penelopelp

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1. Anyone NEVER been hit/hurt working psych?

   penelopelp replied to kingvonnBSN2017's topic in Psychiatric

   We have our own training. It’s similar to CPI which I did at a previous facility. The biggest issue is that they keep sending was assaultive patients to a unit that is already hot. We are already...

2. Anyone NEVER been hit/hurt working psych?

   penelopelp replied to kingvonnBSN2017's topic in Psychiatric

   I may have just been extra sensitive. I’m not used to being questioned by management like that—it felt like an interrogation. Staff were assaulted that day by another patient, and I probably was...

3. Anyone NEVER been hit/hurt working psych?

   penelopelp replied to kingvonnBSN2017's topic in Psychiatric

   We are having more and more nurses assaulted at my hospital and it is really making me anxious. I haven’t been seriously assaulted as a nurse—some light punches, a kick, spit on. However, there...

4. Are certain days busier than others??

   penelopelp replied to Squeaky44's topic in Psychiatric

   Both Mondays and Fridays are busy in the facilities where I have worked because that’s when there are the most discharges and

5. Would you ever give a lower dose of a psych medicine to a patient if that patient demanded it without a provider order?

   penelopelp replied to A Hit With The Ladies's topic in Psychiatric

   If you call the doctor and they say give 500 oral or 500 I'm, then that’s what you have to do. I wouldn’t give the lower dose without the doctor’s

6. Looking into psychiatric nursing

   penelopelp replied to HiddenShadow20's topic in Psychiatric

   Psych nursing is in general easier on the physical body, but stressful to the mind. There is a risk of getting hurt by a patient. Sometimes we have to run and have to duck or twist away from a...

7. COVID19 Screening

   penelopelp replied to DeDe245's topic in Psychiatric

   My facility doesn’t screen staff. Our patients just get a basic screening of if they are having symptoms. Our census is low—probably because everyone is staying away from

8. Psych nursing under Covid-19

   penelopelp posted a topic in Psychiatric

   I’m curious what everyone’s psych units are looking like right now. Are you seeing fewer or more patients? Are your patients social distancing while on the unit? Are your patients still sharing...

9. Immediately medicate patients around the clock or redirect?

   penelopelp replied to The0Walrus's topic in Psychiatric

   It depends on the situation. If a patient is starting to get agitated and they have a history of violence, I usually try to medicate early before there is an emergency. You wouldn’t withhold pain...

10. Why did you choose psych nursing?

    penelopelp replied to FloForLyfe's topic in Psychiatric

    My mom has severe mental illness. I’ve had my own challenges with depression/anxiety, and I’ve had friends with various mental illnesses. I don’t necessarily believe that there are “bad”...

11. New grad - best place to start?

    penelopelp replied to Rionoir's topic in Psychiatric

    I’ve only had experience in a couple of states so I can only speak to what I’ve seen. Of course substance abuse and psychiatric illnesses goes hand in hand. We have a lot of patients with...

12. New grad - best place to start?

    penelopelp replied to Rionoir's topic in Psychiatric

    Detox units are different because of the medical treatment. I work on an inpatient psych unit and we don’t have detox patients. Yea, we have patients who could be having withdrawals and they are on...

13. Are there less dangerous areas of Psych Nursing than Inpatient Psych?

    penelopelp replied to Naturally Brilliant's topic in Psychiatric

    I was moved from my inpatient unit to outpatient clinic for about 6 weeks. That was very safe. I found it boring. I was doing med refills, calling back patients who had questions/concerns for the...

14. New grad - best place to start?

    penelopelp replied to Rionoir's topic in Psychiatric

    I’m glad to hear it is a good RTC. Congrats on the interview. That’s

15. Non advanced practice MSN as a psych nurse?

    penelopelp replied to Nurse Magnolia's topic in Psychiatric

    I have an MSN in nursing education. My employer paid for it 100%. I might not have gotten it if I had to pay full tuition. I don’t know how much it has helped me. I recently moved to a new state and...