this is getting old

allnurses Guide · Jan 4, 2015

Some tough-love here: you need to toughen up.

Why did you choose to work in psych? That's what is important, not what other people say. If you "ended up" is psych other than by choice then perhaps you should change to what you really want.

Haters hate. Don't let it bother you. Psych nursing is every bit as real and as important as any other type.

Sent from my iPhone.

Jules A, MSN · Jan 4, 2015

I could give a rip what other people say about us. Trust me I have taken care of more medically unstable patients with a mental health diagnosis than I can count because the fancy pants med-surg nurses can't handle them on their unit. Any time they think my job is easy, c'mon, I'd be happy to have them shadow me for a shift. There is no way I would be competent as a medical floor nurse but I respect what they do. The smart ones feel the same way about psych. I'm not going to be irritated by their ignorance and certainly am not going to be less than extremely proud that I work in mental health.

ICURN3020 · Jan 4, 2015

I just want to say that I am so thankful there are nurses like you who care for psych patients.

My two or three worst shifts ever involved me caring for psych patients. The absolute worst shift I ever had ended with me telling the charge nurse that if I was assigned to that patient again when I came back in that evening, I was turning around and leaving. Yes-I know this could be grounds for termination, yet I did not care. That's how bad it was.

I think it takes an amazing personality to deal with this population and I wish I did a better job at it. So, know that you are very appreciated in my opinion :)

Jules A, MSN · Jan 4, 2015

I just want to say that I am so thankful there are nurses like you who care for psych patients.
My two or three worst shifts ever involved me caring for psych patients. The absolute worst shift I ever had ended with me telling the charge nurse that if I was assigned to that patient again when I came back in that evening, I was turning around and leaving. Yes-I know this could be grounds for termination, yet I did not care. That's how bad it was.
I think it takes an amazing personality to deal with this population and I wish I did a better job at it. So, know that you are very appreciated in my opinion :)

Thank you so much and back at you! I am in awe of ICU nurses because I would absolutely wet my pants if someone attempted to give me handoff on one of your peeps.

ICURN3020 · Jan 4, 2015

Thank you so much and back at you! I am in awe of ICU nurses because I would absolutely wet my pants if someone attempted to give me handoff on one of your peeps.

Haha! Your very welcome! :)

The patient I was referring to in my earlier post literally made me want to tear my hair out. I had never before dealt with her personality, or should I say, personalities. She was, by far, the most difficult patient I have ever encountered to this day. And not in a physical manner; it was completely exhausting for me mentally and I called upon every therapeutic technique I'd ever learned to deal with her. For me, mental exhaustion is way worse than physical exhaustion and this patient had me feeling chewed up, spit out and then stomped on!

Although it was interesting to see the traits displayed of disorders I had only learned/read about, I don't think I would last a week as a psych nurse. So again, thank you for the job you do and do well! :)

caliotter3 · Jan 4, 2015

I have neighbors that have obvious mental health issues. You should stop and think about just how people with your skills are needed in our society.

elbumphis02 · Jan 4, 2015

I am a neuro/med-surg nurse who more often than not have one or two patients with psych issues. I can't even begin to understand how you are not respected as a nurse! On my floor, when we take report on patients and learn of their psych issues, we automatically know that it is going to be an eventful night. Saying that caring for psych patients is emotionally and physically draining is under an understatement. Clocking out in the morning I would feel like I had bricks sitting on my eyelids so hats off to any nurse who knows how to appropriately care for a psych patient and does it on a regular basis. The short times that I have encountered with psych patients made me wonder what it would be like to actually help that population...I know there has to be great job satisfaction in that.

dandelion9 · Jan 4, 2015

I simply *CAN'T* handle psych patients. They stress me like no other. A lot of our pts have underlying psych issues (I work in a MICU, we see a lot of suicide attempts, ODs, things like that). I am with others in that my most trying shifts are with psych patients. I think psych nurses are a blessing, and I am not sure how you are able to get everything done that you need to while dealing with patient behaviors and who knows what else!

Don't let them get to you. You are valued!

windsurfer8, BSN, RN · Jan 4, 2015

Who's is saying this? I have been a psych nurse for 6 years and no one has ever said that to me. If someone did I would care less anyway. Often people who say crap like that are jealous. They are for sure totally ignorant. I don't have enough free time to worry about what people say. Use the aggression at the gym. I have found squats solve everything.

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Jan 4, 2015

No one's ever put me down--at least not to my face--about being a psych nurse. If anything, they shake their heads in awe and/or say, "I could never do that."

As for nurses coming to psych because they can't handle other specialties...I've seen seasoned (as in 10+ years' experience) nurses break down in tears when they came over to psych because they thought it would be easier/better to handle than their previous specialty, and they quickly learned that was not the case. Psych isn't for everyone...then again, no specialty is for everyone.

And EVERY single specialty has its share of critics who'll claim that specialty isn't real nursing compared to other specialties. So such criticisms are not psych-specific.

I'd ignore the haters and the comments. It's not where you practice nursing: the mere fact that you have a license stating you are a RN or LVN is what makes you a real nurse.

Guests · Jan 4, 2015

There's the thing... I could not walk into your unit and be successful, neither could you walk into mine and be successful. The same is true for most arenas of nursing... there is some overlap, for sure, but to be an expert in one area doesn't mean that one isn't still a novice in all the others.