I work in Geri psych also. I've worked as a med surg telemetry nurse before that and trust me psych is 10000x better than that. For the most part you know what ur dealings with. When I was doing med surg I was giving blood transfusions, iv antibiotic...
Child and adolescent unit is always a challenge thy are the ones usually acting out more than the adults..I say go for days there's more help available to u and u are not alone
What about the hourly rate? Yes I felt safe orientation is 4-6 weeks they will float you everywhere doing orientation so u don't feel lost when ur by yourself if u don't feel comfortable u can always ask for more time everyone is great to work wirh