Career shift in late 40s

[Anonymous]

I’m a lab tech with a MS in neuroscience. I make pennies. I’m thinking about switching to the following professions:

- Family nurse practitioner
- Psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner
- Psychologist

I’d need to go back to school for each of these, and that’s okay.

I’m interested in how flexible these jobs are and how rewarding they are. I’m a little concerned that swabbing for strep throat all day would get old after a while, so FNP may not be for me.

[Anonymous]

Why not acute care NP?

[Anonymous]

I appreciated the NP I saw through my university's health center. I believe she also did some lecturing.

[Anonymous]

If you think you would like to work in the mental health field, becoming a psychiatric nurse practitioner is a good choice. There is a huge need for this specialty right now and although I haven’t done my own research (I am an NP in another field), word is that it’s one of the more lucrative NP fields.

[Anonymous]

Pivot to NOH role

https://www.usajobs.gov/job/787713600?PostingChannelID=

[Anonymous]

Can you not switch into consulting or tech? You would make more there.

[Anonymous]

I have a friend who became a mental health NP. Had a job lined up before she graduated.

[Anonymous]

You are going to incur staggering amounts of debt for any of these and you have to be realistic about how you will get rid of that debt if you ever want to retire.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You are going to incur staggering amounts of debt for any of these and you have to be realistic about how you will get rid of that debt if you ever want to retire.

This.

[Anonymous]

You have so much science already! Psychiatric NP