Nursing for dummies

Published

Obviously the title is meant to be tongue-in-cheek...

But I'm a new grad psych nurse. I just started my first job (it's PSYCH, keep in mind please) and am having some major anxiety and the cause is my lack of medical knowledge.

It took me almost 1.5 years to land a job, and I wanted to be in psych. By the time I started, I had lost a ton of my medical knowledge from school. I understand that it's my responsibility to keep my knowledge up, but I'm unsure of how to go about it right now.

Basically, I feel as if I learned nothing in school. I have recently had to refresh myself on some pretty basic stuff, and I'm feeling very unconfident in my knowledge.

I'm wondering how the best way to really refresh myself is at this point. Just randomly looking up info as I come across something I don't know doesn't seem to be cutting it - I feel as if I need to start over...

Do I do a nurse refresher course? Enroll in A&P again and just audit the course? I realize I can do a lot on my own, but I would almost prefer to enroll in something. If I do it on my own, does anyone know any great resources?

I hope this doesn't come across as irresponsible - I understand new nurses often feel clueless, but I truly believe I need to do more than your typical new grad here. The psych hospital does minimal medical care, so I am unlikely to learn much on the job.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Start by reading up on medical conditions you encounter regularly (I know you are psych, but people do have physical health concerns even in a psych setting), and also lab work you might see on your patients so you can understand why they are important.

An example would be diabetes.

Then as you encounter different people with different existing physical health conditions, make note of them and research.

Your colleagues are also a good source of knowledge, so use them!

Good luck!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

thanks, this is what've I currently been doing and it's the plan for now.

But I'm still curious about some courses, etc. I would really like to just be much more knowledgable about the entire body, disease processes, etc. I had a lot of anxiety during school which I think hindered my learning. Now that I'm out and can really apply the knowledge to my everyday work life, I think I will get more out of some instruction.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Go to your local community college, and ask to take a couple of courses. You could take whatever they offer. There's a number of community schools that have online courses as well--for adult ed, seek those out.

Get the study materials and start to work on your Psych RN certification. Take an IV therapy course, get wound care certified, take an ACLS course. You could also take a local EMT course, then onto Paramedic. Both touch on various A&P, conditions, treatments....

See if the local high school will allow you to sit in on some AP courses, allow you to buy the books, or to lead a study group of AP students after school where you can all learn from each other. Even the community colleges have study groups.

Take advantage of any and all adult ed courses in your community. Take advantage of your company's nurse educator--suggesting and attending various courses.

Best of luck in your endevours.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Hang on just a minute here . . .

Nursing education prepares novice "generalists" with the expectation that this is a foundation for further development - either continuing practice in a general area, or moving into a specialty. OP's clinical practice is in psych. This is a nursing specialty. In-depth knowledge of Krebs Cycle or esoteric information about unusual pathogens is probably not even relevant to OP's practice.

Since OP is practicing in the area that s/he sought - I would encourage OP to take pride in that accomplishment by advancing knowledge and skills in psych rather than bemoaning the loss of general information that was needed to pass NCLEX.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

Moving to the Psychiatric Nursing Forum.

Welcome to the dark side!

To add to the previous recommendations, a good psych overview/refresher book to have is Psychiatric Nursing Made Incredibly Easy. I've been doing this for 4+ years and still thumb through my copy. I have another book that I look through but the book is at home and I'm not, and I can't remember its name.

A great journal to subscribe to is the Journal of Psychosocial Nursing. That will proviude you with current psych/mental health information.

If you haven't done so yet, join the American Psychiatric Nurses' Association (Home - American Psychiatric Nurses Association). It's a great resource, offers networking opportunities, and comes with another handy keep-my-knowledge-up-to-date journal.

To keep your non-psych nursing skills up, the Lippincott Manual already suggested is a good idea. Also consider subscribing to a broader nursing journal such as NMIE and Nursing 2013. And of course, you can look up CEU articles (and even take the CEUs for credit!) online.

What I like to do is whenever I encounter a medical condition that I need to brush up on, I make a note to look it up either later in the shift or at home. Then I give myself a mini-refresher on it.

If you really want to get into the pathology of diseases, then you need to get a patho textbook...or Pathology Made Incredibly Easy :)

And don't be so hard on yourself. You were out of school for 18 months, so it's understandable that some knowledge has gotten rusty. Also, just because you're at a facility where there's minimal medical care doesn't mean you won't be learning much: remember, you are in psych--you'll be learning a somewhat different skill set, that's all.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Psych/AOD.

After getting my RN license it took me a little over a year to land my first nursing job and I landed in a psych/AOD crisis facility. I definitely lost some of my hard earned medical knowledge in the year it took me to find a job. I too had high anxiety levels those first months and often felt like a real idiot. I still feel that way some days. Even basic information about diabetes and blood pressure problems had partially left my brain. I started writing out notes for myself. For example, for diabetes I made notes about the different kinds, normal/abnormal blood sugars, signs/symptoms, medications, instructions for giving insulin, etc... I did and still do this for any new disease or medical problem that I encounter that I am not familiar with. I review and refer back to my own notes often. As a nurse I do not feel it is essential to know everything, but I do feel it is essential to know where to look to find information when needed. You will encounter many medical conditions when dealing with psych patients and it's good to see that you care about being more knowledgeable.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Leadership, Psych, HomeCare, Amb. Care.

+1 to Mariwhen & HouTx

Learn the psych stuff, learn about Axis I and II, EPS, major medication groups, etc and just sign up for some online CEU for updates in DM, CHF, etc

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in psych, addictions, hospice, education.

Mr Chicago....the Axis information isn't going to be used anymore, according to the new DSM-V. There's really alot of change happening--new diagnoses, new spectrums of disorders. My eyes are kind of twirling about it!

I love the "....Made Incredibly Easy" books. They're so much more easy to understand than textbooks!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.
Mr Chicago....the Axis information isn't going to be used anymore, according to the new DSM-V. There's really alot of change happening--new diagnoses, new spectrums of disorders. My eyes are kind of twirling about it!

I love the "....Made Incredibly Easy" books. They're so much more easy to understand than textbooks!

I have the pocket DSM-V in my bag. I keep meaning to get around to reading it, but I never have the time to at work :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Leadership, Psych, HomeCare, Amb. Care.
Mr Chicago....the Axis information isn't going to be used anymore, according to the new DSM-V. There's really alot of change happening--new diagnoses, new spectrums of disorders. My eyes are kind of twirling about it!

Quite true, but V hasnt been accepted by all, and many insurances still rely on it. Plus, the axis system is conceptually helpful IMHO

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion