how do you like your job?

CharlieRN · Apr 11, 2006

hi, new Nursing student here.
I'm thinking of going into Psychiatric nursing 'cause I really love studying about psychology and sociology. I'm wondering what your on-the-job experiences are like.
Do you counsel the patients? Do you counsel the families? Basically, what do you DO other than normal Nursing care? What makes "Psychiatric Nursing" different than any other Nursing position?
Do you like what you do, or do you sometimes feel stretched beyond your limits - feeling like you wish you could do so much for the patient but the means aren't there or they are unwilling etc.?
I appreciate any and all comments! Thanks!

While the nurses role in a psych hospital certainly involves knowing about psych diagniosis and treatment, your unique strength will often be your knowledge of non psych medical issues. Nurses are generalists. The psych treatment environment is full of psych specialists, social workers, psych threapists and testers. You may be the only one there with a general medicine background. As a person involved in hiring I prefer nurses with at least some med surg or emergency dept work hx.

As to what is different: Your patients are not bed ridden and are wearing the same kind of clothing the staff is. (You can't tell the players without a program.) Generally they take care of their own hygiene and make their own beds. Nurses manage the mileu, pay attention to the "process", and maintain the environment as a safe one. Safety is the primary responsiblity of the nurse. Nurses may help out with the various thearpies but generally there is a specialist to do those things. You are expected to know what the treatment plan for each patient is, at least in general terms, and to be supportive of it.