How Did the Old Woman in a Shoe Do It?

[OldMaleNurse]

Hey all! Early in my nursing program, I knew that I wanted to work in psychiatric nursing. I graduated this past May and have been fortunate enough to land a job working at a psych facility in my home town. I work mostly with teens who have substance abuse issues and possibly a MH diagnosis.

These kids can be very difficult at times. Not only are they going through the changes that accompany being teenagers, but also they have these other issues on top of it. I really do care for them, but sometimes they really wear on my nerves.

So, as an inexperienced MH nurse, I want to ask you: How do you control your emotions and verbal responses when dealing with psych patients who test your limits?

I don't want to do or say anything that will hinder my ability to be in a good relationship with these kids, so that they will trust me enough to allow me to help them.

[3peas]

Honestly, you can't take it personal. That's how I do it. And if I find myself getting irritated I take a step back and engage in something else. I also know that I'm the nurse not the therapist. I know we still communicate with them, but the adolescents a lot of times have attention seeking behaviors and say things to feel people out for a reaction. I try to remember my job is to stabilize them and keep it moving.

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

You focus on the patient's needs and feelings and you try to see things from their point of view. You learn to detatch, not take it personally. You are kind but firm with the rules and boundaries. You don't make things into power struggles, especially with kids/teens because they WILL push back. And you learn to shrug and say, "whatever" whenever you need to.

It takes time to develop these skills, so don't be too hard on yourself if you stumble.

If you do feel like you are losing control with a patient, remove yourself from the situation ASAP and regain control. Let a coworker take over the patient's care for a while. And yes, it's OK to say, "this patient is burning me out, I can't be assigned them today."

[pinkiepieRN]

And yes, it's OK to say, "this patient is burning me out, I can't be assigned them today."

I totally agree with this. Sometimes I'll have a patient "fire" me and it's all I can do to say, "Well I'm sorry you feel that way. Let me check in with my charge nurse."