Good night everyone I am seriously considering becoming an Mental Health RN however as I have now learned there are several ways to go about doing that.
When i will apply I will have a BA & MA in Psychology would it be better for me to go the BSN route or the ASN route? I have not taken the science pre-reqs yet but once that is done i don't know which option would be better for me.
Are ASN RNs looked down on in the field??
Are there any certain criteria once should look for when picking nursing schools? So far i have been looking at NCLEX-RN passing rates.
Are there any schools in the West LA area that people recommend or absolutely hate? I am looking at:
Mount Saint Mary's College
Cal State LA
Biola University
LA College of Nursing and Allied Health
Los Angeles City College
Santa Monica College
I want to ultimately do Mental Health nursing would i need to have a specialized certificate for that or just become an RN then apply to Behavioral Health Units that need nurses?
Sorry for the barrage of questions the more i look into this the more my passion is growing except for O Chem :(
SpiritBender wrote:Good night everyone I am seriously considering becoming an Mental Health RN however as I have now learned there are several ways to go about doing that.
When i will apply I will have a BA & MA in Psychology would it be better for me to go the BSN route or the ASN route? I have not taken the science pre-reqs yet but once that is done i don't know which option would be better for me.
Are ASN RNs looked down on in the field??
Are there any certain criteria once should look for when picking nursing schools? So far i have been looking at NCLEX-RN passing rates.
Are there any schools in the West LA area that people recommend or absolutely hate? I am looking at:
Mount Saint Mary's College
Cal State LA
Biola University
LA College of Nursing and Allied Health
Los Angeles City College
Santa Monica College
I want to ultimately do Mental Health nursing would i need to have a specialized certificate for that or just become an RN then apply to Behavioral Health Units that need nurses?
Sorry for the barrage of questions the more i look into this the more my passion is growing except for O Chem :(
Greetings and salutations,
As a mental health nurse I will try to answer your questions. Let me start by saying that psych is a very interesting field of nursing and you will never be bored doing it but it does take a toll on your own psyche. There is a persistant rumor that psych nurses are themselves a bit nutty and the longer we work in the field the nuttier we get. This is not exactly true but you meet some unique personalities so be prepared. I worked in an acute facilty for 5 years and currently work with disabled and psychiatric patients who live and work in the community settings such as group homes and workshops. I find it very rewarding and fulfilling. I actually believe that all nurses should do psych at some point during their career. You have to have very strong personal boundaries, lots of empathy, excellent assesment and critical thinking skills as well as lot's of mental fortitude to it.
That being said you do not have to have a BSN to do mental health nursing and the ASN is not looked down upon in the field. I have an ASN and a BA in another field and it has never held me back. If you want to invest the time into a BSN I would not discourage you as it will help your career in the long run especially if you are looking at nursing management, but you don't need it to do Psych.
As for picking a school of nursing to attend - I would look not only at NCLEX Pass rates as they can be deceptive but also at the pass rate for the HESI test. Many school will not let you graduate if you don't pass this test even if you have met all the requirements for graduation. The HESI is a strong predictor of one's ability to pass the NCLEX so if you pass the first you will most likely pass the NCLEX
I have not heard anything bad about any of the schools you listed the Community and City College route is less expensive but would not give you the BSN. I myself attended Pasadena City College which is a fine school with a higher than average NCLEX pass rate.
Once you finish school I would encourage you to start by spending a year or so in an acute health care setting as the assesment skills you develope will be valuable in the psych setting. Many Psych nurses who have only done psych wouldn't know a medical crises if it bit them on the behind and psych patients do get sick. Also many Physical problems can cause psychiatric problems and need to be addressed quickly. You don't need any special certifications to be a mental health nurse though getting trained in Addiction medicine and recovery is helpful as addictions and mental illness often go hand in hand. You may choose to specialize once you get your feet wet. There is Child and teen psych, adult psych, community psych, addiction medicine and more.
Behavioral health units always need nurses and they typically pay less than other nursing positions which is something to consider. Also you must be prepared for the chronic nature of mental illness as we rarely see our patients get well. They may improve for a time but they are often in and out of the hospital on a revolving basis that is hard to watch. There are a lot of cruel and inhumane people in the field that take advantage of the psych community so you have to be a strong advocate for you patient. Also you have to understand that your patients are very sick and sometimes dangerous. I have been hit, kicked, spat on and had all manner or various body substances thrown at me. I had my skull fractured and I saw another staff get her nose broken in a totally unprovoked attack by a patient. I have also seen patients brought in from the street that have bed badly beaten by police. The Kelly Thomas incident is just the tip of the iceberg for the mentally ill street population . So this field is not for the feint of heart.
Still I love my patients and wouldn't trade what I do for anything else unless of course I get that winning Lotto ticket and get to retire.
I hope this answered some of your questions
Peace and namaste
Hppy
