Is Psych Nursing Easy?

VersatileRN · May 11, 2016

These statements right here tell me IT'S EASY. "Sure, I have known colleagues to sit on their asses in the nurses' station. I have seen students breeze through their rotation barely talking to a patient. I have known nurses to come to psych to wait it out till their retirement." THANK YOU! I will now be transferring into psych nursing till I complete a different degree (using my hospital tuition reimbursement) in order to get out of nursing all together. :yes:

You cannot sit on your ass as a nurse on any shift of any day in any other types of bedside nursing jobs. It's not possible. Therefore Psych nursing is much easier. DONE.

JustKeepDriving · May 12, 2016

You cannot sit on your ass as a nurse on any shift of any day in any other types of bedside nursing jobs. It's not possible. Therefore Psych nursing is much easier. DONE.

And the point of bumping a thread from 2010 to make sweeping generalizations about a specialty you do not work in is....?

VersatileRN · May 12, 2016

I will be soon!!!! Thank God. I've worked in a correctional facility per-diem on the side for 5 years. Also easy. I'm In.

JustKeepDriving · May 12, 2016

I will be soon!!!! Thank God. I've worked in a correctional facility per-diem on the side for 5 years. Also easy. I'm In.

I worked in a Level 1 Trauma Center in the OR (scrub and circle - all services except CVOR) and that was cakewalk compared to some of the Psych positions I have had. Unlike corrections we don't have correctional officers, sometimes I'm lucky if I have security and I've worked places that don't even have mental health aides so every last thing from codes, 1:1's, transports, admits and total care for the dementia patient in a state of terminal agitation - falls on the RN's. I've had days where it was nothing but back to back codes for 16 hours, no break and then mandated to a total of 18 hours due staffing problems. I love psych, it's my passion - no I'm not loading needles, prepping back tables with limited time, prepping a room for a crashing crani or getting called in for a trauma case in the middle of the night like I was in the OR - but I never got kicked in the face, slapped, punched, had to extract someone from their room or do a weapon removal with a riot shield, had a patient attempt to infect me with AIDS by trying to spit blood in my mouth, watched staff get brain damaged, or had my unit flooded because some ASPD guy climbed in the ceiling,broke a water pipe, pulled out electrical wires in an attempt to electrocute the staff trying to contain him in the OR either.

VersatileRN · May 12, 2016

We have similar experiences. I've been working high acuity ER and many different ICU's as well as Paramedic for 18 years. My time to depart from these areas has come. Call it what you will, but any nursing job where I am supposed to wear regular semi- dress casual clothing to work has got to be easier. I am thrilled to be able to talk to my patients and communicate with them soon. I am also thrilled to be able to wear regular clothes soon. Psychosis and other mental health problems never bothered me. Regular nursing care always bothered me. I believe I will enjoy psychiatric nursing. I also believe it will be easier for me. I guess I will soon see. í ½í¸‰

SwampCat, BSN · May 17, 2016

Let me show you my bruises from my last restraint/IM and you can guess how laid back psych can be. And ignore that healing bite mark. Kids do the darnedest things...

SarahMaria, MSN, RN · May 17, 2016

Where are these laid back psych units located? All these years I have been getting assaulted and injured by patients while working chronically understaffed...

VersatileRN · May 17, 2016

Being assaulted? Still easier than regular nursing. I can deal with that a lot easier and faster than juggling regular nursing care. Doesn't bother me. I can de-escalate that much faster that performing regular nursing care of 7 patients.

SwampCat, BSN · May 18, 2016

We could sure use some magical de-escalation powers on my unit! Especially when there are two seclusions and everyone else is feeding off the frenzy.

SarahMaria, MSN, RN · May 20, 2016

Being assaulted? Still easier than regular nursing. I can deal with that a lot easier and faster than juggling regular nursing care. Doesn't bother me. I can de-escalate that much faster that performing regular nursing care of 7 patients.

I'm not talking about little old ladies and elderly dementia patients. I'm talking about forensic psychiatric patients in maximum security who have already killed people assaulting staff. It's no joke.

JustKeepDriving · May 20, 2016

I'm not talking about little old ladies and elderly dementia patients. I'm talking about forensic psychiatric patients in maximum security who have already killed people assaulting staff. It's no joke.

People don't understand until they've been there. I've done geriatric psych, Acute Psych, Step Down Psych and do grad clinicals in out patient and psych ER- nothing comes close to Forensics. Max security Forensic Psych is like the wild west of psychiatric nursing. You're literally spending your shift trying to out think ASPD/behavior guys and treat the most medication resistant, unstable psychotics in an environment without police presence, minimal security, absent providers and an administration too terrified to even walk on the unit - yet tells you that getting mandated for 16 hour shifts back to back, working so understaffed you can't take your patients to the lunch room because there is not enough people to transport and getting assaulted is "part of your job". Don't get me wrong I love max security forensic psych but I've seen more people get permanently disabled in this area of nursing than in any other and unless someone has experienced it they aren't going to get it.

VersatileRN · May 20, 2016

Interesting. Sounds pretty fun to me. I LIKE!