Mental Health in America

[Shenanigans, RN]

There seems to be this general notion that in NZL if you start out in Mental Health, don't expect to head in any other direction, there seems to be a conscensus amoung "real nurses" or the ones I've met, that MHNs are lazy orifices who sit on their backsides all day listening. Ive' been warned by RNs I know that if I do post grad or several years in MH most other places won't accept me because they won't think I'm skilled or something.

So, basically, is there that kind of thought in America? I'm looking at heading over there when I'm finished post-grad, and I really want to start in MH, but I want to know that one day if I got tired of it, I could head into something else.