nursedarla

I Work In A Small 12-bed Unit With An Rn, Psych Tech, And Social Worker Assistant. As The Only Lpn I Do A Little Of Everything. I Pass Out The Medications, Take Orders As Needed, Spend 1:1 Time Talking With Patients, Do Assessments, Do Groups - Mostly On Medications, Compliance, Pain, Different Diagnoses, And Coping Skills. We Spend A Lot Of Time With Patients So We Have Few Restraints, But I Also Help With Those. Usually I'm The One Doing The Quick Stick. The Rns Do Pretty Much The Same Thing Except They Have To Take A Bigger Part In The Multidisciplinary Planning Sessions That Go On Daily And Don't Have To Pass Meds. I Would Guess Duties Differ From Facility To Facility Depending On Size And The Type Of Patients Admitted. And Despite What A Lot Of People Say, You Do Need Good Clinical Skills Because Many Patients Have Exacerbations Of Their Mental Health Conditions Due To Contributing Physical Health Problems. You Never Know If You Like It Til You Try. :)

I agree. I work in a 12-bed psych unit in a small rural hospital. More frequently than not, the people we take care of have medical diagnosis' as well as psych. We admit from ages 14 and up. One week might look like teen week and the next like we're running a geriatric ward. We get a lot of pts with conditions like fibromyalgia. We get diabetics and heart conditions. The worst part is when someone is there who has more medical problems that have been overlooked because some practitioners see the psych diagnosis and look no further. Anyone who's ever cared for someone with severe DT's will tell you that you better be confident in your assessment skills and medical knowledge.