New Psych RN

[HendersonRN]

I am a nurse of 15+ years--icu, cardiology, etc but have always loved psych. I have accepted a new posititon on a child/adolescent psych unit. I am looking for any info on helpful references or texts that might help me get a jump start. I am open to any and all advice or insight that any of you are able to provide.

Thanks!

Amy

[Jules A, MSN]

Hi and welcome,

I love the kids! Unfortunately most of mine are neglected at best and horribly abused at worst with plenty of mental illness in the family either way. I guess the best thing I can offer is to remember that most of what they do is geared toward getting the attention that they so desperately need. Many of them have had to fight for any little crumb and that is all they know. Don't turn your back on them, no matter how cute and friendly they may seem. Keep in mind that they can read staff like a book and are often times far smarter than we are. Its a job staying one step ahead of them. Best of luck!

[HendersonRN]

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply. I will not start on the unit for a couple of weeks as I will be doing the hospital orientation first. I will be working Sat and Sun evenings--probabaly when resources like therapists are in short supply. I will be responsible for doing small groups and am looking for some resources for that as well as general info on childhood behavioral disorders. Does your unit have a "plan" for dealing with particular children or disorders?

[Jules A, MSN]

Weekend evenings are great in that you will get plenty of time to spend with them but also can be challenging because they are often bored by that time. We do a team approach but our therapists actually do the behavior plans. Hopefully someone else will write in if there are resources for you because I'm not really aware of any. We see the same diagnosis as in adult psych if that helps any.