Julianna Braley

English 1010
Career Interview
July 10, 2016

Nurse Practitioner/Mental Health Field

Its happened to everyone, youre going about your everyday business and suddenly that
thought darts into your mind, What am I doing? No, Im not just talking about when you walk
into a certain room of your house and your mind draws a blank. Im referring to when that
anxiety inducing question hits you out of nowhere, Whats my purpose on Earth? How would
you answer that? Its perhaps the largest, most intimidating question youll ever ask yourself, and
if youre unsure of the answer, it can be even scarier. And when youre not quite sure what that
purpose may be, sometimes it can create a little bit of a challenge in choosing a fulfilling career
path.
But I have a simple question that may help guide you. Do you like helping others? If you
do, youre in luck. There are many jobs in the world that involve helping human beings; in fact
most of them do. But if you enjoy being right on the forefront of helping someone, find joy in
making a direct immediate impact, and light up inside when you see someone smile in relief,
nursing could be a career path well suited for you.
Personally, deciding on a career wasnt my easiest decision. Nursing wasnt something I
had always dreamed about doing. My childhood dream was to pet puppies and hunt teletubbies
for a living, but unfortunately it wasnt going to work out. So when I decided to consider a real
job, I was overwhelmed to say the least. When a counselor first suggested I look into nursing I
was a bit skeptical. I wanted to be unique, and quite honestly nursing seemed like the career
choice of every other girl I had met. I wanted to do something impressive, and in my mind nurses

Julianna Braley
English 1010
Career Interview
July 10, 2016
were the lazy people not dedicated enough to attend medical school. However, once I got over
my initial hesitation and actually looked into the occupation I realized the reason for nursings
popularity; its versatility.
Contrary to popular belief, not every nurse has the responsibility to just come and take
your blood pressure while youre waiting for the doctor to arrive. There are actually many
different types of nurses that have varying responsibilities. They may work anywhere from a
fast-paced emergency room, to a small quiet physicians office; working with varying
populations from newborns to geriatrics. Additionally there are many different degrees of
nursing. The easiest certificate to obtain, a certified nursing assistant (CNA), can be completed in
just a few weeks. Nursing assistants work under registered nurses and often work in nursing
homes helping patients perform tasks they cant do on their own. This is the recommended
starting point of someone looking to become a nurse as its a way to gain a feel for the nursing
industry and it happens to be a prerequisite for most registered nursing programs. A licensed
practical nurse (LPN), a step above a CNA, can obtain a degree in as little as a year. LPNs
perform some basic tasks that a registered nurse would such as interviewing patients, gathering
vital signs, and giving out prescribed medication (Job), however they typically dont receive
the higher wages and job opportunities that a registered nurse does (Registered). If you are
wanting more opportunities to advance in the workforce and further your education you should
consider a degree as a registered nurse (RN). To become a registered nurse you have a couple of
choices. You can work as a registered nurse with just an RN diploma which typically takes about
2 years. But, if youre wanting better job security and opportunities youre going to want to get

Julianna Braley
English 1010
Career Interview
July 10, 2016
your Bachelors in nursing (BSN) which is a combination of an RN program, general education,
and a few more nursing classes that will take about 4 years to obtain (Hutchinson). As an RN,
you will perform the tasks previously mentioned for an LPN, as well as having a bit more
responsibility, an ability to supervise CNAs, and may perform further tasks depending on the
department you are working in (What). After receiving a Bachelors in nursing, a person can
further their career by acquiring a Masters degree or Doctorate degree. An advanced practice
registered nurse (APRN), is the blanket term describing someone that has acquired further
education. There are many different options a registered nurse has to further their career,
however in this paper I will be talking about the route to become a nurse practitioner (NP), the
highest degree of nursing. A degree in nurse practitioning allows one to diagnose, treat, and
prescribe medication for patients, with or without physician oversight depending on the state
(Where).
With all of these different paths of nursing in mind, there are a lot of promising options to
choose from. I personally decided I wanted to become a nurse practitioner in the mental health
specialty when I decided I wanted to be someone that changed lives, like the people that had
saved mine. I wanted to help others learn to cope with mental illness. I decided a job as a nurse
practitioner in the mental health field would help me fulfill this aspiration. I would have the
option, depending on the state, to practice under a doctor or operate my own practice and help
those in need, something Id always had a burning desire to do.
Before deciding on the career, I obviously had conducted some online research about the
job and had gotten a pretty good idea of what to expect. However, talking with someone who had

