Finding my niche ?

[dbarnes2]

Hi Guys. I am a 48 year old male student nurse that is just now completing my first of two years of an RN degree near St. Louis. I have one more year to go. The thing that keeps calling to me as we go forward is my need to talk to and study the people and their feelings as much or more than the physical care?

My question is; Is their a specialty of mursing that would allow me to migrate more toward a counseling-type position? We watched a baby death at delivery today, and while other students were asking questions about what happened medically, I found myself wanting to be able to see how it all played out for the parents and their extended family over time. I wish that I could have been there to see how the hospital took care of them in the hours that followed, when their need was so great. I don't know if this makes much sense, but it is an attempt to state what keeps taliking to me. Thanks in advance.

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

Psych nursing. I wonder if you would be more inclined to do well with crisis intervention. Have you done a psych rotation yet? When you do, try to speak with a nurse specialist in psych nursing about your aptitude in speaking with people about their feelings and what kind of career path this can lead you to.

I also want you to know that there is a place to fit this into general nursing practice if you want. It requires good organizational use of your time and other skills, but the patients are the ones who benefit. Too many nurses today treat patients more like objects and don't take the time to listen to what patients want to say. My BSN program was really big on developing communication skills since we were all RNs already and had mastered nursing tasks prior to entering the program. I found that it made a big difference in my practice and added a dimension and depth that had been missing before.

[celclt]

I have some of the same feelings too-- Hospice, parish, health dept, nursing home? Or maybe your patients on a med surg floor get lucky enough to have you! You may be the only one in the patient's stay who took the time to see the big, holistic picture. To hand them a warm washcloth and ask "how they feel about all of this". I think case managers also can make a difference in

seeing this picture as well.

Time is the factor- and organization plus workload. I just feel like all I saw on psych rotation was passing meds- but I know there is more out there in terms of outpatient facilities,ect.