CABEAU

In The unit I manage we do not have an allocated medications nurse. We work on the premise that the nurse who has been allocated the patient dipenses the medication including prn. If some one notices that a patient is becoming agitated they will inform the allocated nurse so that they can assess and deal with the situation. This is the model we use and this works well for us. Maybe your particular nurse has never worked with the model you're using and is unsure of her role and therfore feels her ability is being questioned. As we always say it could be any one of a number of things

I have been a Psyche Nurse for many years now, some of the things I have learned, 1." The patient is the expert in their illness, so listen to them. ( no 2 presentations are the same). 2. Team work is important!!!!! 3. Develope a sense of humour, remember that people are unwell so don't take what they say personally. 4. You don't have to put up with Bull sh1t, Tell people how it is, but you don't have to be rude. 5. No matter how bad the situation, treat people with respect ( remember they are unwell) 6. Also give people choices

I have been a psych nurse for many years now, and I think it is a matter of coping mechanism. I have firm boundaries which I stick to. I also have a very odd handle on my own mental health. I monitor things like my sleep pattern. If things don't go well, It means I nead a holiday. On my days off, I do not think of work and I enjoy them to thr nth degree. I think that in order to function well we as psych nurses need to no ourselves, It also helps to have good Clinical Supervision:up:

Things go pear sahaped very quickly in psych units, It is good to be appreciated

I have to agree with this quote, working in Mental Health and educating Nurses in assertiveness, this is exactly what I would advocate.