new role consideration

[sistasoul]

For those who have worked as an ACT nurse was it stressful? Was there a lot of driving in the community served? Considering this role. Thank you.

 3 hours ago

[Davey Do]

Working as an Assertive Community Treatment community nurse was an enjoyable position, sistasoul, however, this perspective is from over 25 years ago, when ACT services were first implemented.

Coming from a HH background, one to one patient intervention was great, and services were provided from a local mental health clinic, so the radius was within 10-15 miles.

Non-med compliance resulting in an exacerbation of psychiatric symptoms is a paramount reason for hospitalization, which is a primary area of concern and is meant to be decreased through ACT intervention.

Good luck!

[FolksBtrippin, BSN, RN]

I loved working on my first ACT team. There was a lot of driving for sure, but we had company cars. We were very successful at keeping people out of the hospital and jail. We mostly kept people housed as well, and some folks even got well enough to maintain part time jobs and personal relationships. It's a really great model for helping people with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, with or without co occurring homelessness and substance use disorders but ACT does not work well for the personality disorders. Also, it's not really the best type of thing for people who mainly have IDD. Sometimes it is misapplied in these ways.
 

I tried working for another ACT team years later, and it was not as well run as the first one, and I didn't like it as much. Lots of micromanagement from that group which I did not appreciate, and the interventions seemed to be based on what was convenient for the understaffed team, rather than what was right for the patient. I don't hold this against ACT in general, I just think the company was a bad nonprofit. 
 

You will not like ACT if you are averse to dirty houses, if you need a highly organized environment to function, if you don't like being alone with psych patients. In general, I think nursing attracts people who like order and this is often the problem for nurses when it comes to ACT. It's a messier job than most.
 

You will like ACT if you would rather be in the community than in the hospital or office setting, if you tend to be more laid back, if you enjoy interacting with people on the fringe, if you prefer having most of your time to work alone with a short period of team meeting every day.