I posted this on my facebook wall a while back and thought I would share it here...
When I tell people I work in mental health, I almost always get a negative reaction. I get asked if there was nothing else left, am I scared to go to work and other questions that make no sense to me. I love what i do. I can't emphasize this enough. Everyday is different and challenging. I've never worked a "boring" shift. People ask if I'm afraid that I will lose my nursing skills. This baffles me. People with mental illness have physical illnesses too. I deal with diabetics, people with high blood pressure, clients with high cholesterol and many, many other illnesses. We handle cuts, bruises, stitches, casts, post-surgical care and all of the other things you see with a "normal" nursing job. We take vitals, assess clients and do ADLs. The difference is, I handle all of those duties, plus the duties of dealing with mental illness. My days are always interesting and never, ever boring. I have yet to work a shift that I look at the clock and think "is this day ever going to end?" Usually I look at the clock and think "it can't be that late already!" And no, I'm not afraid to go to work. The clients I work with are ill, not scary. I have far more pity for those that fear the mentally ill than I do for the mentally ill people themselves.
