New grad and just accepted a psych position

Specialties Psychiatric

Published

Hello,

I just graduated this May and I've just been offered a job working for a state psych facility. I loved psych and really wanted to get into this field. They are starting me out at $24 and the position is in Maryland, fairly close to Baltimore. Not sure if this is an average salary for a new grad psych position? Any thoughts on this? I accepted it anyway because I want to get into psych but still curious of others opinions.

Also, are there any other people that started out in psych? Would love to hear others experiences.

Thanks for any thoughts!

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Hi, i got a job too in Maryland as a new grad nurse for psych department. I am not really into psych but i still accepted it because i am in need of a job. I enjoy reading and watching psych issues but i dont really know about being on the actual unit. I am still very new to the american system, since i've been only here in US for a couple of months. Im really scared. This would be actually my first job as a nurse since graduating 2 years ago. It feels like i dont know anything. My mind gets blank. I am not a talkative person and im not really good at talking to somebody i dont know. I accepted the offer because, aside from needing a job, i'm trying to deal with my weaknesses, i also listened to others' opinion saying that i might eventually like it. I dont know if i have answered you, but i just like to share my opinion.

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You sent me a private message but I couldn't answer bc I hardly ever get on here. I'd love to tell you about my experience at a psych state facility. My email is [email protected]

:) jess

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Specializes in Psychiatric.

I live in Connecticut and my first RN position out of school was Adult Inpatient Psychiatric at a hospital. These patients are on Physician Emergency Certificates(PECs), meaning they are potential harm to themselves or others. I was started at $29/hr but it could be cost of living and the acuity.

I always thought I wanted to be a psychiatric nurse as well; however, I was not ready for my first day on the unit. I remember that day very clearly…

We were in team huddle and the first order of business was to make sure that all clothing/belongings are checked very thoroughly as one of the patients, who recently got out of jail for stabbing a man to death, had her boyfriend try to sneak in a knife to her. My first thought to myself was “What did I get myself into!”

There will be some scary moments in this field, but there are just as many good ones as well. My favorite part is when you have seen the person when they first come in(be it right after a suicide attempt or psychosis) and then when they leave; you start to see the “true” person.

If I could only give you two pointers it would be:

  • First and foremost: safety. In this field you can have some very aggressive behaviors. I have seen some assaults that have sent staff members to the emergency room. Also patients can get really creative (a patient t tried to hang herself with a sweatshirt). So always be mindful of your environment. Keep yourself closest to the door. Monitor for subtle changes in patients and try to “nib” it in butt either by helping the patient utilizing coping skills or medicate.
  • You are not going to help everyone. In this field you will see what people sometimes call “repeat offenders” that are in and out of care. Do not get discouraged, remember their disorder is usually life-long and you can only help them at the present. It’s like building blocks, hopefully every time you see them you can build on some coping skill you taught and educate.

I worked adult, geriatric and I am now in pediatric psychiatric nursing. There are times when situations can get intense and stressful, but the day will end. Just try and remember why you are there. I absolutely love psychiatric nursing and I hope you will find the same fondness for it was well.

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Specializes in Addictions/Mental Health, Telemetry.

Congratulations! I love psych nursing. Above all, you are a Nurse. You are responsible for the patients just as any other nurse on any other unit. This means stable vital signs, adequate intake and output (kinda hard to gauge with psych...keep fluids up. Assess for constipation...psych meds can be notorious for this), basic hygiene; how's their skin? Are they retaining fluids? Puffy ankles? You get the picture. Safety first! Do not allow yourself to be alone with a patient in their room...take a tech with you, or another nurse. Check for "cheeking". Patients don't always like to take their meds. They don't like how they make them feel. Be professional. Don't patronize. Chroically mentally ill adults may act child-like but they are adults who deserve dignity and respect. I could go on...I love psych! Good luck to you!

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Specializes in Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC.

One thing to remember is that mental health is as much art as it is science. On a medical unit, if you have a patient undergoing a specific procedure, you pretty much know what you are going to do for that patient before and after the procedure. In mental health, you may have two patients with identical diagnoses and very similar symptoms who require totally different treatment approaches. A lot of it is trial and error, which can be frustrating, but sometimes you have to try different things until you find something that works for a particular patient.

Another thing I told my staff is that in mental health we save lives all the time, we just don't always know it. We don't get the immediate gratification and confirmation that our efforts have helped by seeing our patients immediately respond to a medical procedure or intervention. However, something you do or say that may seem insignificant at the time - and you may never hear about it from the patient - may prompt him/her to respond in a different and less self destructive way to stress or crisis.

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Specializes in Psych.

Welcome to the dark side!!! You working a Springfield by chance? To get into a state hospital here PTs have to be certified by 2 docs. Beds at state facilities are in short supply here and pts are usually there long term. Sometimes years. Lots of forensic pts. We just had a pt d/c to Finan Center. She was with us for 5 months before a bed there opened.

