Fellow nurses, do you like your job?

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Jan 12, 2015

1. Did you go into psych nursing right after graduation? Or were you in acute care for a while?

Went right into psych. I chose it over a PCU because it had better hours to work around a toddler.

2. Do you enjoy your job? And what do you not like about your job?

Love it! I feel like I can really talk to my patients...in fact, that's what I'm expected to do :) In psych, I don't feel like a glorified waitress/taskmaster. I'm not dealing with endless call bells or demanding families, though I will say that psych has its fair share of needy patients and demanding family members.

What don't I like? Having to deal with the stigma of mental illness that society--and many patient families--continue to have.

3. In your opinion.. Should I stay in acute care longer or take a job in psych facility? I have pretty good chance in getting this one position in inpatient psychiatry

Well, where do YOU want to be? If you really want psych and you can get into it, then go for it!

If you're not sure, then stay in acute care for a little longer. No nursing experience is wasted: psych patients do have medical issues that will need your attention.

Having acute care experience will help if you are interested in trying out other more medical specialties after psych, but only if you're planning to try them out fairly soon. Most facilities want recent experience...so a year of acute care will help you switch if you want to leave psych after a couple of years, but won't be near as valuable switching 10 years down the road.

Mind you, there are nurses who started in psych and have switched to specialties, so don't think that psych is a dead-end either. It can be tough to switch in this job market though.

4. I know the pay is lower (I'm from California) but as you gain experience and move to higher paying facility, would there be a big difference between acute RN job?

Who said psych pays less? I made more as a new grad in psych than the new grads in m/s made: 3 dollars per hour more than them! That didn't even include differentials. And here in CA, my salary is very competitive with the medical nurses.

Hope this helps. Best of luck whatever you decide!

Jules A, MSN · Jan 12, 2015

I started in psych and have always loved it. In my experience we often make a bit more money than other hospital nurses because people seem to either love psych or hate it. I haven't ever had a problem getting or changing jobs. I also know nurses who went from psych to other specialties but as mentioned this can be easy or difficult depending on the supply and demand at the time.

I will add that while I have seen it work well in some instances there have also been quite a few nurses I have worked with who have come to this field with a personal agenda that can have a less than therapeutic outcome for their patients. Remember its about the patient. Novice psych nurses can tend to rely on sharing their personal experiences which makes it about them and not about their patient so avoid that common trap. Best wishes with whatever you decide.

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Jan 12, 2015

I will add that while I have seen it work well in some instances there have also been quite a few nurses I have worked with who have come to this field with a personal agenda that can have a less than therapeutic outcome for their patients. Remember its about the patient. Novice psych nurses can tend to rely on sharing their personal experiences which makes it about them and not about their patient so avoid that common trap. Best wishes with whatever you decide.

This.

As I often say, having dealt with their own mental illness doesn't automatically mean one will be a good psych nurse, nor more than my having given birth means I'll automatically be a good L&D nurse. Your having dealt with depression does mean you're likely to have more empathy and understanding, but that doesn't mean you'll be a superior nurse over the nurse who's never had depression. Nor does it guarantee that you'll be able to handle the job.

Also, keep in mind that every patient is unique and goes through--and deals with--mental illness in their own way. Another common trap of newbies in psych nursing is to believe that how they (the nurse) went through mental illness is how the patient should deal with it as well. These nurses try to impose their own beliefs and values on the patient, often with less than therapeutic results. A patient's course of major depression may vary drastically from how yours went. They may make choices you disagree with. You may feel that what worked for you will work for them. But you know what, it's the patient's choice. It is ALWAYS all about the patient, never about the nurse.

This is no slur upon you; it's a warning that I give any and all nurses who say they are interested in going into psych because they suffered from mental illness in the past. A lot of nurses mistakenly believe that having had depression, anxiety, etc. (or having a family member who had has them) means they are automatically qualified for psych nursing. I don't think you are one of them...but I warn every newbie anyway :)

LisalaRN99, BSN, RN · Jan 12, 2015

My intention after nursing school was to go right into psych nursing like my other colleagues on the psych unit where I had worked as an Intake Coordinator while in nursing school. Unfortuately, my psych unit closed shortly after I graduated, and the hospital reassigned me to a med/surg unit. I did one year there before leaving for another psych hospital. I do believe having that one yea of med/surg experience was helpful for me as a new psych nurse. I have worked other facilities where they do accept granduate nurses right out of nursing school and they don't seem to have any difficulties in psych. Good luck with your decisions.

