No Separate Psych Nursing Course in Undergrad Programs!!!

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Specializes in Behavioral Health, Show Biz.

I recently heard

that some undergraduate

nursing programs

have eliminated Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing

as a separate course

and have "fused" it in

within the other nursing courses.

Uh- oh...

Psychiatry remains a viable specialty

in New York state

as far as I know.

How can this educational strategy

be fair in preparing

it's graduates for NCLEX or

professional nursing practice

in Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing?

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Anything to cut corners and they wonder why there are so many problems in the profession.

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First I am hearing of that. I had one in my Accelerated BSN program in NY, back in when I was in school-- 2002/2003. As a psych nurse I have to say that is a stupid idea. Just shows how little psych patients are thought of.

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Specializes in psych, addictions, hospice, education.

I teach psych nursing and was told that that part of the program will be eliminated in the very near future. Other things are becoming more of a priority to the school. I don't think it's a wise move and said so. As it stands the psych program is very diluted anyway. I think it needs more rather than less. I don't think my words were heard.

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Specializes in Pediatric Pulmonology and Allergy.

I think psych is an important class even if you don't plan to be a psych nurse. Therapeutic communication is a skill that all nurses need to use. And psych patients are not exempt from physical impairments so you will encounter them in any clinical area.

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My psychiatric book is the most pleasant to read. Now if only the instructors voice wasn't so high pitched... or if shed actually had some experience in psych nuursing...

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Specializes in Emergency Department.

I'm in the 3rd semester of a 2 year RN program and our first quarter is spent on a combo psychiatric/community health rotation. This means we have nine 2-day clinical weeks of clinical placement on a psych unit with 2 of those days spent doing a community health assignment elsewhere (so really eight weeks in psych). Every other lecture was either psych or public/community health. Personally I think community health could've been stuck in there somewhere else, like the last 9 weeks of our program entirely.

I really like psych and am seriously looking into my options for post-RN education. Didn't expect that as I'm a midwife and was expecting to continue that direction without a thought!

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Specializes in Psych.

I know that over a decade ago, my university's nursing program had not had a separate course in psychiatric nursing. When they were evaluated to be re-accredited, they were told that they had to start offering one if they were to continue to remain an accredited program in the future. (They complied.) I don't know if things have since changed with the accrediting body.

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Yea.. Ours is built in with our first Med-Surg Rotation.. I believe Psych is very important, you will see this in every aspect of nursing..

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Specializes in Psych.

We have a separate psych class in our program. I'm in it now. It's been a great class so far, LOVED clinical (we were in psych clinical the first half of the semester, med/surg 2 the second). The only thing of it is that we didn't get as much clinical time in psych than we do in our med/surg classes, but my experience was still a good one. In fact, I felt more comfortable in my psych clinical than I've felt in any other one so far.

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