VA Psych Unit

yeah, Brentwood in Los Angeles. Beautiful old Spanish style hospital. It was a psych hospital

I currently work in a VA acute psych unit in Kansas. It is both rewarding and stressful at the same time. Patience is of the utmost priority. One thing you must learn is that there isn't alot of "stat" problems but more "lets see tomorrow." If you have any questions don't hesitate to write.

Hi everyone,

I've accepted a preceptorship in mental health at my local VA hospital. I was hoping for any tips and advice. I'm interested in mental health, but I feel that our curriculum was lacking in clinical experience. My clinical consisted of a community center, homeless shelter, and substance abuse group. I learned a lot and enjoyed each clinical site, but it leaves me relying on my textbook for a definition of what mental health nurses do in the hospital environment. If you are able to answer, how busy are your mental health units typically? What type of disorders do you see most often? Is it a wide age range? What do you love the most about it and what is the most frustrating to you? Any advice or "words of wisdom" would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!!
Sarah

Congratulations on your new position! We are normally very busy but the time goes by quickly. Your textbook definitions will be helpful so don't discount learning from that as well as hands on knowledge. What kind of unit is it? The different units can be unique. At my adult unit I mostly see Schizophrenics, BiPolar, depression, a fair amount of Axis 2 which are the most frustrating for me and plenty of drug addiction to go along with the above. Check out different threads here also for stories and information. Good luck.

I worked psych in a VA many years ago. The facility included general psych and a 30-day residential drug/alcohol treatment program. We saw a wide range of ages and the usual dxs that you see in any psych setting. It wasn't particularly different, in my experience, from working in any other inpatient psych setting. I was v. happy with the VA as an employer. The treatment team worked together v. effectively.