New Grad Psych Nurse: Is this right for me?

Specialties Psychiatric

Published

Hey everyone. I'm so happy I found this forum. I have been working a job as a psych nurse for just a short amount of time now. I really love my coworkers and the environment as far as working conditions. It is great to talk to patients and help them talk through their thoughts and feelings. Although I have a lot to learn in this amazing specialized field, I am ok with this of course because we as nurses have to learn things everyday! But I am yet to be assaulted by a client verbally or physical or have to do a "take down". I am worried that I may feel differently about psych nursing after I have these experiences. Despite how confident and hard I try to have a thicker skin, I can be sensitive to these things and the acuity is so high where I work so..needless to say the possibility is very real and these things occur. I didn't have a psych rotation in school, so the psych nursing world is so new to me. Before I got this job, I had been contemplated working in Labor and delivery or maybe med surg. Can anyone tell me how they knew what specialty they felt was right for them? Or maybe any advice for my predicament? I feel very unsure as to whether I should stay in this specialty or try something new to see if I like it better. But I acknowledge that every job has its pluses and minuses. But I would of never know if I liked psych until I got to try it! So I think I should try other things, but I'm afraid of losing something that I already have going for me, at a place I enjoy working at, even though I'm unsure...help!

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Specializes in Emergency Department.

Don't worry about the assaults and take downs until you experience them. They might have no effect on you at all. Also, just about anywhere you do patient care you're at risk for being assault and it's getting worse, especially ER.

The best way to find out what specialty is right for you is by shadowing. If you want to get a taste of L&D or M/S, check with your local hospital dept directors or managers, tell them you're considering applying but you want to shadow one of their nurses to see how you feel about it; and shadow more than a day, try to do three days, not necessarily all at once. To me, that's the only way to find out what you might like.

Best of luck in your journey

Gary

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Thank you for the advice, I agree I should not stress myself about something that haven't happened yet. Do hospitals allow you to shadow? This is news to me

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Specializes in Emergency Department.
Thank you for the advice, I agree I should not stress myself about something that haven't happened yet. Do hospitals allow you to shadow? This is news to me

Yes, every hospital I've ever worked at allowed people to shadow. I've even asked to shadow and they've said, "we've never done that, but sure" and they just make you sign a HIPPA form and you shadow. You might have to bring up the idea, but they should be okay with it.

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Oh sorry I don't work at a hospital. So I guess my only option would be to work somewhere else to see if I like other specialties? I'm thinking med-surg then ob and back to psych if I don't like those as much.

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