How can I get a job as a psychiatric nurse?

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Hi. I got my license about 2 years ago and have never worked in the nursing field. Right now I am working a very low paying job that anyone with only a high school diploma can get. I want to get back into nursing because I'm so sick of being poor and fighting with my family about bills. Since I have no med/surg experience and I really disliked the "technical" aspects of nursing, I'm thinking of getting into psych nursing. Now I know psych nursing is a varied field in its own right, but as long as I don't have to do IVs all day and resuscitate patients every hour, I think I'll be okay. I was wondering how I can secure a position at a psych hospital. I live in Westchester, NY, so I was thinking about St. Vincent's or Creedmoor in Queens, to name a few. I already had an interview at St. Vincent's 2 years ago and I had no idea what they expected. I was a new nurse straight out of school with a new license. They were willing to interview me, but I don't know what it was I lacked. Probably experience, but if they were willing to interview me, I guess experience was not required. Maybe I did not seem tough enough for the job or not enough of a people person, or maybe I looked "too young" as the recruiter told me during interview. I don't know. I would like to know how I can get my foot in the field. What do I need to know for interviews? What kind of preparation can I do? Should I study my psych text books again? Also, how much do they expect me to know on my first day? Please help. I need some hard cold real world advice.

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Specializes in Critical Care/Coronary Care Unit,.

in this tight job market for even experienced nurses, i suggest you apply for every and any job...med/surg, tele, psych, etc. you just need to get your foot in the door somewhere and then you can always transfer to a different department later. and i would suggest you also apply at drug addiction treatment centers and contact your nurse managers at your local psychiatric facilities and ask them the best way to get into the door. good luck.

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Drug addiction, ok, that sounds like something I can do, but med/surg, telem, etc, I don't feel that I am up to par to even attempt in those fields. Maybe I'm being chicken, but really, I don't want to screw up on something and end up causing something fatal.

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Specializes in Critical Care/Coronary Care Unit,.

you'll find that you experience psychiatric patients on every type of floor...it just comes with the territory of nursing. and you definitely shouldn't be scared that you'll only screw up on an acute care floor...b/c codes and other types of frightening situations also occur on psychiatric floors. my hospital has a locked psychiatric unit, but we still get those patients on the other units sometimes...and i've heard the craziest stories about situations that happen on the psych floor. so don't think you're taking it easy b/c you want to go into psych. it may not be acute care as far as the persons physical health, but it'll still be stressful as far as their mental status. for example, as a psych nurse you'd still have to recognize s/s of atropine psychosis, stroke, cardiac arrest, etc. personally, i'd rather take care of a physically unstable person instead of a mentally unstable person...but that's just my experience. my main point is don't be scared to work in an area other than psych while you wait to get a job in the specialty. in this market, managers are looking for any type of experience...and acute care experience can only help you. good luck.

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Specializes in ICU, School Nurse, Med/Surg, Psych.

I work in a community based psychiatric care company. When I go into the home of a client with schizophrenia to assess their mental status and medication compliance it is not always 'easy.' And many a day I would love to return to the NON SMOKING wards of the hospital, but if you really want to spend your days doing therapeutic communication then I suggest you look for community based, outpatient psychiatric care of the chronically mentally ill. Go to Dept. of Human Svc if you don't see anything in the phone book. They are usually hiring because it is a low paying job with little chance for advancement.

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Specializes in Med-Surg Nursing.
Hi. I got my license about 2 years ago and have never worked in the nursing field. Right now I am working a very low paying job that anyone with only a high school diploma can get. I want to get back into nursing because I'm so sick of being poor and fighting with my family about bills. Since I have no med/surg experience and I really disliked the "technical" aspects of nursing, I'm thinking of getting into psych nursing. Now I know psych nursing is a varied field in its own right, but as long as I don't have to do IVs all day and resuscitate patients every hour, I think I'll be okay. I was wondering how I can secure a position at a psych hospital. I live in Westchester, NY, so I was thinking about St. Vincent's or Creedmoor in Queens, to name a few. I already had an interview at St. Vincent's 2 years ago and I had no idea what they expected. I was a new nurse straight out of school with a new license. They were willing to interview me, but I don't know what it was I lacked. Probably experience, but if they were willing to interview me, I guess experience was not required. Maybe I did not seem tough enough for the job or not enough of a people person, or maybe I looked "too young" as the recruiter told me during interview. I don't know. I would like to know how I can get my foot in the field. What do I need to know for interviews? What kind of preparation can I do? Should I study my psych text books again? Also, how much do they expect me to know on my first day? Please help. I need some hard cold real world advice.

Come to my facility! We have an adult psych floor and a peds/geriatric psych unit! They are STARVING for Psych nurses. I would definitely review your psych texts. Review commonly prescribed psych meds..that sort of thing.

I'm an ICU nurse and I don't put in IV's all day or resuscitate pt's hourly....sometimes, I go WEEKS without putting in an IV or running a code.

Don't think though that you'll be dealing with ALL walkie talkies on Psych though...you may very well have to clean up poop on occasion.;)

Good luck to you in your job search.

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Specializes in mental health, aged care/disability care.

I also want to be a psych nurse, but as a new grad was told to get some acute care experience before even attempting it. It is also recommended for us that we have some specific psych training so I'm intending to do a grad diploma in mental health.

Good luck!

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You may find - on application - that psych has many opportunities for an RN, mainly because most nurses entering the field of nursing are interested in general nursing.

Send your resume and cover letter to every facility you are interested in - regardless of "vacancies" - backed up by a phone call and/or email. Lots of facilities do not advertise and many advertise on line but do not actually respond... persevere!

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Neuro, ICU, travel RN, Psych.
You may find - on application - that psych has many opportunities for an RN, mainly because most nurses entering the field of nursing are interested in general nursing.

Send your resume and cover letter to every facility you are interested in - regardless of "vacancies" - backed up by a phone call and/or email. Lots of facilities do not advertise and many advertise on line but do not actually respond... persevere!

So is it a good idea to just go through the phone book, etc to find places that would use nurses? Inpatient psych centers, rehabs... what other places would be good to look? Following this thread, as I am moving to a new state and am interested in switching to psych.

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Specializes in A myriad of specialties.

Review your psych meds; antidepressants, anxiolytics, antipsychotics. Know some examples and the side effects too. They'll want to know what you would do in specific situations...like coming upon someone wielding a knife on a peer or someone throwing chairs in the common room; things like that. We're hiring in our state too! PM me and I'll let you know.

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Try calling Stony Lodge Hospital in the Ossining area. They just treat children and adolescent psychiatric patients and that might be a good way to start. I don't know if they have any openings, but it's worth a try. The number there is 914 941 7400 and I suppose you ask for Human Resources. I used to work there and liked it, but relocated out of the area. It's right off Route 9A, near the Saw Mill River Parkway and not far from the Taconic.

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Try calling Stony Lodge Hospital in the Ossining area. They just treat children and adolescent psychiatric patients and that might be a good way to start. I don't know if they have any openings, but it's worth a try. The number there is 914 941 7400 and I suppose you ask for Human Resources. I used to work there and liked it, but relocated out of the area. It's right off Route 9A, near the Saw Mill River Parkway and not far from the Taconic.

Thanks. I think I'll try that. Btw, what did you like about working there, how was the pace, the environment, the types of patients?

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