Pediatric Psych?

[uds16]

Are there psych units in peds hospitals? If so how is it? What are some of the most common types of disorders you see at work?

[elkpark]

In my experience over the years, child psych is considered a subspecialty of psychiatry & psychiatric nursing, not a subspecialty of pediatrics/pediatric nursing. Child psych units tend to be in psych facilities and not in children's hospitals (although YMMV; that's been the case in the cities in which I've lived and practiced; doesn't mean there's NO children's hospital with a psych unit).

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

The Children's Hospital I worked at had an inpatient psych unit (and said unit has been in the news a lot recently). The major Psych Hospital in the area also has several different units/programs for children and adolescents. I would say the Psych hospitals might have more specialized pedi units (like an eating disorders unit) while the Pedi hospitals might just have a general psych unit.

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

In my area, they are psych facilities or part of a psych hospitals with specific units.

[canned_bread]

I used to work in a paeds psych unit that was within a major childrens hospital. We primarily had eating disorders and mood disorders. Occasionally we would also get early-onset psychosis. We had 2 wards that the psych patients would go on - one that was locked (suicidal patients etc needing high acuity care) and one that was not locked, and also had general medical adolescent patients on it. This was primarily for the children with eating disorders that were primarily medical.

There were many times when both wards were full and we had to have our psych patients on other wards, sometimes being "specialed". We had such a high presentation of mental health in the kids hospital to the emergency department that we even had a paed psych clinical nurse consultant JUST for the ED!

[uds16]

I used to work in a paeds psych unit that was within a major childrens hospital. We primarily had eating disorders and mood disorders. Occasionally we would also get early-onset psychosis. We had 2 wards that the psych patients would go on - one that was locked (suicidal patients etc needing high acuity care) and one that was not locked, and also had general medical adolescent patients on it. This was primarily for the children with eating disorders that were primarily medical.

There were many times when both wards were full and we had to have our psych patients on other wards, sometimes being "specialed". We had such a high presentation of mental health in the kids hospital to the emergency department that we even had a paed psych clinical nurse consultant JUST for the ED!

I am generally bored by psychiatric units, but after reading about the different types of cases you guys see i may look into it once i get closer to finishing school. Thanks for the input

[LoveMyBugs, BSN, CNA, RN]

In my facility, the peds psych unit is in a seperate building than the rest of the childrens hospital. My floor is a medical floor that takes eating disorders while they are medically unstable and then they are transfered to a day treatment program. My floor being the school age unit also will take the psych overflow. We have had almost half the unit full of psych overflow. These are mainly suicide attempts, and overdoses until medically stable.