Julianna Braley
English 1010
Career Interview
July 10, 2016
many years of experience in the field was a bit more insightful than reading a bright computer
screen. Diana Armstrong, one of the first 1200 nurse practitioners in the country, graciously
shared with me not only useful information but also granted me some great advice for someone
wanting to enter the field.
Armstrong started out by telling me a little bit about her background. She had started in
the nursing field by first earning a 2 year degree as an RN. After Armstrong had obtained her
RN, she went on to gain clinical experience by working in doctors offices. Although she was
happy working as an RN, like a lot of the jobs at that level, she was required to work long
unpredictable hours which werent conducive to raising a family. Because having a family was
important to her, she started to look for ways in which she could advance in nursing, a career she
loved. When she discovered a brand new nurse practitioner (NP) program, she quickly decided to
apply. Being one of 8 people who were selected out of 200 applicants, it was obvious to me that
she had really stood out. When I inquired about what she thought helped her succeed, she told
me she believed it was her recommendation letters and connections (Armstrong). This confirmed
my current belief that relationships and making great impressions by working hard really matter
in the field at all levels.
Our conversation naturally flowed from the topic of her education into discussing what
an educational path to become an NP would look like today. She let me know that because she
had completed her RN and NP program quite a while ago in a different state, she wasnt positive
what the requirements would be here today in Utah (Armstrong). After a bit of research, I found
the biggest difference in education today is the amount of schooling one must do in order to

Julianna Braley
English 1010
Career Interview
July 10, 2016
obtain a degree as an NP. In the past to become a nurse practitioner the requirement was to
complete a Masters program but as of 2015, The American Association of Colleges of Nursing
(AACN) has called for moving the level of preparation necessary for advanced nursing practice
roles (nurse practitioners, nurse midwives and clinical nurse specialists) from the master's degree
to the doctorate degree (Doctor). Although earning a doctorate degree after obtaining a BSN
degree is a tedious, rigorous task, a nurse practitioner has many of the privileges of a medical
doctor. Here in the State of Utah they have the ability to diagnose and treat patients and with
oversight of a physician they can prescribe medication as well (Where). I personally am
considering the University of Utah as an option to obtain a doctorate of nursing practice (DNP)
in Psychiatric/Mental Health. They offer a full-time program that allows one to gain licensure as
an NP in three years (Psychiatric/Mental).
Although I felt pretty confident in what the educational requirements were, in the back of
my mind I was still a little curious as to how I should balance education and experience in the
field. So, I asked Armstrong for her opinion on gaining experience or completing all of the
educational requirements first. She advised that while education is important, gaining real world
involvement in the field before investing in a specialty was a smarter choice. Armstrong also
emphasized that prior experience is crucial for an NP when she said, When you come out as a
nurse practitioner you are going to be running your own show. You may or may not have a
doctor, so you need to have that confidence so you dont second guess every diagnosis you
make. This was clarifying to me that the journey to becoming a nurse practitioner wasnt just
going to be just a quick shuffle through school.

