2023-2022 PMHNP Tips and Lessons
Another post about what’s been going on for the past year. It’s been a roller coaster, but still going strong. I also feel more relaxed than ever! I started my career right before the pandemic, hitting the ground running from never really heard of anything mentioning a pandemic, never addressed in school, and at the same time doing community NP jobs and ICU work because I didn’t want to walk away from the hospitals during the time they needed the most help…
I didn’t want a trophy or a pity party, just understanding, and definitely felt the love and support, especially from YOU all. I’ve used this website as an outlet, as a means to cope, and as a guide for others going through healthcare/school. After multiple breaks, I finally feel like I can focus more on myself… My previous tips were still useful, but mainly based on NO break like I was in a war zone, trying to have a picnic. Therefore, these lessons are more practical, and realistic… so here we go:
- It’s okay to walk away: somewhere along the line I randomly got fired, I don’t even know why just some vague complaint saying they didn’t like something…I didn’t respond because it definitely wasn’t the right atmosphere for me something similar to Beverly Hills 90210. I also know what population I want to serve, which is mainly the underserved and vulnerable. Plus I obtained a job shortly afterwards that was better and it was definitely a blessing in disguise.
- Always keep your options and mind open, then prioritize long-term goals: so even if I was ever let go again, keep your options open, which I talked about in another post. However, another main point that I forgot to mention is how you shouldn’t limit yourself to healthcare, a particular population/region/state, etc., or a clinical setting… I have colleagues who are going into real estate, went to medical school, social media careers, etc. I’ve been doing this from the beginning; precepting, going to school, family emergencies, working 3 jobs, etc. I don’t have kids, but my peers who are going to medical school, another profession, and doing a billion things at once do have multiple kids. I just refuse to bring a child into this mess called America lol
- The Lone Ranger: Unfortunately it’s hard to find places that don’t function like a business or look at people as a number. This is another reason why I promote independence practice and complementary health. I could’ve done YouTube, super advertise, or made extra income from this site, do shock content, or whatever, but stick to your values even if you’re the lone ranger. What’s really discouraging is when people get canceled, deleted, or banned for just expressing opinions or facts. As you can see, either way, it goes, it can cause problems, so stand for something even if it’s not popular. Lastly, continue to push yourself because I definitely didn’t think I’d be doing therapy but it’s been super rewarding and worth it.
Clinical Updates:
- I still recommend utilizing charts/graphs, but one of my main references for anything quick is; PsychNotes: Clinical Pocket Guide but an older edition, but honestly -following my tips here, all the brutal work in the community and in general, I have more confidence and feel super comfortable overall in difficult situations. There are many new treatments out there, so I tell people to stay updated, to not feel overwhelmed or lost.
- Dr. Stahl is no longer the standard. Apparently, a while ago he said something negative about NPs, but I always forgive old people because that’s my heart! I feel like we all know an older (and especially a younger) person who will slip up and say something crazy and I still can’t confirm if he still has his facilities… Anyway, I was going to do a post about his pictures, how to read his book, about NEI, etc., but quite frankly, it didn’t help me, you can’t ONLY look at what that ONE med is doing in the body; most of my patients had substance issues, chronic illnesses, kids, pregnant, on 7-10 psych meds, etc… bear with me -because his prescriber’s book does address these concerns, but I just gave them away …it’s good for studies but in clinical practice, especially when I was seeing 20-30 patients, it wasn’t practical. Sidebar- I remember my preceptor would let the pt. look up the med in Dr. Stahl’s book to go over it, and you can tell the pt. thought it was another language and agreed just because… The average person doesn’t have a high reading level, so I don’t recommend this unless you have the time to go over the bells and whistles. I may still do a post about his books just for the sake of students learning and understanding his pictures, but it’s better to learn in the context of multiple medications and there are many other great options i.e. Carlat Publishing
Updated Media: there are some people whom I don’t completely agree with and make me clutch my invisible pearls, but have helped put things in a different perspective, caution some of these people are controversial and may also get banned lol, but these people mainly focus on psychology and cultural topics, and mental health:
- Exulansic: she recently got kicked off of YouTube again and I wrote about her content. She usually covers the extensive complexities of gender care and surgeries. She’s one of the main reasons why I stay anonymous, it’s okay for people to have different opinions!
- Live Abuse Free: discusses pathological behaviors, that are usually covered in the news and I’ve been listening to her for a while, mainly because her videos are really relaxing and insightful, especially while covering difficult subjects.
- Jordan Peterson: I definitely commend him for reaching out/speaking with such conviction about people who are truly struggling in society and he actually inspired me to focus more on men’s mental health, but all of the Daily Wire hosts are controversial lol, some of them don’t even believe in mental health, while Dr. Peterson looks like he might have a break down any given moment!
MISC: I love the study with me videos, Lofi 24/7 … they keep me motivated and are great for people who struggle with focus 🙋, it’s been a lifesaver. My favorite channels are the 24/7 channels, Study with Merve, and Sean Study.
Conclusion
I wasn’t going to make this post because I really didn’t have much to say that haven’t been said already… I will say, I’m probably going to do 5-year milestones moving forward… for the simplicity but mainly wanted to use this post to express my gratitude and thanks to everyone who checked out the website and kept me going. Some people would just email and say thank you so the little things still matter. Sometimes when my patients move on, they would ask what to do in return in gratitude… and I usually respond with don’t forget about the little people lol aka remember to help others, like they have helped you.
YOU have more of an impact than what you realize and you want to steer others to help themselves and not to forget to help others. Like I tell my irritating family who knows everything, if you’re doing so great, you need to help someone else and they don’t but I at least try to humble them. Not being able to help others, should humble you. Anyway, thanks for reading the rambles! :))
