Does Psych translate to public health?

macfar28 · Aug 25, 2014

I worked psych as a new grad, went to public health and am now back in psych. I think you will be fine. Best wishes.

Whispera, MSN, RN · Aug 25, 2014

I started out in psych and have never ever had a problem getting a job in other specialties. I think psych translates into public health quite nicely, too. In fact, there are public health psych nurses!

e6m6m3 · Aug 26, 2014

As a fresh grad and new public health psych nurse (specifically homeless individuals with dual disorders) I can say the two blend beautifully and you should have no issue later on making that transition. I also agree with Whispera in that generally psych nurses have no major issue going back to medical specialties (but I love psych so I'm fine being pigeon holed lol)

Nonetheless · Aug 26, 2014

Yayyyy thank you guys!!!! It's hard when I hear people tell me that I will be stuck but this brings me joy! Psych and public health are my 2 passions!

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Aug 26, 2014

To clarify, psych = public health is like psych = med/surg. Translation: they're not identical specialties.

That being said, you will find that the skills you develop in psych will translate very well to the PH setting, and the reverse is true as well. In fact, a psych nurse versed in PH is quite the asset as you can be a resource when it comes to discharge planning and transitioning patients to lower levels of care or back into the community.

PG2018 · Aug 28, 2014

Considering 20%+ of American adults suffer from mental illness I'd say psych IS public health. However, my state's department of health has one or more county health units in every county, and their public health function is essentially STD treatment. Lame really. They give shots to kids, do something with WICC, provide some kind of women's health/prenatal management, and state funded home health. As a whole though, I wouldn't step foot in the places. Expect long waits and less than stellar environmental conditions. They don't do anything psych related, and in fact no one in my state does any kind of public health oriented mental health stuff. Sure, there is behavioral surveillance, a state mental hospital, a state (mental) nursing home, and around 14 community mental health treatment centers partially funded by state and federal funds, but beyond that...nada.

What is it you'd like to do in psychiatric public health? Study it? Compile stats?

clockwood · Aug 29, 2014

Pysch is EVERYWHERE and I think it's an awesome start :) Not easy, but so many skills for a new RN to learn! Man, I remember doing my capstone on a med-surg floor; half of all the patients there were not in their right mind. In many cases, the physical ailment for which they were being treated was a direct result of a mental illness (mental illness/distress prevents them from accessing appropriate preventative care or timely intervention and they wind up requiring acute medical intervention). So med-surg nurses get hit with patients who are "gravely disabled," borderline personality, very needy, etc. Being able to 1) identify these patients 2) effectively communicate with them and 3) establish boundaries is a KEYSTONE nursing skill that spans all nursing disciplines. So yes, I believe a background in psych is applicable to all other nursing careers.

My advice: DO WHAT YOU LOVE. Don't let the cautionary words of others pressure you into a job you don't want. My first job as a brand new RN was in a private pediatric office doing telephone triage and insurance shenanigans. I did this for almost three years. Then I took a job as an RN at a psych inpatient facility. It's funny how no two specialties are alike, but there is ALWAYS cross over. Simply working an office job as an RN taught me so much about orders, communicating with pharmacists and doctors, prescription rules and regulations, referrals, insurance, how to win a battle with a fax machine or printer haha...stuff you don't learn in nursing school. It was great confidence building at a non-chaotic speed. Now I get to add to my knowledge base with a new skill set: psych. Like all things nursing, these skills are not acquired by going to class or reading a book. They are acquired from hands on experience and take years and years to hone.

I don't think my "lack" of med-surg experience will prevent me from getting a different job down the road if that's what I choose to do later. I remember in nursing school a big deal was made of this: "make sure to get at least two years of med-surg." Honestly, if you are a good candidate with good references, any experience is good experience. When interviewing, be sure to tell the interviewer HOW your past experience applies to the new job you want (remember, there is always cross over). There is SO MUCH that psych nurses do that overlap with med-surg nursing; medication administration, chart checks, acuities, nursing assessments, communicating with family, doctor, shift notes/progress notes, understanding facility specific policy and procedure. When I started psych nursing, I pulled out my old psych book and pharm book. If I ever go into med-surg (don't plan on it- haha) you bet I'd pull out my med-surg book. But remember that nursing is sooo much more far-reaching than med-surg. Sure, it's important to know the basics/have a solid foundation, but remember, there are amazing skills to be learned in every aspect of nursing, and I'm not sure why more weight is necessarily put on med-surg. I occasionally pick up my pharm book or my physiology/pathophys books to find answers to my questions, but I haven't needed to reference my med-surg book. No caths, ports, tubes, pumps, or lines for me :)