Basically, I'd like to know if getting becoming an LPC, and then pursuing a degree to become a Psychiatric Nurse is practical or even possible?
You can become a Psychiatric Nurse with just an RN. This is a subfield within nursing. Most psychiatric nurses work inpatient. You will not have prescriptive authority, however. If you want to be able to write prescriptions, you will need to become a nurse practitioner, which requires an additional 2-3 years and an MSN. Starting in a few years, this will change and you will need to have the DNP degree, which requires 4-5 years beyond the RN.
If you have a BS degree in another field, you can take an accelerated BSN program that usually lasts 4-5 quarters and you will then be able to become licensed as an RN.
You can also do a direct entry nurse practitioner program, which means you don't have to have an RN to begin the program. As part of the program, you will get your RN. These programs take more years than if you already had your RN. I am in this type of a program and it is 3 years long. Many of the students in the program have advanced degrees in other fields, some in health-related fields, some not. One of our students is an LMHC and has quite a few years in practice, although she is not on the psychiatric mental health NP track. (There are different options for the specialty, such as family NP, psych NP, geriatric NP, acute care NP, etc.) I have my PhD and am not the only one, although I am the only one with a PhD who is in the psych track. The program, in general, serves students with significant experience, rather than those in their early 20s who have just completed their BS degrees and not been out in the working world. We do have a few students, though, who have finished their BS degrees within the last 3 years.
If you are young and want to go into nursing, I recommend you get your BSN and work for a while as an RN. Then decide later if you still want to go onto the NP. You could work inpatient psych and get a lot of great experience that will be invaluable if you go on to become a Psych NP. If I were younger, I would have done this. Plus, if you also work for a while as an RN, you can save up the money for your graduate tuition.
If you definitely want to do nursing, it is probably not too late to make the switch of majors now, provided your university has a school of nursing and that you have done the prerequisite courses. Otherwise, finish your psych BS and do your nursing prereqs along the way, while you are still a student at your university. Then you could apply for an accelerated BSN program once you graduate.
If you do become an LPC for a few years, your training and experience in psychotherapy will definitely be valuable if you later become a psych NP. The curriculum of my program only requires about 3 psychotherapy courses. There is a big emphasis on pharmacology. To be more well-rounded, I am supplementing my required courses with graduate courses in therapy/counseling from the masters programs in psychology and in counseling.
LookingForeward said:
I took this to mean the Psych Nurse programs expect lots of clinical practice upon entry of this program. Would being an LPC satisfy that experience with the hours you obtain through getting the LPC license?
It might help. It might not be enough. It depends on the program. Most of the programs prefer or require you to have exposure to the nursing field so that you really know what it is all about and that it is the field for you. Nursing is not a good fit for everyone. Even before making your choice, and without regard to your program applications, I would recommend that you shadow a nurse and a nurse NP and see what their jobs are like. Also, volunteer at a hospital where you will have lots of exposure to nursing. Before applying to my program, I did nursing assistant training and became certified in state to work as an NA. This might seem odd for someone with a PhD, but it helped me learn very basic nursing skills and provided exposure to nursing and working with patients.
Savagebee said:
If i decided to try for a midlevel practitioner after my MS I would probably prefer the PA route, as it prepares a practitioner from scratch.
The direct entry NP programs do prepare you from scratch, but the PA programs have a greater clinical hours requirement, which I believe is a good thing. I don't think you can specialize in psych while doing your PA training, but others will know more about that. Look at your goals and choose the program type that is the best fit for you. I am assuming that you are fairly young so you have a lot of choices for your future.
If you do think Psych NP is the route you will want to go eventually, I urge you to take additional courses in chemistry, biochemistry, physiology, and pharmacology as an undergraduate. Maybe change your minor to biochemistry. I have a lot of knowledge in the fields of biochem and pharmacology due to my PhD, and this is proving to be really helpful to me in my NP training.
LookingForeward said:
Does the Psych NP degree allow for much therapy? I've read that PMHNP's (same as Psych NP's, right?) don't usually find themselves doing much therapy.
Some Psych NPs do therapy. Your first position as an NP may not allow for much of that, but if that is your inclination, you can shape your career in that direction. People's first job is rarely perfect. You can look for more opportunity for psychotherapy in your second job, or eventually go into private practice part or fulltime.
LookingForeward said:
My plan for a while has been to eventually obtain LPC licensure... So would it be worth looking into obtaining both degree's? I was thinking with that they would make a decent combination, and that I'd possibly be a bit more marketable.
While having LPC experience will help you as a Psych NP, to be honest, I don't think it will make you more marketable. Your prescribing expertise will be what is in demand. Therapy experience is a plus but I don't think will necessarily drive hiring decisions.
Best of luck to you.
