The NP program orientation went well.
What I found interesting was that an overwhelming majority of my classmates are already NPs in some specialty, just not psych. I think it was only three of us who were not NPs. I think there was another MSN-Ed in there with me. I'm not sure what the other MSN specialized in.
I bounced this finding off of my DNP-to-be coworker/friend, and we speculated that this was due to one a couple of things. First, given that there have been more than a few cases where non-psych NPs were being disciplined by BONs for dabbling in psych when they shouldn't have, these NPs wanted to pick up psych certification so they wouldn't fall into that trap. Or they probably saw easy money in psych and wanted to get in on it. To my joy, one of the psych education directors let them know in no uncertain terms that psych was not easy.
In that vein, I also found it interesting that only a couple of us had a significant amount (more than 5 years) of actual psych nursing experience. Most of the NPs had only a couple of years, and it was more from working with psych patients than actually working as a psych nurse. For the long-term ED nurse, same thing: he's worked with psych patients for many years, but not actually as a psych nurse. For the bonafide psych nurses, someone else (a non-NP) had five years in psych, and I was the most experienced in psych at 10+.
But despite orientating together, all of these people are not my actual cohort. Well, some are. The cohort system is kind of confusing.
The non-NPs are part of my cohort, and there are a couple of NPs who have to take some/all of the 3Ps, so they would also be part of my cohort. But everyone else has already started the psych NP core classes today. Any of them that can't find preceptors for their clinical hours will have to drop back to the fall classes, and then they'll join my cohort.
One of my coworkers, who is already an NP, supposedly started today. Though I'm not sure if he had found a preceptor. So there's a chance he may drop back to join my cohort in the fall. Another coworker also supposedly started today, but he's doing the full MSN. Because of that, I think we are technically in the same cohort, and we'll be meeting up in July. Or maybe we're not because he's in the degree program and I'm in the post-grad certificate program. So so confusing.
