RN unpaid leave to adolescent psych..good idea?

[britmansf18]

Basically I am applying for an adolescent psych position. When asked why I wanted to work in psych, I started to reply that I excelled in my psych clinical portion in school as well as mental health. I like that there is more time to get to know patients and that the pace is different than one in an acute care hospital setting. With my past experiences in my personal life, I feel I can relate and have compassion for an adolescent who is struggling. I found in my 3 months of working on the orthopedic floor that psych patients were a challenge, but an interesting challenge and they always ended up being some of my most memorable patients..this is all I have. I just maybe wanted to throw around some ideas between other nurses and myself :). Can anyone reassure me about giving the ativan or similar drug in an emergent situation?

[LakeEmerald]

Your reasons sound like good ones. People who work in psyche should have a passion for their patients, and it sounds like you do. As far as Ativan, Geodon, or other drugs, follow facility protocol for giving them. Important: Always have a plan with coworkers before you approach a pt to give a shot for an emergency. There must be enough staff to hold each limb, and decide ahead of time who holds which limb and stick to it. In the ED, I've seen a nurse get kicked because someone decided at the last second to hold the arm instead of the leg. Best wishes to you - the world needs caring psyche nurses.

[Retired APRN, MSN, RN, APRN]

Your reasons sound wonderful.

Psychiatric nursing is a wonderful field - welcome!

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

Can anyone reassure me about giving the ativan or similar drug in an emergent situation?

It's not that much different from giving lorazepam in a non-emergent situation, except that your patient may not necessarily be cooperative and you may require the assistance of one or more staff to help administer the shot.

I'll admit, during the first code where I had to give shots to a patient, I was terrified. The patient's behavior was off the chain and they required hands-on and then eventually physical restraints. Said patient is trying to break free, cursing at the top of their lungs, threatening everyone and anyone...and here I am, giving what was probbly my third IM ever and the first in a code.

But I got in there and did it. And it does get easier with time and practice. Except for the one time I stabbed myself with a clean needle (thank God!) full of Haldol and Ativan...but that's a story for another day.

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

Important: Always have a plan with coworkers before you approach a pt to give a shot for an emergency. There must be enough staff to hold each limb, and decide ahead of time who holds which limb and stick to it. In the ED, I've seen a nurse get kicked because someone decided at the last second to hold the arm instead of the leg. .

Agreed. In a code, it is very important thing is to have a team leader--it won't necessarily be you--who will determine staff does what in a code, and everyone needs to stick to the task(s) assigned to them.