Behavioral Health Nurse- break from floor nursing?

[Redder]

My goal is to get away from the medical side of nursing for awhile. I am severely worn out when it comes to floor nursing. In some of the hospitals I have worked when we transfer people to behavioral health it is a locked floor and the patient can't have any unresolved medical issues. I have this idea that not putting up with a ton of cormobidities and just the mental health side of people would give me a break. Any behavioral health nurses out there that can give me the down and dirty on behavioral health nursing on the unit?

[doober]

Been a psych nurse 20 years and i have dat s when i would have rather been on a medical floor..you go thru times when all is quiet.the . Pts are cooperative for 5he most part. Other times you will encounter aggressive pts more. Than one at a time..I have been punched at..kicked at..scratched and spit on.Also a big part is if your dr will order effective sedation for aggressive ots.One dr would never order any narc for acute aggitation..just ordered stuff like vistiril..Hey it can be very challenging..but give it a try..you may be a natural.

[heron, ASN, RN]

I second what everyone else has said. I am a medical nurse who has had the privilege of working with a truly gifted psych nurse practitioner for 11 years on my AIDS unit. I'm here to tell ya that psych nurses have as extensive a knowledge base and skill set as anyone in med/surg, peds, ED, L&D and so on.

My advice is to read up and then read up some more. Then attach yourself to someone who knows what they're doing and pick their brains clean. At the end of a year or so, you'll be a competent beginner.

It'll be a challenge, so I hope that's what you're looking for. If I was 46 instead of 66 and couldn't work hospice I would commit mayhem to work on a dual diagnosis unit (medical+psych).

[elkpark]

I've been in psych for 30 yrs and have encountered a bunch of RNs who moved to psych because they perceived it as "easier" than med-surg nursing. I've never seen that work out well. Either they quickly realized that it isn't really "easier" than med-surg nursing, or they were just really bad at it.

You're not going to get as much of a break from medical problems as you anticipate. There used to be a clear, bright line between people on med-surg units and people on psych units, and psych units used to (be able to) refuse to take people with acute medical problems. But whatever line there used to be is long gone. A large number of med-surg clients have psych problems, and large numbers of psych client have chronic and acute medical problems.

(Of course, if you're looking to make a change mostly because you're really interested in psych nursing, that's different.)

[rubysanders]

Hi, I have worked in many areas of the health field but I have grown to love working in behavioral health.