EatYourVeggies · Jan 13, 2015

1. Did you go into psych nursing right after graduation? Or were you in acute care for a while?

I went straight into psychiatric nursing after I graduated because that was the field I have always had an interest in, but I kind of wish I would have done med-surg beforehand because where I work they are constantly sending me more and more medically compromised patients and I don't feel our unit is really equipped to handle it. Patients are supposed to be medically cleared before they come to our unit but our emergency department as well as other hospitals often leave a lot of important information out on purpose and then you are left dealing with the mess.

2. Do you enjoy your job? And what do you not like about your job?

I like my patients and the staff I generally work with but I cannot stand how our facility is run (always short-staffed but they continue to send more admissions) and I find the management to be apathetic and incompetent. This leaves me feeling like I have no one to get help from when I am unsure about a situation.

3. In your opinion.. Should I stay in acute care longer or take a job in psych facility? I have pretty good chance in getting this one position in inpatient psychiatry

I would recommend that you stay in acute care for a year and then find a really good psych facility to work in. This can make all the difference because some psych facilities are organized very well and some are absolutely awful. It is all about money and the mentally ill population always get the short end of the stick.

4. I know the pay is lower (I'm from California) but as you gain experience and move to higher paying facility, would there be a big difference between acute RN job?

From my experience I make more money than a lot of the nurses I graduated with and most are working in med-surg, tele, ed, ICU, etc so it really varies across the board.

yoginurse29 · Jan 16, 2015

I went into psych right after graduation. I was an aid and an extern in an ICU and a nurse there for three months and decided I was not happy there. Caustic, nurse eat their young environment which in a way traumatized me a little. I do enjoy my job because I am not a task monkey. I am very busy all the time but it is typically because I am helping with a crisis or getting enough time to therapeutically talk with my patience. I hate the stigma that exists, and the stigma I get in grad school that I am less of a nurse because I can't start an IV or survive a cardiac arrest code. I think if you want to start in psych you should because in life we should not focus on what others think or "what is best". I am all about benefiting ones own self. If you are passionate there are plenty of patients who could use another nurse who is willing to change their life! Good luck!

vintagemother, BSN, CNA, LVN, RN · Jan 30, 2015

Hi everyone. I Graduated in May 2015 with a bsn and started working in med surg unit for three month now.
However, my true calling was always in psychiatric nursing. I've had major depressive disorder since I was young and wanted to help people who are battling thier conditions just like I am.
The original plan was to stay in acute care for at least 3 years but Ive been feeling really strongly about Getting into psych nursing recently,
So I wanted to ask you guys..
1. Did you go into psych nursing right after graduation? Or were you in acute care for a while?
I went straight into psych as a new grad LVN.
2. Do you enjoy your job?
Yes, very very much.
And what do you not like about your job?
I don't like it when different staff have different opinions on what is the best intervention or consequence for a particular behavior. For example, one person thinks a bx is alright and others think it should be addressed.
3. In your opinion.. Should I stay in acute care longer or take a job in psych facility? I have pretty good chance in getting this one position in inpatient psychiatry
I don't know... I've heard time and time again that psych nurses have a hard time transitioning out of psych because other facilities don't think we are real nurses because there are fewer medical interventions- such as O2, g tubes, IV's, etc.
4. I know the pay is lower (I'm from California) but as you gain experience and move to higher paying facility, would there be a big difference between acute RN job?

So, from what I've been told, in CA, govt run psych facilities pay the same rate as acute hospitals. But... Private psych facilities pay is more on par with SNF pay. I'm an LVN, but the RN's in my facility make only a few dollars per hr more than LVNs. This is similar to what happens in SNFs. Acute care hospitals with dedicated psych units pay the same as they pay the regular, non psych units.

~Shrek~ · Jan 30, 2015

I have worked in psych and I enjoyed it. I want to go back. I quit my job because the hours and scheduling were bad, but I enjoyed the work. At my new non-psych I still get psych experience; but for lower pay :roflmao:

After I get experience where I'm at, maybe a good psych facility will take me for day/evening shift instead of nights