Should I become a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner or a Social Worker?
I just finished earning my BS in Psychology and I always thought I would move on to get my MSW. I love helping people and working with children. Now I am being told that the market it over-saturated with graduates in this field and that not only are jobs hard to find but the pay is horrible. I don't care about making tons of money but after working so hard in school I don't want to struggle. I am told that an RN to NP program specializing in Psychiatry would take around three years of graduate school. One to become certified RN, two to become a NP. This is not what I had in mind but I am considering it. Anyone in the field have any advice? PS: I live in San Francisco where Social Workers and Nurses are supposed to be paid pretty well...
Psychiatric nurse practitioner vs. psychologist?!?
Honestly the option you left out (becoming an actual psychiatrist with an MD) is by far the best. All 3 take about the same amount of time in school and all 3 cost about the same for your education. If you're an exceptional student you could get a full-ride scholarship for a Ph.D in clinical psych, but I wouldn't hold your breath on that one. Most schools that offer a full-ride only accept ~5 students a year out of 1000's of applicants. I would say becoming an NP is better than a psychologist. I don't know alot about the NP side of things, but I know a lot about the psych side of it. Psychologists are essentially being squeezed out of the job. They cannot perscribe medication like an MD or NP, and the therapy jobs are increasingly going to masters level therapists since they're willing to work for less. This basically leaves psychologists in no-mans-land in the middle. Jobs that were once exclusively for clinical psychologists are being taken over by MFT's, LCSW's and all the other masters level therapists. With all the upcoming changes to our healthcare system (regardless of Obama care) and a renewed focus on cutting costs, I see the job scope for psychologists continuing to shrink. Why pay a psychologist 120/hr when you can have someone do the same thing for 80/hr?
Nurse practitioner and Doctrite?
What's the main subjects nurse practitioner focus on? How many years is it with doctrite? How much is general pay and for Nurse practioner is community college a good decision or go off to a well known college?
Is a psychiatric nurse practitioner a bad career choice?
Actually, "?" Is correct. Psychiatric NP is only 1-2 fewer years of school than psychiatrist. An MD should earn 2-4 times what an NP would make, so while med school causes more debt, your higher earnings pay it off more quickly. I don't know what you consider "a good career". As Diane said, it's up to you to research job opportunities where you are or plan to work. Make sure the employment fits what you want - will you be happy in a state inpatient psych hospital? Some people would love this, others would not, so I assume you can see that "good career" is completely subjective. I don't usually read the comments on other answers, but I happened to read yours above. Right now, you are not stable enough to be anything in health care as a caregiver. You flew off the handle at an anonymous stranger who gave on point, albeit a bit brusque, advice. You can't act like this in a caregiver position. Nurses, especially NPs, are expected to act like mature adults, not rash angry 13 year olds. If you are currently in therapy with a good therapist, talk to her about your anger and why you reacted like you did. Talk with your therapist about why your maturity stalls out when you get angry. Anger is one of those incredibly important emotions that really creates a window to mental health and is an amazing opportunity to learn more about ourselves. If you wish to learn more about Psychiatric NPs, find the national organization for them and contact folks from thar group. They can help guide you much better than we can as they are involved from the inside. Good Luck Edit: People who want to get into patient care also don't TD everyone else. Especially those interested in mental health. Therapists help others feel good and try to accentuate the positive, not punish by shoving negative down their throat.
Can a nurse practitioner make a six-figure salary?
Yes, it's absolutely possible for nurse practitioners to earn six-figure salaries in the United States. In fact, the average salary for NPs with less than 5 years' experience now is just over $100,000, according to the Clinical Advisor salary survey for 2017.On average, NPs still make less than PAs. Female NPs and PAs typically make less than male NPs and PAs by almost $20,000 per year! The gender gap is alive and well, despite the fact that the majority of NPs and PAs are women.Certain areas of the country are associated with higher NP wages, as well. NPs working on the west coast and in large, urban areas typically earn the most. Cost of living tends to be higher in these areas, however.Salaries are lower in the Midwest and South, as well as in rural areas. NPs working in stand-alone clinics and office practices (usually primary care areas) typically earn the lowest wages. Those working in hospital and long- term care settings earn the highest salaries, according to the Clinical Advisor.The Clinical Advisor did not do a breakdown of NP compensation by certification or specialty areas.Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is older, from 2015, and reports that the highest paying NP certifications are certified nurse anesthetists, psychiatric, neonatal and acute care.According to Salary.com, the median NP salary as of March 1, 2018, was $103,212, with a range of $95,768 to $112,123. These salaries are national figures and don't take into account practice specialties or regional differences in pay.Some practices pay signing and productivity bonuses, plus other benefits, which can increase an NP's earning power substantially.There are many, many resources online that discuss NP salaries. Those I referenced specifically are listed, below.Thank you for the A2A. Please let me know if you have additional questions.2017 nurse practitioner and physician assistant salary surveySalary: How Much Does a Nurse Practitioner Make? - NP FAQNurse Practitioner Salaries
Can a nurse practitioner independently practice?
To an extent.As long as there is a collaboration with a physician and established guidelines.Experience also plays a role. Some NPs were trauma nurses or ICU nurses, so they have the broad inpatient experience that we had during 4 years of 80-hour weeks in residency. Others do not.One major thing I worry about is the series: patient complaint -> MRI -> referral, where the physical exam is skipped entirely.interpret ECGinterpret CT and x-raycustomize blood tests to differential diagnosisknow how to do pelvic exam and prostate exam
What is the difference between a nurse practitioner and a clinical nurse specialist?
Both have at least an MSN in nursing. However, there are significant differences in the two areas.A Nurse Practitioner can normally prescribe medications. An NP can often practice with his own license, not requiring a physician to work with, as a primary care health provider. They see patients in much the same way as a family practice doctor does, for example.A Clinical Nurse Specialist does not typically have the legal authority to write prescriptions. Their focus remains that of nursing, not the medical model which NPs basically follow. So the CNS tends to focus on direct patient care, bedside care, education of staff, systems that govern nursing care. I believe you could view the CNS as more “academic” in some ways though it DOES involve direct patient care. This site should help you as you can see certification requirements for these and other nursing specialties:Nursing certifications: Our Certifications | ANCC