No Separate Psych Nursing Course in Undergrad Programs!!!

Specialties Psychiatric

Published

Specializes in Behavioral Health, Show Biz.

I recently heard

that some undergraduate

nursing programs

have eliminated Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing

as a separate course

and have "fused" it in

within the other nursing courses.

Uh- oh...

Psychiatry remains a viable specialty

in New York state

as far as I know.

How can this educational strategy

be fair in preparing

it's graduates for NCLEX or

professional nursing practice

in Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing?

Anything to cut corners and they wonder why there are so many problems in the profession.

First I am hearing of that. I had one in my Accelerated BSN program in NY, back in when I was in school-- 2002/2003. As a psych nurse I have to say that is a stupid idea. Just shows how little psych patients are thought of.

Specializes in psych, addictions, hospice, education.

I teach psych nursing and was told that that part of the program will be eliminated in the very near future. Other things are becoming more of a priority to the school. I don't think it's a wise move and said so. As it stands the psych program is very diluted anyway. I think it needs more rather than less. I don't think my words were heard.

Specializes in Pediatric Pulmonology and Allergy.

I think psych is an important class even if you don't plan to be a psych nurse. Therapeutic communication is a skill that all nurses need to use. And psych patients are not exempt from physical impairments so you will encounter them in any clinical area.

My psychiatric book is the most pleasant to read. Now if only the instructors voice wasn't so high pitched... or if shed actually had some experience in psych nuursing...

Specializes in Emergency Department.

I'm in the 3rd semester of a 2 year RN program and our first quarter is spent on a combo psychiatric/community health rotation. This means we have nine 2-day clinical weeks of clinical placement on a psych unit with 2 of those days spent doing a community health assignment elsewhere (so really eight weeks in psych). Every other lecture was either psych or public/community health. Personally I think community health could've been stuck in there somewhere else, like the last 9 weeks of our program entirely.

I really like psych and am seriously looking into my options for post-RN education. Didn't expect that as I'm a midwife and was expecting to continue that direction without a thought!

Specializes in Psych.

I know that over a decade ago, my university's nursing program had not had a separate course in psychiatric nursing. When they were evaluated to be re-accredited, they were told that they had to start offering one if they were to continue to remain an accredited program in the future. (They complied.) I don't know if things have since changed with the accrediting body.

Yea.. Ours is built in with our first Med-Surg Rotation.. I believe Psych is very important, you will see this in every aspect of nursing..

Specializes in Psych.

We have a separate psych class in our program. I'm in it now. It's been a great class so far, LOVED clinical (we were in psych clinical the first half of the semester, med/surg 2 the second). The only thing of it is that we didn't get as much clinical time in psych than we do in our med/surg classes, but my experience was still a good one. In fact, I felt more comfortable in my psych clinical than I've felt in any other one so far.

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