Eviene

Self-harm is a cathartic process done for lots of reasons, sometimes just to feel alive, to stop feeling numb, or just to feel something. The usual treatment would be to minimise the risks the child presents and to assess whether the child presents with a need for longterm therapy and whether they are able to engage in it at this point in their lives.

Apparently, there is evidence to suggest that dolphins 'rape'. I'm not sure how credible this is, can't find a link just yet.

Wards in England are mixed, and you may share a dorm for part of your admission, but you will not share it with men.

Hi Claire, I am a staff nurse on an acute admissions unit in England. It is usually hospital trust policy to request that patients' property be searched for offensive weapons, illicit drugs, prescribed medication, and alcohol as they have the potential to cause harm to yourself and others. However, we are not police or prison officers, we have no right to demand body searches, and we do not carry them out. You will probably have to hand razors/nail scissors in for safe-keeping. These items are called 'sharps' and are retained by staff and handed out to you as and when you require them so that we can help to maintain as safe an environment as possible for everyone. There is unlikely to be CCTV on wards. There will be cameras on hospital grounds for security. Some wards might have a camera on the main door to allow staff to manage people coming onto the ward. You will expect to find boxes on walls/ceilings for alarms that flash, like smoke alarms. Obviously, these are a legal requirement. Hope that gives you some reassurance to use your admission constructively. Good luck.

I work in acute adult directorate in Britain, not qualified in using DBT but we offer a day programme for borderline pds using DBT. The therapists who offer this are piloting clinical supervision for staff re bpd patients. I find it quite helpful, but the staff group seem to be responding as bpds would. There's more transference and projection than you could shake a stick at.

Your advice to her is sound, but you're her friend, not her nurse. I'd sort that out straightaway.

I think your charge nurse has borderline traits.

Sorry to hear about your friend. It will be investigated by the trust.

There are situations in which you have a duty of care that the patient does not acquiesce, threfore training (with its black-and-white presentation) is inadequate.

If you have little experience then it will be so exciting for you to learn so much, yet you will always learn, regardless of your level of experience. It is your employer/supervisors responsibility to make sure you're not "eaten alive", and was a very demoralising remark to make at an interview. Your most important qualities will be self-awareness and communication. You will learn the rest.

I've just seen the American state locations, perhaps you run things differently to Britain.

I can't get over the amount of diagnoses he has. Surely they're not all current? If so, his medics need to make their mind up. If he is off his medication, he will find it very difficult to engage in rational thought and behaviour and so communication will be hard for you. The most important thing is to stabilise his mental state.

It might also be worth liasing with your psych colleagues for physical intervention skills. (Doesn't work if a patient refuses to get up off the floor)

I'm not an adult nurse so I can only offer suggestions from my CFP experience in which I was placed mainly in community hospitals and this did become quite monotonous. I think OPD's are a really good idea, and would have exposed me more to the diversity of adult nursing, especially as it gives the cadets a chance to observe nurses' working in a more autonomous role. Or perhaps this is too ambitious and inappropriate given their knowledge base?

I think access to your own computer is desirable, but it doesn't have to be a laptop. If you're worried about missing important points in lectures you can always do what Mike suggested, or have lesson plans/content emailed to you. If you find you would work better at uni than at home then yes, it would be desirable as computer access is more scarce than books. Alternatively, you could do the majority of your work on paper and then transfer it to disk at home. This is obviously really commonsense stuff, but you yourself know which way of working produces the best results from you. Again, be mindful about security. Myself and my colleagues did not have laptops and we passed. Good luck with your studies and career.

I'd come along depending on the venue-I'm in east midlands.

Well done for your example. Obviously the staff need some kind of forum to address their concerns. Perhaps you could suggest this to your mentor/ward manager?

cheers for the advice. Tried an bord without much luck, have been contacting the regional boards for last 8 months -not much progress there either. Will keep on with the Indo.

To see your notes you have to apply in writing to your cons psych. There will be a fee you have to pay to copy them, and the cons can take anything out they don't want you to see. (S)he can't deny you an appt if you want to see them, so persist. Re feeling jittery. If you were on Seroxat before it may be a withdrawal symptom so get your gp to adjust the titration.

I'm looking to relocate and am trying to get a feel for employment prospects for psych nurses, with little joy. Can anyone recommend any good sites?

catz, I'd suggest you ask to see your psychiatric notes or request an out-patients appointment with your consultant psych (do this through his secretary) and try and get some kind of diagnosis and plan sorted. Your gp can prescribe yet another anti-depressant, but if you've had specialist help a gp is unlikely to be able to do anymore. If you don't want to go back to the cons psych, then you could access your CMHT (their no will be in phone book) or alternatively you can be referred to common mental health disorders team via your gp.