Mental Health Nursing Myth?

[cha0tic]

Still new to Allnurses and I hope I am posting this in the right place. I've been told by a few colleagues that once you start working in a mental health setting that it is difficult to find a job afterwards in another setting, such as med/surg. Is there any truth to this?

[conroenurse]

Well for sure there are certain hosp area's, or psych hospitals that you will only get psych. BUT MH patients are also prone to illnesses because they don't take care of themselves, or lost in system so it's not like you don't get to practice skills unless your in a place that only deals with "stable" medical patients.

Right now I work Psych, and this job is almost MORE medical than psych. They are all either TBI (brain injuried) sch.affective, Enceph. patient, or SOMETHING with brain going on, but they have PEG TUBES, resp issues, cardiac ones, and so forth. (think Med Surg psych). So IMO I think it depends strictly on the place that you work in PSYCH.

WHAT I know to be true for me, is PSYCH is my FIRST LOVE. IF I had a choice I'd stay only with PSYCH. My favorite unit/patients are PSYCH ICU (think heavy duty chronic sch-affective patients.) After all, there is someone for EVERYONE, and I love my psych patients. They get so little of it.