Mental health nursing

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Looking for insight on the area of psychiatric nursing. Any nurses who can provide their experience or opinions on working in that area? What kind of jobs beside just psychiatric units that are available for those interested in working in that area? Would you recommend that area for a new grad? Thank you so much for your replies :)!

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Specializes in ICU, CM, Geriatrics, Management.

All depends on the seriousness and weight of your interest in this area.

For example: If you're an older grad, with a longstanding interest and significant history in psych, who knows this is most likely the specialty where you wanna land eventually, then by all means go for it now.

Otherwise, you might wish to get a more traditional and broader background first, then pursue the field that most draws you a little later.

Good luck!

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Specializes in Acute Mental Health.

I work in a county long term care psych unit. Been there just about 3yrs and it was my first RN job. I love it! It's dangerous but it's never the same day twice! There are different jobs that range from the long term care units (which houses ages 20-70's), acute, pcs/obs (those that are brought in in crisis), cais (child/adolescent), mobile care units (kind of like 1st responders), day clinics, and I'm sure much more.

I had no problem transitioning and run a unit that has between 17-22 pts. I am the only RN on but work with 1 LPN, and 2-3 CNA's. I see a lot of new grads and most will say that they know within the orientation time if they will stay or go. Hope that helps a little. Wishing you the best of luck!

If you haven't found psychiatric nursing under the Specialties tab, then check that out. You may find more answers there.

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Specializes in Mental health, psychiatry.

I just got a job at a behavioral health clinic that we have in our area. They have a Crisis Residential Unit that I will be working on which is a diversion so they don't have to go to the Inpatient unit at the Hospital. We have several mental health out patient clinics that you could work at and work in an office setting seeing patients for medication management.

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