Are there any psych areas which will keep other non-psych nursing skills sharp?

satyadhi · Jul 12, 2010

How hard is it to find a med-psych unit anyway? That would be a great fit I think...

Jules A, MSN · Jul 13, 2010

The only med-psych unit I have ever heard of was at a state hospital and it was more of things that weren't serious enough to require outside hospitalization or post-op patients. Don't discount gero-psych because they sure have their share of physical diagnoses.

satyadhi · Jul 13, 2010

I don't see myself specializing in geriatrics long term, but I admit I have always felt compassion for the elderly. Sometimes I feel like the nurses at nursing homes are too busy, and just kind of push the residents along without really taking time to care. Nevertheless I could see myself spending a couple of years in geriatrics when I become an RN.

My only concern is wouldn't being in geropsych kind of limit my psych experience to dementia? What if I later found a chance to combine psych with my other skills dealing with a younger age group? Seems like the only psych nursing I would know would be dementia.

Jules A, MSN · Jul 13, 2010

Geropsych is way more than dementia. What do you think happens to schizophrenics, bipolar, personality disorder and depressed patients as they age? :)

satyadhi · Jul 13, 2010

Ok, just wanted to make sure I would get a variety of experiences... I guess geropsych it is then, or at least that is my plan when I become an RN.

Jules A, MSN · Jul 14, 2010

Ok, just wanted to make sure I would get a variety of experiences... I guess geropsych it is then, or at least that is my plan when I become an RN.

You have plenty of time to figure out which area will be best for you. Welcome to the wild, wacky world of psych nursing!

wannabecnl · Aug 9, 2011

Considering geropsych myself right now; most of my experiences with geropsych patients have actually involved depression, not dementia. ECTs, therapy sessions, etc. And the medical side of geropsych is important; I cared for an elderly lady with dementia who also had a UTI. The UTI made her dementia symptoms MUCH worse, but IV antibiotics got her back to her baseline--not back to 30 years old, but functional again. There are also resources to differentiate between dementia and delirium, which in the elderly population can be a matter of life and death. Not sure it's where I'm headed, but it is a fascinating and not always depressing place to care for people.

nursemelyn · Aug 10, 2011

And remember that there are medical psych floors out there. They do exist :)

Yiggs · Aug 12, 2011

Is there any way I can do both psych and something else at the same time? I like the sound of psych, but I also like the sound of other non-psych areas of nursing. Eventually I want to be both a psych NP and a family NP. When I become a newly graduated nurse (RN) where could I start out that would give me experience in both psych and non-psych areas of nursing?

My advice is always to start out in medical and get some experience under your belt. Having worked in medical and trauma for sometime, and having transferred to Psych recently, I can tell you that the best place to start is Medical and get some good experience under your belt and then move on.

When I started working in Psych three years ago I was surprised (to say the least) at how clueless and lacadasical the nurses were about abnormal labs, EKGS and about obvious signs that a patient was decompensating. Patients' were having chest pain which they did not take seriously and they honestly did not know what to do ...I could go on and on and on ...potassium of 5 point something on a patient who is not on dialysis not called to the doctor! My advice is start in medical then move to psych, and to be honest, you will get a lot of psych patients and 'psych experiencde' on the medical unit to care for psych patients because they have multiple system problems/comorbidities. All the best in whatever you choose!

keronflexx · Aug 13, 2011

I was recently hired (as a recent grad) on a gerophych unit at a small community hospital in Philadelphia. I was quite apprehensive at first because I hadn't really worked with geriatric populations in any of my clinicals. On top of that I really wanted to get med-surg experience under my belt before I moved on to another field. Med-surg was my LEAST favorite clinical in school so I was excited I found work in a field I enjoy, but also disappointed because I knew how limiting psych nursing could be.

Turns out, not only is working on this unit extremely challanging and exciting, I also get a fair share of medical experience in the mix. My assessment skills need to be ace; aging populatios come with their long histories of chronic health conditions, its more difficlut no notice physical changes in 70-90 year olds admitted for a change in mental status, especially if they are extremely disoriented or catatonic or a little sedated from meds; labs need to be closely monitored, expecially for pts who cannot verbalize whats wrong... Within my first few weeks of orientation I put in 2 foleys, started my first IV (we only hang 1x orders of fluids, no IV meds) drew for labs, changed half a dozen dressings of various different wounds, bladder scanned another handful of folks, assisted in a code, managed tube feedings, neurochecks on fall pts, advocated for patients who were not medically stable enough to be on the unit.. thats just off the top of my head

The hospital I work at also has a med-psych unit..its fairly new and still undergoing changes, but there are very few hospitals that have such a unit.

Anyway, I hope this is helpful

ktliz · Aug 15, 2011

You sound just like me! I hope to also someday be a PMHNP and FNP. Are you a student, new grad or already a nurse in another area?

When I graduate, I plan to do med-surg full-time and psych PRN or part-time. Once I get a couple years of medical skills under my belt, I might go to psych only while I pursue my NP degree. As to which NP cert I will pursue first, that is to be determined. :)