How can I prepare for the field and employment opportunities

[MoyCoy]

Hello,

I am new to this forum and was wondering if an experienced psych nurse would not mind answering a few questions, I current hold a BA in Psychology and am really interested in pursuing a career in psyc nursing, I was wonder, in general...Is it difficult for new nursing grads to find a job as a psych nurse?:redpinkhe

Are hospitals apprehensive to hire new grads for this specialty? What can I do while completing my pre-req's ( i.e. volunteer etc) to increase my chances of landing a job in a Psychiatric ward?

Thank You in advance:nurse:

[Little Panda RN, ASN, RN]

I guess it depends on the facility. I am a new psych nurse with no actual psych expierence. I have been in the medical field since 1994 and spent quite a bit of time in family practice. I was told that they wanted this type of expierence on the floor since psych pts also have other medical problems. I wish I had more psych expierence so I would feel more at ease.

[elkpark]

Welcome to allnurses! :balloons:

I can't think of anything to recommend that you do in advance.

Hard (impossible) to predict whether or not you'll have trouble getting a job fresh out of school -- many variables. If you're willing to relocate wherever you need to in order to get a psych position, then, yes. Otherwise, it will just depend on how facilities in your area feel about hiring new grads into specialty areas, which is often a matter of how hard up they are for staff. In general, in areas that have an ample supply of experienced RNs in various specialties (mostly urban areas), employers are less likely to be willing to hire new grads into specialty areas.

Whether or not it's a good idea for new grads to go directly into psych is controversial. Here is a older (but ongoing) thread about that question that you may want to review (if you haven't, already):

https://allnurses.com/forums/f46/why-do-one-year-med-surg-nursing-before-going-into-psychiatry-nursing-250677.html

Best wishes!

[Mish56, BSN, RN]

You shouldn't have a bit of trouble getting a job. You have a BA is Psych, and then a nursing degree. Should be golden! Elkpark leads you to the ongoing, neverending discussion of med-surg exp. prior to psych. I don't have 1 min. of med surg, but 30 years of psych. I've worked mostly in a big university affiliated hospital. I've been lucky enough to have clinical specialists, and nurses from other floors to help me learn a new skill need be. But we welcome new grads!! Find yourself a good mentor to learn the ropes of psych-it's a wonderful career!!!