Anyone work in adolecent psych?

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I have an interview for a facility that has both an inpatient "acute psychiatric" program for children ages 6-21, as well as an inpatient unit for children with Autism. Anyone work in this type of setting?

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).

BettyBoop01:

Adolescent Psych is my current assignment.

Dave

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What type of facility do you work in? Is this a bad place for a new grad to work? I really think I would like it. I loved my psych rotation, but have no experience with the younger population. I currently work in med surg and although I am learning a lot, I know it is not where I want to stay any longer than I need to. Any advice? They are hiring both prn and full time, I am thinking maybe I should try prn and see if it is a good fit before commiting to full time.

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).

Well, you know, BettyBoop01, anything which makes a transition easier is O.K. in my book. However, I'm getting old. Some say I'm already there. Now, when I was younger and smarter, I embraced change like a true lover of life. I was into the Aesthetics of the Transitory. I no longer pocess the same energy I once had. Thank goodness age comes with experience. And sometimes, even wisdom.

But enough about that. Let's continue your discussion: The type of facility I work in is a Medical Center with Numerous Medical and Behavioral Health Departments. Having a solid Medical background is always a good quality. We are, after all, a Nurse first.

I've heard of Psych Nursing referrred to as "Professional Babysitting". And that's an accurate term, in some instances. I often get reports that could be given by a Lay Person: "They ate, they slept, they showered, they were good, they were bad,"etc. No attention paid to VS, Physician Orders, lab results, or anything else remotely Medical. THAT I've had to dig for.

Adolescents are a special population. And, they need to be approached in a special way. There is absolutely no way I can summarize 30 years of dealing with the Adolescent Population on and off in this thread. They are truly like herding cats. Your prospective place of employment will have a Therapeutic Program instituted that has specific gudelines to adhere to. Become the Nursing part of that Program and the Team that utilizes it.

In a nutshell, that's about all I can say. Perhaps Others will chime in and be able to expand upon these areas.

If you wish, you may always PM me.

Good luck in your new position, BettyBoop01.

Dave

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Specializes in Pediatric Mental Health.

I work at the May Institute as a school nurse. It is a school for autistic children aged 6-22 we also have 8 group homes. I absolutely love it, I was on a pedi. med-surg floor at Mass General as an intern for a few months and although I was learning alot there the commute and overnight shifts made it so stressful. Working with these kids is extremely rewarding and if you know that bedside is not your thing it is a perfect place. Plus I am making the same as I would in a hospital and I work from 8a-4p with weekends and holidays off. This is my first RN job and I couldn't ask for anything better.

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Specializes in Med/Surge, Psych, LTC, Home Health.

I worked with children ages 5-11, and occasionally worked with adolescents, 12-17, up until a month ago. I would be hard pressed to give an unbiased opinion, as I absolutely, personally, hated it. I would do much better answering any specific questions that you may have. Good luck and I hope that it turns out to be an area that you enjoy. For a long time I thought that child psych was an area that I would love, until I got into it and found out what it was really like. It definately is not for everyone.

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Specializes in Psych..

I'm a psych nurse who works on both adult and adolescent acute units. I completely agree with Davey; working with adolescents is like herding cats. I won't lie; I prefer the adult patients to the child/adolescent. I find that 90% of my time working with the under 18 population is spent addressing behavior problems. I relate better to adults. But at my facility, there are other nurses who feel the opposite--they can't stand working with the adults and prefer to work with the children. So we have a good balance!

I loved my psych rotation and I love working psych. I think you should take the PRN position and give the field a try.

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Unit Manager on a 20 bed acute child and adolescent unit. I love it and wouldn't do anything else. On our unit, nurses do 1:1 counseling, issue work, lead groups, etc. It's not just passing meds and "babysitting." Either you love teens or hate them, there doesn't seem to be an "in between." My passion is teens who self-injure and we're doing a research study with them. Teens are at a point in their lives where they could "go either way." And every teen is going to do something different. But the ones we help are worth it. When you see them out in the community and they say to their friend, "These people saved me," it makes it all worth it. Many come from severely dysfunctional backgrounds and we staff joke that we need an adjacent unit for the parents; sometimes the kids are the most mentally healthy in their entire family.

PM me for any questions. Take the job!

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