Registered Nurse Psychiatric Career Guide and Counseling

Question: Which SALARY is HIGHER? Registered nurse (RN) or psychiatric registered nurse (PRN)?

Answer: Psych nurses usually make more but it really depends on the setting (hospital, outpatient, thru an agency, etc) A lot of nurses refuse to do Psych nursing because the patients are "crazy" but it really depends on your prefrence.

Question: psychiatric registered nursing job openings in cleveland ohio and surrounding suburbs? non pediatric

Answer: Glenbeigh is a rehab/psych center located east of Cleveland. There are several jobs open for RN's. Go to Ashtabula County Medical Center's web page and search under careers-Glenbeigh.

Question: i was wondering are psychiatric nurses in canada the same as registered nurses in the us?

Answer: They are very similar, but the health systems in canada and us are very very different.

Question: Help! Good paying jobs that only require 2 year degree? Registered or vocational nurse? Im going to attend a 2 year community college called Del Mar College (www.delmar.edu) and would like to know a good 2 year degree that will make me good money. Ive thought about becoming a vocational or registered nurse at a psychiatric hospital cuz i would really love to work there. Whats the average salary of a RN or VN just starting out? I would LOVE to be a Vocational nurse or Registered nurse for a psychiatric hospital. i was admitted 2 months ago and fell in love with the staff and everything they do. Ive always loved helping people and very interested about the mind and my mom suggested to go to school to be a LVN but idk how long schooling is for a LVN or RN. Anyone know? im really excited and found out i can even intern after a year of schooling for the psych hospital and when i work there, they will pay for me to go back to school for up to my masters degree as long as i say i will work there :D hopefully one day become a psychiatrist or councilor

Answer: Whatever you do, go for your RN and not LVN. The RN will take you 2 yrs in an Associate's Program, 4 years in a Bachelor Degree Program. (the BSN is what you will eventually want). Starting out as a new RN, you'll be making the same whether you have the 2 yrs degree from the community college or your BSN. (the BSN will just offer lots more opportunities in the future). Your salary on graduating will depend on the area in the country where you are working. On average, as a RN, you'll probably start out about $25.00 minimum + extra $ for shift differentials.

Question: If I want to become a RN at a psychiatric hospital...? I am 19 and I want to be a registered nurse at a psychiatric hospital. I love helping me and it is just something I have wanted to do for a long time now. But I don't know what I need to go to school for or really anything... Can anyone tell me what exactly I need to do?

Answer: I became a psychiatric nurse straight out of nursing school... From there I changed career paths and ultimately ended up in med/surg. But anyway, I really loved psychiatric nursing and I wish you the best if that's the career you'd like to pursue! So you have a few options. To become a nurse, you can go to a community college and get an Associate's Degree, a hospital school and get a Diploma of Nursing, or a four-year college and get a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. I went to a hospital school and went back for my BSN later. That decision is entirely up to you. Hospital schools may have a psychiatric ward or an affiliation with a local psychiatric hospital, and sometimes they pay most or all of your tuition in exchange for a service obligation. So not only could you get free tuition, but a guaranteed job as well! It's something for you to look into; I can't guarantee that any particular option is available in your area. Keep in mind that eventually you will need your Bachelor's degree to advance further in your career; many nurses opt for the four-year schools for that reason. No matter which type of nursing school you choose, you'll have to complete pre- or co-requisite classes before you get into the real "meat & potatoes" of nursing school. Before starting at my nursing school, I had to take Microbiology, Anatomy and Physiology I&II, Psychology, and Human Growth and Development. If you haven't earned AP or CLEP credits, you will probably also need Biology I and II, Algebra, English 101 and 102, and at least 1 Chemistry. The pre-requisites depend upon the school, but they're all pretty similar. I was able to take Nutrition and Sociology as co-requisites. An Associate's program takes about 2 years. A diploma program takes about 3. And, as stated above, the bachelor's program takes 4. A bachelor's program delves more deeply into theory and research, as well as some administrative aspects of nursing. Anyway, once you graduate from nursing school and pass your state boards, you can begin entry-level work as a Registered Nurse. Some places like you to have a year or two of med/surg nursing before you go into a specialty area like psychiatric nursing. It depends on the facility and their staffing needs at the time! Once you're a psychiatric nurse, you have all kinds of options to further develop your career. You can get a post-graduate degree and become a Nurse Practitioner or a Psychiatric Clinical Nurse Specialist... There's so much you can do, and it really is an exciting field. Keep your options open, and do a lot of reading and research to make sure it's really where your heart is! Talking about it makes me really miss the field, but I also enjoy where I work now. :)

Question: How to obtain a job on a cruise ship? I'm a registered psychiatric nurse graduated in the UK and worked for the past ten years in UK mental health institutions. I'm looking forward to an adventurous working life as a nurse or anything similar on a cruise ship. I'm experienced in mental health issues and able to conduct anxiety management and relaxation sessions. I'm fluent in English and French.

