Mental Illness and No rn experience since grad

[mrm8]

I graduated college in December 2011. During collegage I was diagnosed with major depression and ptsd, but my last year the issues became extreme and I was diagnosed with bipolar after many hospitalizations. I actually had to take a semester off. I was offeredmany jobs after graduation, but because of my bipolar i was really impulsive and couldnt focus or decide on anything so i always turned them down. In the summer 2012 I did get a med/surg nursing job, but within a month had a hospitalization and the hospital would not let me contact my emploer so since I missed a week of work I was let go. That was my only RN experience and I do not want to list that on a resume. I have not worked since college as I have been on disability for my bipolar. I really want to try and go back to work. My license is still current. What are the chances of being hired and how do I explain my lack of experience? I actually want to work in psych nursingif possible.

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

Hello, and welcome to Allnurses! I think you'll find us a friendly and helpful bunch. There are a number of us bipolar nurses, and I hope some of the others will weigh in too.

I myself am bipolar 1 and have had a great deal of trouble with jobs over the course of my life, so I have a pretty good idea of how it feels to be in your position. What I think you need to ask yourself before you even consider going back to work as a nurse is where you're at with your illness: how long it's been since your last mood episode, are you on the right meds, are you sleeping well and taking care of yourself, etc. Then you'll want to ask the people who make up your support system what they think---after all, our insight into our own situation isn't always the best---as well as consult your psychiatrist, who will have to assess you before s/he releases you to return to work.

You may also want to consider the possible risks. As you know, nursing is a hard, stressful, and demanding job, and for those of us with mental illness it can be very, very intense. Overstimulation from constantly shifting priorities and noise is common and can be extremely difficult to cope with; in fact, that's why I had to get out of clinical nursing (I am now a state nursing-home surveyor, which is also a challenge but it's a different sort of challenge). You need to ask yourself what you think will be different in your next nursing job---have you become less impulsive? Are you better able to concentrate/focus? What happens if you need to be hospitalized again?

I am NOT saying "don't do it". If you're stable and you know what you want---and only you know if you're doing it for the right reasons---I say go for it! Just be aware that there are pitfalls, and that sometimes we want things that are not necessarily good for us.

Psych nursing is one of the areas that tend to be more 'forgiving' of nurses with interesting histories. A number of psych nurses have mental health issues themselves, and can be very empathetic with the patients. You do have to make sure you don't overidentify with the patients, or disclose your personal experiences......not always easy, especially when your own MI is kicking up.

Once again, I'm hoping that some of the other nurses who deal with BP will jump in here with suggestions on how to manage the inevitable questions that will come up when you start interviewing. In the meantime, I wish you the very best and hope you'll stick around the forums. This is a great site that's full of information on all kinds of nursing topics. Enjoy!

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

I agree: psych does tend to attract a lot of nurses with psych issues. However, as a psych nurse, I am going to lay down some truths for you because better you hear them now than learn them the hard way.

First, having a psych history IN NO WAY guarantees that you will be successful in psych. That's like me thinking that because I have given birth that I'd be a lock as a L&D nurse.

On a related vein, having a psych history will not guarantee that you will get a job in psych in the first place. Many employers are wary of hiring a nurse with psych problems, active or otherwise. They don't view you as being able to relate to the patients; instead they'll see you in terms of potential liability. They may not be willing to take that risk on you. Or if they do, the first time you have a bad day, they're going to wonder what's behind it: is it just bad luck, or is it your mental illness and you're not able to cope...and will this be a continuing trend?

You need to have a good handle on your own recovery before you come to work in psych. A fair number of nurses with psych issues come to psych because their own needs aren't being met. They see working in psych as a continuation of--or a replacement for--their own treatment. You have to remember that when you are a nurse, it's all about the PATIENT. It's not about you the nurse. It's never about you the nurse.

Only you can know if your recovery is in a place to be able to work as a nurse. I think that at least one year of recovery is a good yardstick, but again, you know your own recovery the best.

Disclosing your own history to the patient...ah, that can be very dangerous. I know that you may feel that because you have a mental illness, you want to let the patient know that you can relate to them. You may think it's the key to your success and to their recovery. However, keep in mind that even if the patient has the exact same diagnosis as you, their experiences and path to recovery may be very different than yours. You can't force your own recovery, your values, your beliefs, your anything on the the patient. You have to be able to let them make their own decisions, for right or for wrong.

The only time I've seen self-disclosure be successful is in CD recovery situations, and even so the nurse is careful to ensure that the focus always remains on the patient, and that the nurse is able to do their job at all times. But more often that not, patients and/or the facility will use such disclosures against you. Especially if you are disclosing that you have a bipolar disorder, because unfortunately such a disorder comes with a stigma that's not easily shaken.

You can be empathetic without necessarily disclosing--VivaLasViejas is right on that one--but you'll have to be on your toes at all times, especially if your symptoms are flaring up. Remember, it's always all about the patient.

Best of luck on your journey and in your continued recovery!

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

I wanted to add that my above post doesn't mean I think you shouldn't work in psych: we love fresh blood, especially those who want to come over to the dark side :)

But please be sure you have a good handle on your own psych recovery first, and that you are not coming to psych nursing for the wrong reasons.