do you find it hard to find jobs in other field after Psych?

aloevera · Jun 14, 2010

Who would want to go in to another field after working psych????????

LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT...........

In reality, some of your clinical skills may get rusty after working psych a long time, but you can always brush up during orientation in another field.....I don't see any problems.............

marilynmom, LPN, NP · Jun 16, 2010

I work psych and Ive known RNs who have worked in psych for 10 years and had no problem changing into medical nursing--one girl I know went from adult psych to the step down unit with no problems. Psych is SUCH good experience, so many patients now days have mental health problems. Right now with the economy the way it is and a general lack of nursing jobs, its hard for anyone, regardless of specialty to switch, but in general no.

Yosemite, RN, ASN, EMT-I · Jun 29, 2010

I can ONLY speak for California... in THIS state, if you've working outside of ANY field other than what you're applying for, you are out of luck. Psych nursing and SNF nursing are the kiss of death, here, if you want to return to most (other) clinical positions.

Whispera, MSN, RN · Jun 29, 2010

I never had a problem finding a job out of psych, after working in it for 10 years. I did have a big learning curve to get past however, but nice orientations took care of that.

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Jul 2, 2010

Many psych patients have enough medical issues in them to help you retain a lot of your knowlege. You'll work mostly with psych meds, but you'll also have to stay on top of your common non-psych meds because when your patient comes in for psych treatment, they don't stop taking their warfarin and Lasix while they're there.

You could probably keep your non-psych knowledge base up with CEUs and reviewing. You may need a refresher on hands-on skills...and just go get one if you need it.

rnrainy · Jul 4, 2010

After spending a little over a year on a cardiac/tele unit, I switched to psych. Nurses on this unit are not pulled to any other unit on the hospital, because the focus is mainly mental health. While I can't speak for any hospital or state other than the one I work in, my hospital will accept internal transfers based on interviewing with the manager of a new floor, co workers letters of recommendation, and your skills. It's kind of "the right place at the right time", kind of thing.

Psych is so specific, that there is often a lack of focus on the other needs (think Maslows). The most important thing is to be where you feel the best. If you must take a job, take it, but always plan ahead. It's ok, in my hospital, to spend 6 months on a floor to feel it out. Also, there is job shadowing. This is a great option for networking...just meeting people and showing interest or compatibility may get you in where you want to be.

We all have our own experiences that we base our advice, just like you need yours. Good luck!

fancyhen · Jul 22, 2010

I've worked psych for over 22 years and really didn't have trouble finding other jobs BUT I usually worked a per diem job in another field....such as Med/Surg, Maternal Child Health, skilled nursing etc. I only worked the other job 1-2 days per month but it was enough to keep my skills from getting too bad. The extra money was nice too of course, but mostly it kept my foot in the door. Psych has lots of aspects to it, including the physical ailments of psych patients but different skills are used. So keep those nursing skills that you worked so hard for....if you don't use it, you'll lose it. (I still love psych more than anything. Gets in your blood) LOL

Whispera, MSN, RN · Jul 24, 2010

I agree that if you don't lose it, you'll lose it, BUT, if you learned it, it's there and you can learn it again. Or you can learn it the first time....

fabjulev · Jul 30, 2010

I definitely agree with your comment that psych gets in your blood. I'm applying to nursing school in three weeks and am extremelly eager to get back into the psychiatric field. I used to translate for psychotherapist during therapy sessions and the experience trully captivated me. Thanks so much for your post, you provided a wealth of crucial information. :bow:

Meraki · Jul 31, 2010

Hello lovely nurses,
I'm a new grad nurse and recently found a Acute Psych position. Just wondering if i'll be having difficulty going into other fields later on..?? Some people say getting out of Psych is pretty hard once you go into it. is that true? did anyone manage to completely change fields? just wondering since our unit doesn't receive any medically unstable patients.. so i'll be performing zero skills.

If you are working as a nurse in any field you won't be performing 'zero' skills. You will need nursing skills to work on an acute psych unit. Every area of nursing has its own skill set, and medical nursing skills are not the only 'real' nursing skills. You will need to alter your thinking to see the skills you will use in psych nursing and how those are transferable to other areas.

Working on a unit where there are only medically stable patients may not mean you don't end up providing any medical nursing care. I don't know the specifics of your unit but mine is also a medically 'stable' unit but we have many brittle diabetics and other poorly managed health conditions. We also do quite a bit of wound care and sometimes have IV's on the unit as well as eating disorder patients who often require medical nursing care (NG insertions, tube feeds). Some of the psychotic or catatonic patients can require significant help with ADL's as well. I've also given lots of needles and done neuro checks / I & O's / frequent vitals etc...

If you do end up wanting to change from psych to a different area of nursing you can really play up the psych nursing skills that you bring with you that will be beneficial to those areas. Given that about 20% of people have a mental health issue, there are patients with mental illnesses in every area of the hospital (and they get sick at even higher rates than people without mental illness) so you have psych patients in Emerg, in ICU, on med/surg floors, in L & D etc... Also hospitalization and illness (diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, financial or family worries) can cause stress, anxiety and depression even in those who came in without mental health needs so your skills come in handy there. Additionally you will have conflict resolution skills, crisis intervention skills, de-escalation skills, intuitive assessment skills, etc...all skills that again can really support your patient care, any dealings with difficult people, your colleagues and so on. Your communication skills will be stellar and your ability to support patients and colleagues on really difficult days or in really difficult situations is also of great value.

All that to say that if psych ends up not being where you want to be, don't see it as a waste of time. If you go into a job interview for a different area and say I have no skills because I worked in psych - you are unlikely to get the job. You can do refresher courses for medical nursing skills while you work in psych to keep that skill set up if you want. I hope you go into your psych job knowing there is a lot you can learn and that you can develop a strong nursing skill set there. You may end up loving psych and not wanting to leave but if not, don't sell yourself and your time in psych short. All the Best.