Answer: Check cruises web sites. They have jobs listings there. Pick the cruise you want to sail also the benefits.. Voila!Make sure that you mention You are a "Good Team Player" This is the key . And tell them you don't like to complain, you're simple and happy person. You like to see people happy. That makes you happy :) They always welcome happy sailers! :) Good Luck

Question: Is it better to be a registered nurse or practical nurse? I am thinking RN will take me too long......? I want to eventually be an RN, but am thinking of being a LPN first, just to get into the business without being in school for four years. I have to take alot of pre-reqs just to get into the RN program and I don't have a lot of time to waste.....will hospitals send you to become an RN if you are already an LPN? Is it enough to live on moneywise? Do Practical nurses do more crappy jobs like wiping butts and bathing people? I don't want to work with the elderly in a nursing home, my interest is in Psychiatric nursing......I just don't know how I'll do it, with clinicals at 7 AM and working my night job...I know its a stable job and good money, but I have to work through school, and I'm discouraged that I won't get enough sleep. Has anyone out there made it through?

Answer: Barbara, I'm not really sure what KVM byrd2322 is talking about as far as nursing schools are concerned. I have been working with and educating nursing students at all levels for over 30 years and the only KVM I know of is a school in India. Also if you are looking into a practical nursing program, I would look at your local community college rather than a for profit technical school such as Everest or Marc due to the cost of tuition. Additionally, some of the technical schools offer an associates as an LPN, but there are also certificate programs which take less time and cost less. In the end, you will make no more money and it will have no significant career impact to have the associates degree as an LPN. Also understand, that at local community colleges they have associate degree RN programs which do not take 4 years, though if you are working while going to school it might take 3 instead of 2 years. You need to check with your local psychiatric facilities and hospitals, as the ones in this area do not have positions available for LPNs. They use Psychiatric Technicians and RNs only. Infact, most of the hospital based positions for LPNs are being phased out, and replaced with RNs as they are available, and those task which a CNA can perform are being picked up by CNAs. For this reason LPNs are being used more often at nursing homes and home health. Compared to RNs, LPNs do see a significantly greater amount of the unsavory jobs. The average salary for an LPN in the US is $35,000 per year. However, it may be higher or lower in your area, and will be lower than your local average for a new graduate. The average RN salary in the US is $64,000 per year. If you get a position at a hospital, some will provide some tuition reimbursement for continued education as an RN. There are a few that will even pay for students to get their degree as an RN but then they must repay a certain period of time working at the hospital, at an agreed upon rate of salary. Many students work and go to school. It requires a significant amount of organization and good study skills. It is also helpful if you have good support systems from family or friends.

Question: Psychiatric / nursing question? A friend of mine had an appointment with someone in the psychiatric field. I thought the guy was a Psychiatrist, but, after his name was RN, CS. I assume this stands for registered nurse, clinical or certified specialist, anyway, this guy was able to write prescriptions. I was hoping someone could explain me what this guys title may be.

Answer: tossed the "rn, cs" in a search browser and this is a link that got thrown back at me.. looks like it might be what you are looking for if you need an example of what the specialty might be.. it fits well. http://www.dianehaber.com/

Question: should i take a practical nursing class in high school? I am just about to be a sophmore in high school and i decided i want to be a Psychiatric nurse. i really want to be an RN but my school offers a practical nursing class. Should i take it to maybe fall back on in the mean time of going to college to become a registered nurse?

Answer: I would suggest taking it. In order to really know if the medical field is a good fit for you you need to get some experience whether it be by taking that class or volunteering in a hospital. Also, if your school offers the running start program I would suggest doing that full time your junior and senior year and you can finish the prerequisites you need for nursing school at a community college near you (and the school pays for it!). The more experience you have in the nursing field the more of a leg up you have when applying to nursing school (which is really competitive). Goodluck!

Question: Career as Registered Nurse? I start my first year of college in the fall, and I still have no idea what I want to do as a career. However, I would love to help people, I know that. And I would love to be able to work at a mental hospital and help those kinds of patients. And so, in my research, I found a career in Psychiatric RNing. I like the idea of it. I don't want to be a doctor, but I do want to help. I'm so terrified of having to take blood from someone or give a shot though. Like, what if I mess up or do it wrong? I've thought about that for years. Nursing definitely interests me, but is this fear something I will get over once I try it? Or should I try and research other careers?

Answer: Phlebotomy (giving medications intravenously or taking blood) is a class that you will have in most, if not all, medical fields, and trust me, you practice enough to know where to stick, and how to stick. If you want to ease into it, perhaps you should take CNA training. It's a course for Certified Nurse Assistants, and it would help you decide whether you want to go further into the field, so try something else. It's less expensive than RN schooling, and takes less time. You get your feet wet in the field, and you'll know right away whether you want to do medical, or if you're just not into it. If you are thinking that RN is easier than Doctor of Medicine, you aren't completely right. RNs do practically everything that Doctors do, they have to know both the technical terms and every day names of medicines, they have to know how much to give to patients, they give vaccines, take blood, do vitals, holter monitors, minor surgeries, suture removal, practically anything you can think of. And it's NOT easy. I've worked in a doctor's office since September, and though I'm the file clerk/receptionist/medical records administrator, I watch the Nurses run their behinds off all day long. At the end of the day, it makes you feel good knowing that you help so many people, but don't think that it's life on easy street! The medical field is an amazing field to get into as long as you're willing to work hard at it. Good luck, and I hope you find exactly what you're looking for :-)