FNP or PMHNP?

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If I decide to get my Master's in NP...I am having difficulty deciding between Family NP and Psych/Mental Health NP. Are there more jobs available for FNPs...it seems like I never find postings seeking Psych NPs? Also, is there a salary difference?

Originally Posted by ginaw623

If I decide to get my Master's in NP...I am having difficulty deciding between Family NP and Psych/Mental Health NP. Are there more jobs available for FNPs...it seems like I never find postings seeking Psych NPs? Also, is there a salary difference?

there is a HUGE need for psych NPs. Psychiatrists in general are always in short supply. They're in such a short supply that I've even seen a psych NP supervising a 1st year psychiatry resident (in a major allopathic medical school in one of the 5 largest cities in the US!) because there werent enough faculty to go around. There are too many FNPs.

grayscaleart: that is great to know because I am sooo interested in Psych NP!! It will be a long road for me, but hopefully I'll get there in a few years .

Originally Posted by ginaw623

If I decide to get my Master's in NP...I am having difficulty deciding between Family NP and Psych/Mental Health NP. Are there more jobs available for FNPs...it seems like I never find postings seeking Psych NPs? Also, is there a salary difference?

If you can't find postings for PMHNPs...well you just aren't looking....

Originally Posted by grayscaleart

there is a HUGE need for psych NPs. Psychiatrists in general are always in short supply. They're in such a short supply that I've even seen a psych NP supervising a 1st year psychiatry resident (in a major allopathic medical school in one of the 5 largest cities in the US!) because there werent enough faculty to go around. There are too many FNPs.

Dude, that's just wrong. A mid-level should NEVER be supervising a resident.

Originally Posted by silas2642

Dude, that's just wrong. A mid-level should NEVER be supervising a resident.

in a perfect world I would agree with you but it is more common than you think. I supervise fp residents in the e.d. on a regular basis and have for > 10 years at several different jobs. the procedural skills they need to learn are most frequently done in areas in which only the pa's work. most of our docs never suture, do I+D's, fracture reduction, remove fb's, do eye exams with slit lamps, etc. so if the pa's don't teach them no one will.
they do get a rotation with the docs as third years in the main e.d. but the first 2 years they spend with us in fast track and intermediate acuity areas.

Originally Posted by emedpa

in a perfect world I would agree with you but it is more common than you think. I supervise fp residents in the e.d. on a regular basis and have for > 10 years at several different jobs. the procedural skills they need to learn are most frequently done in areas in which only the pa's work. most of our docs never suture, do I+D's, fracture reduction, remove fb's, do eye exams with slit lamps, etc. so if the pa's don't teach them no one will.
they do get a rotation with the docs as third years in the main e.d. but the first 2 years they spend with us in fast track and intermediate acuity areas.

It is a fool who does not learn from anyone around him enjoying an advantage in specific knowledge; this would include medical students, residents, and even attendings. If the PA has particular knowledge that you do not, do not hesitate to learn from them.

That said, your "perfect world" has included some pretty imperfect ideas over time...