Career Change: Psych NP?

[HappyIgloo]

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[762513]

Hello everyone!
My husband thinks I'm nuts, he's a PCP and thinks midlevels are eventually going to get less money because there's going to be a huge influx of them and it might cause saturation in the medical field. I agree, but I don't think it'll happen for some time.

I'm a previously trained teacher and now becoming a school psych. I'm a bit sad about how the school psych field has limited itself, and with the growing field of midlevels, heck, why don't I get involved? I'm constantly researching my own stuff medical wise (because I have to), I correctly diagnosed myself with an extremely rare condition that only 1 out of 100 people get, and another condition which only 2% of women get, lucky me. Point is, I already read a lot of medical literature, however, the psych stuff is what I find interesting. I just learned about the direct entry MSN programs which would only take me two years to become a NP. I'm interested in only one speciality which would be a psych NP, probably outpatient. My question is, how hard is NP school? What is the pay like really? I'm worried I'm thinking the grass is greener on the other side when it isn't. However, I love the idea of looking at the person in a holistic approach, therapy, building rapport, and prescribing medication. However, I don't want to change fields to only get paid 80k, would I really have the potential to earn 90-100k? If so, about how long would that take? Also, should I finish my school psych degree? Would that help me at all with becoming a psych NP? Not in the way of prerequisites, but I'd think it could help me with a kid having problems in the school system and if I was working with them as a psych NP. I just wonder what these NP programs would think of my experience as a school psych, would it kind of be a whatever or maybe helpful?

Thanks!

You need to get your RN first. The direct entry masters take folks with a bachelors degree in another field and in 2-3 years award a MSN and the ability to take your NCLEX RN exam and become an RN.

NP will be a minimum of another year of schooling after that, but if you go to a good NP school, expect it to be longer. You can make 90-100g as a psych NP, to be honest probably more, that field is very well paid. If you are more than halfway done with your degree I would finish it, since it’s a long road to NP from where you are standing, but it’s attainable.

Hope this helps, let me know if you have other questions.

 

[HappyIgloo]

You need to get your RN first. The direct entry masters take folks with a bachelors degree in another field and in 2-3 years award a MSN and the ability to take your NCLEX RN exam and become an RN.

NP will be a minimum of another year of schooling after that, but if you go to a good NP school, expect it to be longer. Hope this helps, let me know if you have other questions.

Thanks for your thoughts. Boston College has a direct entry MSN program that converts to a NP license in your second year. There's another school like this too, just didn't write it down. I'm mainly wondering about salary, saturation, and if I'm just thinking the grass is greener on the other side when it might not be.

 

[762513]

Thanks for your thoughts. Boston College has a direct entry MSN program that converts to a NP license in your second year. There's another school like this too, just didn't write it down. I'm mainly wondering about salary, saturation, and if I'm just thinking the grass is greener on the other side when it might not be.

To clarify; are you an RN right now?

 

[762513]

Thanks for your thoughts. Boston College has a direct entry MSN program that converts to a NP license in your second year. There's another school like this too, just didn't write it down. I'm mainly wondering about salary, saturation, and if I'm just thinking the grass is greener on the other side when it might not be.

I just looked up this program. I would stay far, FAR away from this program. I’ve spent 15 years in patient care, 1 in the military, 9 on an ambulance as a paramedic, and 5 as a ICU RN. I just graduated with my NP and feel in no way ready to fly yet. Don’t go to this school, it’s unsafe.

 

[HappyIgloo]

Anyone?

 

[pamac]

Saturation.... maybe in the FNP world where your husband works. Not at all in the psychiatric NP realm. There aren't even enough psychiatrists in the psychiatric community, and there probably never will be.

I don't know a single psyche NP personally that makes less than $135k. I know several psyche NP's that make at or over $200k. Its not easy to make $200k from what I hear, but the only way to make less than $110k is to be a complete sucker. I know new grads that have offers of over $140k, and I'm not in California or some other high cost of living state, so that's not the issue. The reason folks around me are making that much has nothing to do with cost of living, and everything to do with the fact that there just aren't enough psyche providers to meet the needs of patients. And outside of places where physicians have a stranglehold on state politics like Florida, Texas, New York, Illinois, and some others, the mantra for psyche NP new grads repeated to us by the old timers is "don't settle for less than $130k". I'm on a social media group where folks talk numbers, and new grads come in and ask "is this a good offer?", and the silverbacks say "don't do it!". Later on the new grads chime in with great numbers they got by negotiating well and shopping around. I'm finishing up school soon, and had 6 job offers before I started clinical and actually made it out into the field doing training in offices and facilities. I have had a couple medical directors straight up tell me that the moment I graduate, they have work for me. I won't tell you where I am, but I can say that I'm west of the Mississippi in a state where NP's can practice independent of a physician (which is most states out here).

I don't know much about direct entry NP school. I can say that RN school is a pain, and they tend to treat students like children. RN school wasn't challenging for me except for time issues due to school and having to deal with RN faculty that won't budge on a thing. I don't really even find NP school very hard, and they treat us better.

Ultimately, taking on this challenge right now in your life will probably put stress on your marriage. I would imagine that you guys have a comfortable life without you chasing after a few more dollars. The commitment of time and money to this for the return will likely be a wash if you factor in how much effort you will have to put into it for the 2,3, or 4 years it takes to get through the fastest methods possible. I'm doing it because I'm a breadwinner, and it makes sense for me instead of doing floor nursing work.

 

[AnnoyedByFreud]

I just looked up this program. I would stay far, FAR away from this program. I’ve spent 15 years in patient care, 1 in the military, 9 on an ambulance as a paramedic, and 5 as a ICU RN. I just graduated with my NP and feel in no way ready to fly yet. Don’t go to this school, it’s unsafe.

Eh. I worked with a graduate from BC's DE psych NP program and she is really great. Excellent clinician.