carls23

I just want to thank everyone SO MUCH for your responses! I truly appreciate every single one of you for taking the time to respond. You all gave me so much peace of mind and gave me courage to move on. I will definitely be exploring and pursing different opportunities. Thank you again!!!

Thank you so much!

Hello! I'm new to this site so thanks for having me ? I'm 23, a new grad RN -- May 2018. I could REALLY use the advice/guidance from experienced nurses with my situation... Sorry for the length. In nursing school, I LOVED psych and babies. I decided to go pysch b/c I have empathy for mental health and believe they need all help and advocacy possible. I work at an inpatient psych unit, stabilizing those experiencing psychiatric crisis, which I was so happy about. I love the patients I work with and find the work rewarding, however my job is beginning to make me miserable. It's an 18 bed unit and my manager staffs under-grid. Often we have 2 RNs (one being charge), and a tech on the floor. So 9 patients/ nurse plus charge duties, pass own meds, and doing admissions/discharges. Management has been unsupportive brushing off concerns us saying the under-staffing is dangerous with these types of patients, their most common response is "you'll be fine." Is this normal? Also, my manager schedules us extra shifts without consent, and we don't have hospital policy requiring this. I emailed saying I don't appreciate this and want courtesy of being asked which days before just being scheduled extra. The unit head said I owe her an apology for emailing, calling me disrespectful and harsh. It just feels like we have no support from upper management. I was assaulted at work by a patient leading to a wrist injury and management said they've been "more than accommodating" finding me light duty work during my healing process and they compliment me for doing good work, so I should be more appreciative and think of that before voicing complaints. Is this normal? Or am I being a brat? I feel burnt out and think about leaving the unit daily. I can't sleep the nights before work. My coworkers hate management, so it's negative complaining all day by everyone. Plus verbal and sometimes physical abuse from patients all day to top it off. It's not a happy place to work. Now I wonder if psych is for me or if I just work at an unhappy unit. Thoughts of finding a new psych unit or even switching to L&D or postpartum (my other interests) cross my mind A LOT. Then I think maybe I'm being dramatic and should suck it up and stick it out. My mind and emotions are all not knowing what is right. I constantly question myself and I just need some help/input from others. TIA!