Evergreen09

I am a psych RN and although you don't have to deal with some of the things you mentioned in your post, I can tell you from personal experience that psych nursing is very emotionally draining. It can suck the life out of you, especially dealing with borderlines and patients with behavioral problems. And, at least at the hospital I work at and the populations we deal with, it is VERY stressful. You may hear from some folks that psych nursing is easy. I couldn't disagree more. I think often the people that make these comments have never spent a day working as an RN in inpatient psych. I totally empathize with your current situation and I honestly do not have any answers. I find myself in a similar situation and feel disillusioned by the current state of nursing. I am hoping to eventually go into informatics. Best of luck to you.

Hi, I work inpatient psych and as a RN, one of our duties is to lead a group in an 8 hour shift. The problem is that there is so little time to do this and to do admissions/discharges, passing meds, entering orders (we don't have unit secretaries), attending to ADLS, charting, 15 minute rounds, etc. We usually have one mental health tech per unit, but he/she usually leads his/her own group once per shift. I am curious if other RNs run into this same dilemma. Also, once a group is completed, we have to do group notes, which adds to everything else that needs to be done.

Thank you!

Hi, This March, I will have 1 year under my belt as a psych RN. I am thinking of relocating to Austin from the Chicago land area. Does anyone know how the job market is in Austin for psych RNs? Thank you.

I know MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn has recently hired new grads.

I am a little confused. Do you want to return to psych?

Be sure to follow through. For example, if you applied to a job that you really want and you haven't heard anything back from them, give them a call and say, "I would just like to follow up on the status of my application." Grant it, most of them will not return your call if you leave a message. But if you are fortunate to get someone on the line, just ask. The worse they can say is they are not hiring new grads. I am just sharing this because it worked for me. I got someone on the phone and she said she would forward my resume to the manager, even though I applied for the job weeks earlier, and I got an interview and landed the job as a new grad. Don't give up. It is just a matter of time before you land a job. I wouldn't settle on something you absolutely know you would not like.

I am in the same boat. It is so frustrating and depressing. I really need a job because I have to pay my bills and my student loans. I don't know what to do either. I have started to apply for tech and nursing assistant positions. I am also trying to volunteer at a clinic that is run by volunteer nurses and doctors. I know something will present itself eventually, but I wonder how long it will take...

Hi, I am a new grad RN with a BSN. I live in Chicago and cannot land a nursing job. I have expanded my job search to include the whole state of IL. You have an advantage because you have one year under your belt. I have found that there are so many more job openings for people with 1 year of experience compared to those with none. Good luck!

Thanks for all the feedback!

Hi Everyone, I am a new RN. I want to work in Psych, but there a no jobs around me in this field. My questions is this: Do you think I should work as a Patient Care Tech in Psych, just to get my foot in the door? Do you know of any RNs who would take a pt. care tech position? I am not even sure this happens. Or should I just settle and work in another area of nursing that I am sure I would not like as much as Psych. Thanks!

Thanks, MBARN08!

I can only write from my own experience. Nursing school was very challenging for me. I was an A student, until I experienced nursing school. I went to an accelerated one year BSN program, which for me, was way too much information, way too fast. There was so much information I had to cram into my brain, that at some point, I think I just went into survival mode. I think if you go to nursing school it has to be something you REALLY want because there are big sacrifices - time, money, physical & emotional investment, etc. I am a new grad, so I can't give much advice, but I can say that nursing school wore me out. It was hard and I did not enjoy it. I hope that is not the case with my nursing career.

thanks for your reponses. dolcebellaluna - how do you like your job thus far? orange tree - interesting insights. i would prefer to work in a hospital setting. i talked with a psych rn who has worked in the field for many years and she told me that she prefers the hospital setting as opposed to the stand alone psych facilities for exactly some of the scenarios you mentioned. she told me that, at times, it can be more difficult and scary to deal with sicker patients if there is not a hospital on site.

Hi Everyone, I need some advice. The only area of nursing that I want to work in is Psych. Unfortunately, there are hardly any psych job openings for new grads in IL (I have already applied to all of them). I have seen several openings for med-surg. The last unit I want to work on is med-surg. However, I desperately need a job, so I think I may be willing to give it a try out of desperation. What do you think? Are there any new grads out there working in med-surg who are enjoying it? If so, please let me know! Also, I know folks have commented that med-surg is great experience for any unit that you want to end up on. However, I talked with a psych RN who has a lot of experience and she informed me that you absolutely do not need med-surg experience to be a great Psych nurse (her words). She said that people, especially nursing teachers, try to tell you this, but that it is not true. Any thoughts/feedback would be most appreciated!