Dear Pysch Nurses

Crazed · Feb 11, 2012

I liked my psych rotation in school. I did hear that psych nurses have a hard time getting hired in other areas.
Personally, I think that is stupid.

Which begs the question is it better to start in med/surg and then transfer to psych?

ear · Feb 13, 2012

My whole life I have gotten the look. I worked 15 years as a social worker in a nursing home. I got "the look" then. I was young, energetic, and working with an end of life population. Now, working in psych as a nurse, I get "the look". I giggle, and am very thankful that I am not working in their area. I have always loved psych. My undergrad degree is in psych. I rarely ever notice "the look" anymore.

deleern · Feb 14, 2012

You get that "look" for other areas as well. I managed an Alzheimer's Wing, and got that look. I got that look when I said I would never do OB, Don't concern your self your fellow student nurses don't have the experience for you to be concerned about What look the give you. just keep moving forward.

I sugest you take abnormal psych.

IdrilRN, BSN, RN · Feb 14, 2012

Is their a tv show or movie that glorifies psych nursing in a good light? I bet if their was maybe we wouldn't be seen as the bottom of the barrel.

I was the only one of 36 in my class that liked psych nursing, I was the only one who wasn't ommmmgggg sssoooo excited for babbbiiiieeessss and mmmooommmmmmssssss. There wasn't enough ear bleach that day. Thank goodness I had the nerve to talk to my maternity clinical instructor to let her know how much I didn't like it. She was super cool and I got away with the minimum of what I had to do in clinicals.

Mostly I think it's because of the patients we take care of.

nursemelyn · Feb 15, 2012

I was one of two people in my class of 90 students that loves psych! The look is pretty common, but like others have said, it's followed by, "wow! I could never do that!"

Crazed · Feb 17, 2012

I sugest you take abnormal psych.

Already have psych, abnormal psych, life cycle psych and multicultural psych. (two of the four not required by my program)

I was talking to a classmate about maternity and she was saying how much she wanted to do it and I asked her if she had prepared herself to offer assistance to the grieving mother. She looked at me as if I had grown another head.

GeneralJinjur · Feb 22, 2012

I was talking to a classmate about maternity and she was saying how much she wanted to do it and I asked her if she had prepared herself to offer assistance to the grieving mother. She looked at me as if I had grown another head.

Funny -- that was always my concern about doing L&D! During my OB rotation, I cared for a mom with bipolar D/O and IBS who hadn't realized she was pregnant. Learned lots of psych drugs for that paper.

I will never understand the perceived divide between medical and psych patients. Right now on my adult psych unit, I have pts with IDDM, NIDDM, a couple of clotting disorders, s/p DVT, asthma, Crohn's, oodles of wound care, migraines and chronic pain /fibromyalgia.

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Feb 22, 2012

Already have psych, abnormal psych, life cycle psych and multicultural psych. (two of the four not required by my program)
I was talking to a classmate about maternity and she was saying how much she wanted to do it and I asked her if she had prepared herself to offer assistance to the grieving mother. She looked at me as if I had grown another head.

In my first OB clinical, I took care of a patient who had had a fetal demise. I was doing fine. My instructor had ignored all the clues and was asking mom about her baby

Crazed · Feb 28, 2012

In my first OB clinical, I took care of a patient who had had a fetal demise. I was doing fine. My instructor had ignored all the clues and was asking mom about her baby

I wish I had a nurse like you in '96 when I gave birth to my daughter. There is something wrong about patting a hysterical 18 year old on the shoulder as she's staring at her baby though the nursery window and telling her that it's just baby blues and she'll be fine in a few days.

Few days turned into eight months.

Simply Complicated · Mar 3, 2012

I'm a little late to this, but I think psych is just very misunderstood. Granted it can be dangerous, and you can get hurt. But those are the stories that go around, and often get sensationalized. People are more likely to hear the bad, than the good.

I've had it both ways, I've got "the look", I've gotten the comments Bless you, we need more people like you. I've gotten the Why the hell would you want to work there. Especially when they hear I transferred from ICU, haha

phattass, BSN, RN · Mar 11, 2012

I love psych. It's my "calling" if you will. I find it super rewarding. If you are worried about keeping up med-surg skills then take casual shifts on med-surg units while you work in psychiatry. :)

denisk · Mar 14, 2012

I now know what everyone means by "that look". I recently became psych nurse and all my previous colleagues wondered why I wanted to transfer from paed's to mental health. Everybody says it is a waste of a talent. I find it exhausting defending my decision but now I just ignore them. I haven't worked in a psych unit before but I will be transferring in 2 weeks and I'm very excited. The only experience I had with mental health was during my clinical placement and I thoroughly enjoyed it.