Nurses leaving on the fast train

I initially guessed that high turnover likely due to poor staffing ratios, poor pay, and excessive importance placed on pt satisfaction.

Upon reading some Glass Door reviews, it appears to have to do with poor staffing ratios, poor pay, and excessive importance placed on pt satisfaction.

Psych is also not for everybody. And poor staffing is a big deal.

Why are so many great nurses leaving a psychiatric hospital in Madison?

It seems the best nurses are leaving but no one says why they leave so quickly. They are hired, go through orientation and after a brief time they leave.

I have to ask how it is that after only a "brief time", one can appropriately describe these short-timers as "the best nurses". Is it because they've talked a very good game in the short time that they were employed, or did they actually show that they were worked well in this area, but policies and/or procedures interfered with their ability to adequately care for these individuals?

My guess is that these nurses came to the psychiatric arena thinking that it was easier than, say, med-surg, LTC, or some other area. Apparently, psych failed to meet their expectations, too. Just my opinion...

I did 10 months in a psych hospital back in 2000 (trying to settle in one place instead of continuing with acute and LTC agency work), and when the NP forced the patient care techs to give 480ml of juice 4x/day to a CHF patient (in the interest of hydration), that was the last straw for me. I was documenting that patient's refusal of those liquids, in addition to holding a lot of it as a nursing judgment.

I was "only an LPN" then (so it was, and so it was said), and who was I to question the NP. But I did; the NP was insulted as a result, looked down on me as the LPN that I was, deemed me as not being fit for the job since I was the only nurse documenting refusals/held administrations (why couldn't I get the patient to drink the stuff), and continued with "her orders" (prune juice for bowels, cranberry for UTI; orange juice for Vit C, and Grape juice for cardiac). I suggested one at each meal and bedtime; she wanted all four at each meal and bedtime; and she did it her way. When that patient went into overload, was sent out, and subsequently admitted to ICU, I resigned and never looked back at psych nursing again.