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Hi i got a job too in Maryland as a new grad nurse for psych department. I am not really into psych but i still accepted it because i am in need of a job. I enjoy reading and watching psych issues but i dont really know about being on the actual unit. I am still very new to the american system, since i've been only here in US for a couple of months. Im really scared. This would be actually my first job as a nurse since graduating 2 years ago. It feels like i dont know anything. My mind gets blank. I am not a talkative person and im not really good at talking to somebody i dont know. I accepted the offer because, aside from needing a job, i'm trying to deal with my weaknesses, i also listened to others' opinion saying that i might eventually like it. I dont know if i have answered you, but i just like to share my opinion.[/quote']

Hi there! Congrats on getting a job! Even though it isn't your chosen field I am hoping you will be surprised and find that you can enjoy it. How is it going? I'm sure it might be difficult at first, but I bet with time you'll find you start to remember so much! Let us know how it's going!

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I live in Connecticut and my first RN position out of school was Adult Inpatient Psychiatric at a hospital. These patients are on Physician Emergency Certificates(PECs), meaning they are potential harm to themselves or others. I was started at $29/hr but it could be cost of living and the acuity.

I always thought I wanted to be a psychiatric nurse as well; however, I was not ready for my first day on the unit. I remember that day very clearly…

We were in team huddle and the first order of business was to make sure that all clothing/belongings are checked very thoroughly as one of the patients, who recently got out of jail for stabbing a man to death, had her boyfriend try to sneak in a knife to her. My first thought to myself was “What did I get myself into!”

There will be some scary moments in this field, but there are just as many good ones as well. My favorite part is when you have seen the person when they first come in(be it right after a suicide attempt or psychosis) and then when they leave; you start to see the “true” person.

If I could only give you two pointers it would be:

[*]First and foremost: safety. In this field you can have some very aggressive behaviors. I have seen some assaults that have sent staff members to the emergency room. Also patients can get really creative (a patient t tried to hang herself with a sweatshirt). So always be mindful of your environment. Keep yourself closest to the door. Monitor for subtle changes in patients and try to “nib” it in butt either by helping the patient utilizing coping skills or medicate.

[*]You are not going to help everyone. In this field you will see what people sometimes call “repeat offenders” that are in and out of care. Do not get discouraged, remember their disorder is usually life-long and you can only help them at the present. It’s like building blocks, hopefully every time you see them you can build on some coping skill you taught and educate.

I worked adult, geriatric and I am now in pediatric psychiatric nursing. There are times when situations can get intense and stressful, but the day will end. Just try and remember why you are there. I absolutely love psychiatric nursing and I hope you will find the same fondness for it was well.

Sorry for the late response but thank you so much for the advice! It's definitely encouraging to hear you say that there will be scary moments and that even with that you still enjoy psych nursing. Sometimes I've also thought to myself "what am I getting into" but I still feel drawn to psych. Hopefully ill feel the same as you do.

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Congratulations! I love psych nursing. Above all you are a Nurse. You are responsible for the patients just as any other nurse on any other unit. This means stable vital signs, adequate intake and output (kinda hard to gauge with psych...keep fluids up. Assess for constipation...psych meds can be notorious for this), basic hygiene; how's their skin? Are they retaining fluids? Puffy ankles? You get the picture. Safety first! Do not allow yourself to be alone with a patient in their room...take a tech with you, or another nurse. Check for "cheeking". Patients don't always like to take their meds. They don't like how they make them feel. Be professional. Don't patronize. Chroically mentally ill adults may act child-like but they are adults who deserve dignity and respect. I could go on...I love psych! Good luck to you![/quote']

Thanks for the advice! Ill definitely keep these tips in mind. It's so encouraging when I hear nurses talk about loving psych.

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One thing to remember is that mental health is as much art as it is science. On a medical unit, if you have a patient undergoing a specific procedure, you pretty much know what you are going to do for that patient before and after the procedure. In mental health, you may have two patients with identical diagnoses and very similar symptoms who require totally different treatment approaches. A lot of it is trial and error, which can be frustrating, but sometimes you have to try different things until you find something that works for a particular patient.

Another thing I told my staff is that in mental health we save lives all the time, we just don't always know it. We don't get the immediate gratification and confirmation that our efforts have helped by seeing our patients immediately respond to a medical procedure or intervention. However, something you do or say that may seem insignificant at the time - and you may never hear about it from the patient - may prompt him/her to respond in a different and less self destructive way to stress or crisis.

Great point! I think the reason I've been drawn o psych is the fact that is appears to be "as much and art as a science." That's a great way of putting it. I get the impression that a med surg floor seems more task oriented and less people oriented. Just an impression though. Thanks for the advice!

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Welcome to the dark side!!! You working a Springfield by chance? To get into a state hospital here PTs have to be certified by 2 docs. Beds at state facilities are in short supply here and pts are usually there long term. Sometimes years. Lots of forensic pts. We just had a pt d/c to Finan Center. She was with us for 5 months before a bed there opened.

Hi there! Yep, ill be starting at Springfield. Very excited to get into the world of psych and start gaining experience. I believe ill be on a long term unit so that makes sense. I like the idea of working with patients long term but we will see!

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