want to become a psyc nurse

[akumal987]

Hi,

I am a senior in high school and am very intrested in becoming a psyc nurse. I have been reading some of the threads and alot of them say something about a psyc tech....what is it exactly and do you have to be one before you can become a psyc nurse? My current plan is to graduate high school in June, enter community college in the fall and get my RN degree then get my BSN at Towson University....

I have a couple questions but would rather not post them on here but if someone could private message me that would be awesome!!!

Thanks!

[armywifeRN]

Not exactly sure how to send you a private message, but wanted to post anyways. At the facility I work at you need to be a HS graduate and be able to pass a background check and a drug screen. If Psych nursing interests you I would encourage you to apply once you graduate to the closest facility. It's an awesome field and one I personally take a lot of pride in working in. Best of luck to you!!

[akumal987]

Thanks for replying. I am not even sure how to check my private mesesages so its okay!!! I am thinking about interning at the local psyc hospital. If I can figure out a way to private message you is that okay?

[elkpark]

Welcome to allnurses! :balloons:

You don't get PM "privileges" until you've made 15 posts (I think you can receive PMs before that, but you won't be able to reply to them). If you look under the MyAccount tab on the menu bar near the top of the screen, you will be able to access your messages.

There is no requirement at all that you be a psych tech before becoming a psych nurse. It's a good way to get a feeling for whether this is something that really interests you, however. Different facilities have different standards for their techs -- some require you to be a CNA in order to be considered eligible/qualified, some require a BA or BS degree, some don't require anything but a HS diploma and good intentions (as armywifeRN noted).

I encourage you, though, to keep an open mind and not get too focused on a single specialty area too early in your educational process. The US trains nurses as generalists, and you will study and practice in all the main clinical/specialty areas in your nursing program. It's extremely common for people to start nursing school, or start their careers, sure that they want to specialize in a particular clinical area only to find that they've changed their mind entirely by the time they graduate, or after they've been "out and about" in nursing for a little while. Most people have no idea what a v. wide range of career paths and roles is available within nursing until they've been in the nursing world for a while. :)

Best wishes for your journey!