Is their wisdom in becoming a psych nurse if the nurse has his own psych history?

[j_tay1981]

I'll try to be brief so as not to induce boredom:

Since age 18 (I'm now 31), I have suffered from depression and anxiety. I received one non nursing baccalaureate degree in 2005, had a failed semester at law school (I attribute this to the depression) and then got my BSN on August of 2012. I am currently working at my first nursing job on a neuro/med-surg floor.

My initial goal when entering nursing school was to become a mental health np. However, during my junior year of nursing school, I had a hypomanic episode (my first) and was hospitalized for six days. Currently I'm on more effective meds and doing just fine, now having a diagnosis of type II bipolar disorder. I mostly deal with depression, and am seeing a psychiatrist whom I like and trust.

My question to you all is this: would my personal experiences as a psych patient work well for me as a psych nurse? I didn't precept in nor pursue a job in mental health because I was concerned it would be a constant negative reminder of how painful this disorder had been for me growing up.

But the more that I've been a med-surg nurse (albeit for only a few short months), I wonder if maybe psych nursing isn't the route I should have taken.

What are your thoughts on this? Good idea or bad? Would I be 'too close' personally?

[EquestrianRN]

I am a mental health nurse, and this is what I have come to believe: A bit of history...after (currently) working five years in level one psych (highest acuity in this state/locked unit/independently standing, so no in-house medical resources, etc...) night shift charge nurse position; & four years booking assignments through a nursing agency, working in dual-diagnosis/straight substance dependency/corrections facilities primarily.

You're own experiences will ABSOLUTELY serve to make you a better, more empathetic and more SYMPATHETIC nurse, certainly. You will have a unique "insiders" view to some aspect of everything you see in those patients who share your diagnosis, and thar can be wonderful for the patient.

I don't believe it is necessarily ethical for you to share your history with acutely ill clients IN YOUR PLACE OF EMPLOY. Others will no doubt disagree, but I feel that it puts you at risk for legal action (sadly, in this day and age, psychiatric clients often are looking for an "edge", an "in" on the mental health employee caring for them. I could elaborate and certainly will if you like, but for the moment, I'll leave you with this...

IF you choose psychiatric nursing as your specialty, and you want patients to know you "get them"/their histories/etc...do so by sharing that you have a choose family member with their diagnosis. Explain that you understand through living that person that, "X, Y, & Z can be very challenging aspects of living with bipolar disorder...". It achieves the same goal you are looking to achieve, but does not compromise you legally or ethically.

Finally, if you really think about it, you will come to the conclusion that you CAN PROVIDE the very same ethically empathetic, sympathetic, and EXCELLENT care without that client ever knowing your history at all...and that, honestly, us what nursing is all about...THEM. Not you at all! Just some ideas to mull over.

Very best of luck to you. Again if you are interested, I'd definitely like to post OR PM you with some other info about the choices you are considering! Let me know! :0)

[EquestrianRN]

Apologies for typos above/odd word insertion, punctuation oddities, etc...! This "Smart phone" isn't proving too "smart" using "Swype" typing program, and I unfortunately didn't have time to proofread tonight. Again, if a word seems off, insert best word imaginable via context. Ha!! :0) Best..."E.R."

[j_tay1981]

Equestrian RN, thanks for the feedback! I haven't really decided where I want to go in nursing, and I don't necessarily feel like I have a duty to work on psych because of my experiences, not do I feel as though I am looking for personal help by checking out a career as a psych nurse. I simply wonder if I would derive some additional job satisfaction from helping those patients that I have shared certain experiences with; objectivity is paramount to me, but I thought personal insight may help the cause. I don't know...stuff for me to think about. In the here and now,I want to build my nurse chops for awhile in med-surg.

By the way: I use Swype usually, but I've found SwiftKey 3 to be a great alternative on Android tablets and phones ;-)

[EquestrianRN]

Jtay,You've certainly got a good head on your shoulders, and you have gotten some great advice from other members here...it's really nice to see that you are considering all of this. Navigating the waters of the first few years of one's career can be tricky! I sure wish there had been a forum such as this 15 years ago! Boy would I have had an easier time of things with so many other nurses to bounce ideas off of!Anyhow, it sounds like you're taking your time and will decide what is best for YOU! I agree with spending as much time in med/surg as you can stand (not a huge fan but have tremendous respect for the med/surg veterans of the nursing world!!) I did about two years total..and it gave me the confidence and knowledge I needed to specialize in areas where often a med/surg background in other nurses of same specialty is lacking...I don't think I'd feel safe as a night shift charge in a stand-alone psych hospital without having that background to allow me to know post-haste that it's tinge ti call for EMS transport and NOW!! You'll have it all figured out soon, I can feel it! :0)BTW, thanks for the advice on the program (non-Swype!) because as you can no-doubt SEE, Swype is kicking my butt! (wink). You have a wonderful day!Equestrian RN :0)