Julianna Braley
English 1010
Career Interview
July 10, 2016
As I gained a greater perspective of just how long it would take (considering school and
experience) to finally obtain my dream career, I wanted to make sure that the actual job would be
something I would enjoy. When I inquired about her daily tasks, she confirmed my assumptions
when she answered that it really just depended on the specialty. But for most nurse practitioners
they spend their time helping their patients by conducting physical exams, discussing issues they
may have, writing prescriptions as needed, and in her case educating (Armstrong).
The daily tasks she listed reassured me that I had chosen the right career path and seemed
to have a pretty good idea of what to expect. However, I didnt want be naive and assume that
everything would be easy and stressfree. So to get a better sense of the stressors a nurse
practitioner encounters on the job, I asked Armstrong about some of the difficult demands she
confronted on a daily basis. As someone who worked at an inner city womens health clinic, she
said one of the most stressful aspects of her job was the fact that they were always running
behind. Also, due to the type of clientele she treated at the clinic, she not only had the
responsibility to medically treat her patients but often doubled as an educator. And while these
were her two biggest challenges, she clarified that while stressful situations would be inevitable
in every type of nurse practitioning job environment, as an NP the specific daily struggles would
vary depending on the specialty, the types of patients, and the environment.
After hearing about the tedious schooling and demanding requirements of the job, I was
ready to hear some positives. I had obviously known that the job would be fulfilling when I went
to bed at night knowing I had helped somebody, but getting Armstrongs perspective brought up
aspects I hadnt given as much thought to. When I first asked her about what the benefits were

Julianna Braley
English 1010
Career Interview
July 10, 2016
she quickly replied that she could go on and on about all of the things the job provided her. She
was sure to mention the obvious fulfilment in the opportunity to help others everyday, but what
really mattered most to her was the flexibility the job awarded her with. When she said, First
and foremost thats what it [nursing] gave to me. I was allowed to be a mom, a wife, and still
keep my career. It was obvious she felt like her career as an NP allowed her to make a change in
the world while still being a great homemaker.
On that note I was feeling pretty impressed, even on a median salary I feel I would be
greatly satisfied with those benefits. Amazingly though it doesnt stop there, the nurse
practitioning field offers even more. According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, nurse
practitioners make a hefty annual salary of $98,190 a year and when you consider a 35% job
employment projection, it seems that comfort and reliability are assured. When I brought up pay
ranges with Armstrong, she told me that while she couldnt confirm or deny exact numbers due
to her retirement status, she knew that her niece nearly doubled her salary as an RN by obtaining
her NP license.
As we began to wrap up, I asked Armstrong if she had any thoughts or advice on my
desire to enter the mental health arena. Her first thought was that the mental health field
definitely wasnt for everybody. She said she was guided away from the field because, I took on
every aspect of every diagnoses (Armstrong). She also felt like mental health was possibly the
hardest specialty to work in just because unlike other types of medical departments, the mind
cant be as easily physically examined as the rest of the body. This definitely gave me something
to think about and was a warning that perhaps this sort of work could provoke some self-

Julianna Braley
English 1010
Career Interview
July 10, 2016
reflection. When asked where she would go today, she shared Id probably go into a low income
rural clinic where they didnt even have a doctor in town (Armstrong). Despite her feelings, she
assured me that specializing is a personal decision and all practitioning would be rewarding.
Although this inspired a bit of doubt, I was glad to now be aware of those potential issues and
have a greater understanding of just what I am in for.
Overall deciding to become a nurse practitioner can give you a promising future to look
forward to. A job allowing you to change the lives of others with an almost guaranteed position
making great money isnt something you find everyday. However if youre like me and have a
hard time with commitment I dont blame you. Its hard to predict where youll be in 20 years
and what will bring you joy. Just remember this as you wander: if you found contentment in
putting a smile on someones face today, chances are youll find that same joy in helping others
for the rest of your life.

Works Cited
Armstrong, Diana. Personal Interview. 10 July 2016.
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). University of Utah College of Nursing. Web. 22 July 2016.
Hutchinson, Deron. Personal Conversation. 5 July 2016.

Julianna Braley
English 1010
Career Interview
July 10, 2016
Job Description Of An LPN. Licensed Practical Nurse. Web. 22 July 2016.
Nurse Anesthetists, Nurse Midwives, and Nurse Practitioners. Occupational Outlook
Handbook. 17 Dec. 2015. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Web. 14 July 2016.
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Specialty Track. University of Utah College of
Nursing. Web. 14 July 2016.
Registered Nurse Vs. LPN. All Nursing Schools. Web. 22 July 2016.
What Nurses Do. American Nurses Association. Web. 22 July 2016.
Where Can Nurse Practitioners Work Without Physician Supervision? Nursing Blog. 5 Nov.
2015. Simmons School of Nursing and Health Sciences. Web. 22 July 2016.