if I needed to know that material at a 98% level just to get an 85% on the exam, because I was giving up about 10% of questions that were just not correct. That is why I suggest prereading that text along with Saddock "at a leisurely pace" before the course begins. Indeed. upon reflection it would have been nice to have been provided a list of the text materials about a year ahead of time (before I started the program) so that I could have done a really leisurely in depth dive without the stress of exams that force you into covering material at an accelerated, less than optimal pace.

JENFKB, BSN, MSN, RN · May 20, 2019

Thank you so much for the advice! It is hard to find USI alum! I have Stahl's prescribers guide, what other texts would you recommend?

Did you work full time while in school (besides the last semester)?

myoglobin, ASN, BSN, MSN · May 21, 2019

I went the "part time" four year route and worked full time the first three years. Then I went down to one or two shift on Fri/Saturday nights in the ICU for the remaining year, except for the last semester (now) where I won't be working. As to texts I would say start with these resources if you have a year to prep:

a. Kaplan and Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry 11th. They actually make a two volumn version, but I cannot advise you to get that since it's not required by most schools. Also get there review book even though it's dated to an earlier edition (they no longer make it, but much of the content correlates).

b. Get Stahls "Essential Psychotherapeutics" I believe it is 4th edition (perhaps soon to be a 5th released).

c. Get Lecturio.com and watch all the videos (especially the psychiatry, but the other content will also build a solid foundation) and do all of the USMLE 1,2, and 3 exercises.

d. Watch as much Khanacademy as you can from the health sciences and do their integrated quizzes.

e. Consider getting a membership to Boardvitals.com and doing all 1600 or so psychiatry PMHNP questions. Reading the explanations is key even for the ones that you get correct as there is often good information integrated into the answers. All of these items may add about $1000.00 to your total costs but will leave you a standard deviation ahead of most of your classmates if you put the time in (ahead of time). Of course you will still study hard during the semesters, this is simply to build a terrific foundation.

JENFKB, BSN, MSN, RN · May 21, 2019

You are awesome! I greatly appreciate it. I am doing the post-masters certificate, which is just one class per semester, so I hope to be able to work full time until the very end!

Good luck with your last semester and future!!

myoglobin, ASN, BSN, MSN · May 30, 2019

I forgot to add that you should subscribe to the Psychiatry and Pharmacology Podcast by David Puder MD it is free and very good. The psychopharmacology Institute podcast, which is also free (or at least has a free version) is wonderful as well.

JENFKB, BSN, MSN, RN · Jun 2, 2019

Thank you! I drive quite a lot for work, so podcasts will be great!

I wanted to also ask you... did USI require any adolescent/pediatric hours?