Im an RN and ever since high school I have always wanted to be a paychologist. I've also considered psychiatric nursing but I found it was more on medication management, observations, etc and didn't match my interests. I'm pretty set on being a psychologist. My question is how do I go about this? I have a bachelors in Nursing but to my understanding that means nothing and I would have to take four years of either a BA or BS in psychology, correct? Is there any way I could speed up this process instead of taking the four years of psychology? Also, if I were to go back to school do you think I could still hold my job at the hospital or would it be too time consuming? Last question, with the job demand would you encourage me to pursue this career path? I'd really appreciate any feedback.
Registered Nurse to Psychologist
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I'm currently an applicant, so there's a lot that I can't answer. But, what I can answer:
No, you don't need to get another undergraduate degree in Psych! Some schools say that if you weren't a psych undergrad, you have to submit your psych GRE scores--so you'll have to learn that.
If you go to graduate school at a reputable program for a psychology PhD, there is absolutely zero chance you would be able to keep your job.
What parts of psychology interest you? What do you mean by "psychologist"? Do you want to do primarily research, do you want to practice therapy?
No, you don't need to get another undergraduate degree in Psych! Some schools say that if you weren't a psych undergrad, you have to submit your psych GRE scores--so you'll have to learn that.
If you go to graduate school at a reputable program for a psychology PhD, there is absolutely zero chance you would be able to keep your job.
What parts of psychology interest you? What do you mean by "psychologist"? Do you want to do primarily research, do you want to practice therapy?
Thanks for the feedback! I assume I would also have to take some prerequisites? So I would need then is a masters in psychology then a psy. D? I see, so with a background in nursing do you think I'd evenhave a shot at getting the scores required? Im interested in clinical psychology, Id like to practice thats more where I feel my interest is.
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One of the faculty members in my program was a nurse before doing his PhD in counseling psych and he also worked part-time for a few years, as a nurse, while in his doctoral program. He did a master's in psychology before applying to doctoral programs. He's a really great guy, so if I were you I would contact him and ask him these questions. PM me for his contact info.
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There aren't universal pre-reqs for psych, but there are classes that are more frequently required then others (e.g., intro to psych, abnormal psych, cognitive psych, some type of research/lab class). You may need to get those through some kind of post-bacc or grad program if you don't have them already. You'll also need a GRE (if you haven't taken it within 5 years) and, as previously mentioned, possibly a psych GRE, especially if you weren't a psych major.
Beyond that, the main things that main you competitive for clinical psych are research experience, primarly gained by working as a paid or volunteer RA in a research lab, and research/clinical fit with your grad schools/professors of interest.
Working as a nurse won't directly benefit your application in these respects, but the patient care experiences can likely be something you talk about in personal essays and interviews.
As for working while in grad school, odds are it won't happen. Attending a funded program is the smartest bet, and they tend to have somewhat strict rules regarding "extracurricular" income.
And re: whether or not to pursue this career path, that's honestly up to you. You could likely earn similar income and potentially have an easier time finding jobs as a psych NP, but you wouldn't have the same training in psych theory, therapy, and research. It ultimately depends on what you want to do.
Beyond that, the main things that main you competitive for clinical psych are research experience, primarly gained by working as a paid or volunteer RA in a research lab, and research/clinical fit with your grad schools/professors of interest.
Working as a nurse won't directly benefit your application in these respects, but the patient care experiences can likely be something you talk about in personal essays and interviews.
As for working while in grad school, odds are it won't happen. Attending a funded program is the smartest bet, and they tend to have somewhat strict rules regarding "extracurricular" income.
And re: whether or not to pursue this career path, that's honestly up to you. You could likely earn similar income and potentially have an easier time finding jobs as a psych NP, but you wouldn't have the same training in psych theory, therapy, and research. It ultimately depends on what you want to do.
Thank you! So far I only have hospital based experience as a nurse. I also hear that with some Psy. D programs they don't require a masters in psychology or does that only apply for psych majors? Or am I out of my league now since I probably dont stand a chance of getting accepted with my BSN?
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Many (I'd probably wager to say most) doctoral programs in clinical/counseling psych aren't going to require a masters; that might just be one possible way of getting the requisite course work you're going to need to apply for PhD/PsyD programs. The BSN basically isn't going to work directly for or against you, other than if your GPA was good during it.
The main downside of many Psy.D. programs is going to be the price tag. There are some good ones out there, but unfortunately, many are still expensive. Additionally, many of the less-reputable schools/programs chose to go the Psy.D. route, and thus have sullied the degree as a whole (particularly to those who don't know of said good programs). Conversely, most Ph.D. programs are going to offer a tuition remission along with some type of stipend, although admission is tough because of the small class sizes and strong qualifications of other competitive applicants.
Okay I see. Price would be a problem although from my research Psy. D was more of where my interest was since it was more on practice and the Ph.D was more on research/teaching route. Thanks again, your feedback has been very helpful. How would you suggest choosing a good program?
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Although I am not a RN, I did complete a LVN (did not sit for NCLEX due to accreditation issues with school) and completed my BS in psychology while working in surgery. Also, you can use it to your advantage once pursuing your dissertation. Working in gastroenterology surgery sparked interest in patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome and now using that population for dissertation. Not to mention it helps when stating I want to go into behavioral health/ medical psychology as a specialty. With nursing background you have a unique perspective to integrative care and the healthcare environment that most people do not have one entering a program. PM me if you have any questions
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It's a common misconception that the Ph.D. focuses more on research/teaching; while there's typically more of an active research component, according to APPIC's survey data, the average Ph.D. student actually has more clinical practicum hours than the average Psy.D. student, perhaps due in part to spending longer (again, on average) in grad school.
As for picking good programs to which to apply, that's the tough part. Most folks will identify an area (or areas) of research and clinical interest, and will start identifying programs--and specifically professors of interest (POIs)--with whom they'd like to work based on that. This is why traditional rankings systems are generally uninformative for psych grad programs, as one department may have a very strong substance abuse lab, but be relatively weaker when it comes to neuropsych or trauma, for example.
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In all honesty, if you're interested in mostly patient care (and not academia or research), I would recommend that you become a nurse practitioner. You won't have to worry about pre-grad school research experience or taking the psych GRE, and in addition to other services that you'll be able to offer as a mental healthcare provider, you'll be able to do med management (which reimburses significantly higher than most other mental health services). Grad school to become a psychologist will be an arduous ~6-8 year (potentially longer) journey to licensure (4-5 for PhD/PsyD coursework/thesis/dissertation; 1 for internship; 1-2 for postdoc) and you won't even be able to prescribe once you're licensed - Not to mention the fact that you'll likely have to move once you get admitted to a doctoral program, again once you match with an internship site, and potentially a third time for post-doc, and again that's all before you're even eligible for licensure. I work with an NP in private practice and although she does a lot of med management, I'm pretty sure that she also offers some other mental health services.
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