armywifeRN

Please, please follow your heart. There are people who will give you a hard time because you want to be a nurse and will say it's too hard, you're too old, but DON'T listen! There are so many environments a nurse (male & female) can work. If you don't like bedside, you can work in a clinic. You don't like clinic, you can work in surgery, you don't like blood, you can work Psych...etc...Just think about it like this-you won't know unless you give it a shot. And as for age-total LIE. I started nursing school at 33-graduated at 35 and at 38 am going to start my BSN. 3 years from now you will still be 3 years older. You can be a nurse at 33 or just wish you were. Think about it and follow your dream! Best of luck to you. We need men in the field!!

WOW. I work at an inpatient psych hospital and I am going to have to check our policy on theraperutic holds. If I have to be concerned with termination when I am attempting to protect an out of control patient (and the people around him/her) I may have to duck behind my desk instead!! (just kiding) At our hospital we call a code so that other staff are available to help. We are told to never attempt a hold alone and we utilize verbal deesculation first. But, when you have 6 year olds, and only 2 staff members on the unit, sometimes we have to do the best we can. Luckily we have supervisors who listen and would definately review the tapes before firing any of us. It sounds like your work environment was NOT as supportive as it should have been. Good luck in your new job search and if you like Psych nursing do not give up on it. Best of luck to you.

Good luck with the interview!!

I could not help but to respond to this thread. How immature it is to think you would never get caught cheating. The fact is, you SHOULD be caught by your own concience. If you do not know your drug calculations and have to cheat, who are you going to cheat from when you have to pass meds on patients? It's not just a degree you're getting, it learning the tools needed to be a professional with integrity.

It's been a while since I posted on here. While I enjoyed my school nursing job, I am finding Psychiatric nursing to be my cup of tea. I LOVE it! The school nursing definately prepared me for my current job. Best of luck to all of you in the job you choose )

Not exactly sure how to send you a private message, but wanted to post anyways. At the facility I work at you need to be a HS graduate and be able to pass a background check and a drug screen. If Psych nursing interests you I would encourage you to apply once you graduate to the closest facility. It's an awesome field and one I personally take a lot of pride in working in. Best of luck to you!!

google psych hospitals in your area. that's how I located the facility I work at. It was not listed on job websites or the newspaper. Experienced psych nurses are such an incredible asset, especially for nurses like myself who are new to this field of nursing. Keep trying! Best of luck to you.

I have just recently started working at an inpatient psych hospital as an RN and I completely see where you are coming from. I try my best to talk and interact with my patients, but as the charge nurse I also have to (depending on the unit) pass meds, take md orders, answer the phones, talk to parents, do 1-2 nursing groups and paper charting on as many as 22 patients. It can all be overwhelming and time consuming. But on the days when I have the staffing I need, I do get out into the day room and see how the patients are doing. I try my best to have 1 on 1 conversations with the pts. who are needing a listening ear. If you love working as a tech, trust me, you will love being their nurse as well. Do not worry about what the other nurses think about you, be the leader in how things should be done. Best of luck to you. I hope you are as happy in your career as I am in mine )

Thank you for your comments. I did accept the school nurse job and have completed my 1st year. I will start my 2nd year in a few weeks. Although I love the job and will continue because of the hours, I wish there was a way I could work in a hospital setting so that I can build more marketable nursing skills. (shots, IV's, wound care, etc...) But, the job is very rewarding and working in a high school setting is a lot of fun, I hope you are able to get the job and see for yourself! best of luck to you!

Hey everyone, I graduated this May, passed boards in June and was hired for my first nursing job as a school nurse. At first I thought it was going to be an awesome job because of the hours...but now I'm scared as I have NO experience as a nurse and everyone kept saying to me "your a nurse, so you know"...anyone else going through this? Am I making a mistake by not starting out my career in a hospital?? My husband is overseas and we have a 4 year old in childcare which is why I had to find a job with daytime hours. I am going to try and do PRN at our 1 local hospital. Thanks for your input!!:monkeydance: