How do I segue into psyche/mental/behavioral health?

[sugarmagnolia3]

I am an RN with 4 years all ICU experience. I have thoughts about becoming an PMHNP, but I feel like I shouldn't seriously consider it unless I get some direct experience first Anyway, I feel like I have a good foundation. A large majority of my critically ill pts. suffer from mental illness, and/or organic behavioral health changes (alzeimers/dementia), and I see them at their worst. I take care of overdoses/suicide attempts. I take care of patients with acute delirium. I take care of patients in acute drug/alcohol withdrawal. I realize my exposure is different than what happens most behavioral health/ rehab settings (I think?), but like I mentioned, I think I have a decent foundation.

Anyway, I really want to find a way to transition into psyche. I have great assessment skills, and I did a huge EBP project on delirium identification/treatment and prevention that benefited my unit as a whole. I am working on my BSN and will be finished within the year. I have done numerous other extra-curricular projects at work though none of them really pertained to any mental health issues. I have been volunteering with the homeless, probably our biggest underserved population, and I really enjoy it, and when I am in that environment, I feel like behavioral health might be where my calling is.

So, I cannot get a recruiter to call back. Any tips for applying, other than highlighting my relative experience, and desire to work in psyche? I am trying to find a connection, but haven't been successful as of yet...All responses/feedback/advice are very welcome. Thanks so much!

[Psychcns]

Have you tried to get per diem work. Or agency?

[priorities2]

Have you had an HR person or someone with good knowledge of nursing resumes take a look at yours?

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

I am an RN with 4 years all ICU experience. I have thoughts about becoming an PMHNP, but I feel like I shouldn't seriously consider it unless I get some direct experience first

Very wise of you.

Many agencies won't consider you for psych jobs without psych experience, as they do not provide any training other than an orientation of the facility you will be working at, not Psych 101. Definitely try though because you never know.

I think you'd be better off applying for per-diem/PRN or even PT work directly at a psych unit or facility. They're far more likely to offer you training and support because you're their own staff, whereas they'd expect you to already be on top of the knowledge if you were agency.

You can use your experience taking care of ETOH patients to try to get into psych via the CD/detox/dual dx door. Start brushing up on your psych knowledge--a few CEUs never hurt anyone. Also consider joining a professional organization such as the APNA.

[Orca, ADN, ASN, RN]

I encourage you to get experience. Alzheimer's and dementia bear little resemblance to what I call "real" mental health. I have worked with adolescent, adult and geriatric populations, and quite honestly I did little of what I would consider true mental health nursing with the elderly. Most of the patients we got already had advanced dementia, which we were not going to improve no matter what we did. I spent most of my day playing traffic cop: keeping patients out of the wrong rooms, keeping them from taking objects they had misidentified or that belonged to others, and keeping them from hitting each other. I did not enjoy that type of psychiatric nursing, because nothing I did was going to improve the situations of any of these patients, or even keep them the same. Two minutes after I walked away from moist of these patients they had no idea that I had even been there. We got these patients normally because they had Medicare and the LTC facilities they were in were tired of dealing with them, not because we could help them.

I appreciate those who work with this population for long periods of time, because it is very draining with little emotional return.