No nurse in a mental health/addictions facility?

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Specializes in Pediatric Critical Care.

hello

next semester in clinical i am placed at an addictions and mental health facility (this is for my mental health rotation). i have heard from other students that there is not an actual rn i will be shadowing because there is none in this facility. i will be mostly observing and taking part in the activities and programs that are offered in this facility. from previous students i have heard that there are many programs and opportunities to see such as inpatient withdraw management, maternal addiction and substance abuse, psychosis management, crisis intervention, and more. i feel that it's a little odd that there is no nurse on site especially because this is where my mental health rotation will be.

for any nurses who do work in addiction and mental health can you share your insight in this, in an addiction and mental health facility doesn't it involve assessments, medication administration, etc.??

also is there any advice or suggestions you have for a students that will be doing a placement in this area of nursing?

thanks!

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Specializes in psych, addictions, hospice, education.

I don't see how there can no nurse on-duty if withdrawal/detox is possible, or if a psychotic person isn't stable. It would be interesting to know how this works! That's a big something to keep your eyes open for, and could be a wave of the future??

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Specializes in NICU.

I'd be interested to see how that works as well. While our patient load is high between 18:1 - 26:1, there is still a nurse there 24/7 for meds, assessments, etc.

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Specializes in Pediatric Critical Care.

I will post an update on how this works when I start :)

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When I did a student placement in addictions and mental health, (over 25years ago), I shadowed a social worker. I glad I did the placement, as it gave me an appreciation of the benefits of working with an interdisciplinary team in mental health.

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If I was about to do a student placement in addictions today, I would prepare to work in an interdisciplinary team stting by doing the following:

Find out which mental health professionals are working at the facility and become familiar with their roles and responsibilities,

http://www.health.gov.on.ca/transformation/fht/guides/fht_inter_team.pdf

Recognize that the interdisciplinary team members have roles and responsibilities that cross over with a nurses roles and responsibilities

I would increase by overall knowledge and therapeutic skills by doing the following:

Beome familiar with addiction assessment tools, health promotion strategies and brief intervention resources

Addiction & Mental Health Specialists

Reflect on my personal attitude about addictions, for me, I recognize that I have less hope for sucessful outcomes for people who are in addiction treatment for mandatory reasons then for people who are in treatment voluntarily, it's something I need to be aware of and realize it may limit my ability to believe in the possibility of recovery for some clients.

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

No nurse in a detox facility is a big red flag as far as I'm concerned. Detox/withdrawal from many substances is physically and psychologically uncomfortable at the best; at the worst it can be fatal. It's not just a matter of "oh, let him sleep it off, he'll get over it in a day or two."

If they are in a long-term recovery program, then I could see that not as many RNs would be needed since most of these patients will be more stable and have passed the medical danger period--the focus then is more on developing recovery skills than managing withdrawal-related medical issues. Still, there should be some form of nurse (RN or LVN) around for assessments and to tend to nursing needs.

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heartnursing

Have you looked on the addiction centre's website to see what type of program it is? If you want clarification about the centre and it's staffing, check with your clinical instructor, they will be able to tell you how the centre's staffing, meets the province's mental health and regulated health professionals acts.

dishes

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Specializes in Pediatric Critical Care.

Thanks for the input everyone.. I will be sure to talk to the clinical instructor we have orientation in a few weeks, im super excited but nervous for this placement as its like no other placement I have done.

Thank you especially dishes for all the suggestion on how to prepare, now that Christmas is over I will start reviewing and getting ready for the great opportunity.

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