MarkRN

By no means do I intend to insult you in any way (if you do in fact have this disorder) by what I am about to write, so please try not to take it personally. I am only speaking from experience in regards to this disorder... There are several reasons for my answer. People with this disorder tend to be very impulsive and labile in mood and affect. Many frequently engage in self-mutilation (cutting self, burning self, etc.). Furthermore, they can be very manipulative and make frequent attempts at staff-splitting (pitting staff against each other). Persons with this disorder also tend to project what they don't like about themselves onto others. It is a combination of all of these things, along with the fact that personality disorders are chronic, long-term illnesses that are not easily treated with medications, that make patients with this diagnosis difficult to deal with.

From my experience, many nurses find patients with borderline personality dosorder, antisocial personality disorder, and substance abuse disorders the most difficult to work with.

I suggest you take a look at your state's mental health legislation (i.e. mental hygiene law). In New York state, we have to obtain a court order for meds over objection before we can force patients to take meds other than PRNs that are needed to decrease agitation/harm to self or others.

I think that those of us in Psych need to frequently do some self-reflection and assessment into what population(s) seem to irritate us the most. For example, many nurses have difficulties with personality disorders (i.e. borderlines, antisocials, etc.) and patients with substance abuse issues. I think an important part of psych nursing is to acknowlege these feelings and share them with their fellow nurses so that they can receive the additional support they need. Likewise, we need to return this favor to other nurses who have issues with other types of patients. This is crucial to avoid negative countertransference toward patients and to help prevent our own burnout in this profession.

We wear white tops and blue pants on our inpatient psych unit. This is the uniform that is expected of all nurses in our hospital. The rationale for this is so that patients and visitors know what role staff plays just by looking at them. I initially wished that we wore business casual attire, but I have found that scrubs are much more practical when dealing with aggressive patients and when performing a lot of care on our medically-compromised and geriatric patients...

I hear ya, elkpark! Yes, acute inpatient units anymore are really meant for stabilization and a quick discharge. I would say to look into the outpatient setting (continuing day treatment programs, partial hospitalization programs, mental heath centers, etc.) if you really want to have more time with patients and their families.

I currently work on a locked inpatient psych unit in a large hospital and I can tell you that we take care of a lot of medically-compromised patients on our unit. For example, my staff and I have had some post-surgical patients, have ran numerous IV infusions, and have even transfused blood a handful of times. We have also taken care of pregnant patients who stayed on our unit until they had to deliver and then took them back immediately after delivery to do postpartum care. My unit may be somewhat unique, as we take patients from 17 1/2 and up (our oldest patient was 101 years old!). We also have many medical issues to handle with the elderly, as we have quite a few geriatric patients on our unit that are often with us for several weeks awaiting nursing home placement/return. So don't think that psych nurses only take care of patients "from the neck up" - we do a whole lot more than that!

From my experience, salaries are mainly comperable if not the same for psych nurses who are employed at hospitals with inpatient psych units as are other nurses in that same hospital. If you plan on working in the outpatient setting, salaries may be a bit lower. State psych hospitals usually pay well, and from what I hear, have excellent benefits (as do most state government jobs). I don't have much experience with the VA/federal gov't psych positions, but I would imagine the pay is pretty good there as well. Of course, salaries are often based on years of experience and ANCC certification as well. Hope this helps.

Hello everyone! Just wanted to see if anyone else out there is starting their MSN at the UoP on May 9th? I will be specializing in the nurse educator program, but those program-specific courses will not come until the end of the program. Are there others who are already going through their MSN at UoP? I'm interested in making some contacts with current students and finding out what you think of your studies thus far. Looking forward to hearing from you!

The hospital I work for offers $6000/year for full-time ($3000/year for part-time) employees who are pursuing a degree in nursing. There is a one-year committment from the ending date of the last class the hospital paid for. They paid for $12,000 of my $17,000 RN-BSN degree and I'm planning on having them pay $18,000 of my $21,000 MSN starting next month. Not a bad deal at all...

It's ok here. Would rather be back down south (came from NC).

Hope you are enjoying Rochester!

Hello everyone. I will be starting my online MSN in Nursing Education at the University of Phoenix Online next month. I decided to go this route (distance learning) because there are no colleges/universities in my area that offer a masters program in nursing education. Furthermore, UOP's program is set up in a modular format that is very similar to the BSN program that I completed last December, and I can complete it in as little as 18 months. This is great, as I plan on going into a Ph.D program shortly thereafter. BTW, is anyone here attending this particular UOP program? If so, what are your thoughts on the program and do you have any helpful hints to a UOP newbie?

I don't think there are many nursing programs in the country that really prepare nurses for the "real world" - whether they are ADN or BSN programs. Of the nurses I have talked to, the ones who seemed most prepared graduated from a diploma program, where they had lots of hands-on clinical time during their schooling. I graduated from a NLN-accredited ADN program in NC that had more clinical time than most BSN programs in the state, to include UNC schools and East Carolina University, and I still felt "reality shock" when starting my career as a staff nurse. Alot of people get caught up in the "which is better - ADN or BSN?" hype. I believe that a BSN is important to obtain for further career progression, especially if one has aspirations to be an advanced practice nurse, and I believe that all nurses should aspire to further their education - whether it is obtaining a BSN, MSN, or PhD, etc. However, to say that one degree prepares a nurse better than the other has yet to be seen. If we really want to get down to the key issue here, think about this: what about adding an additional year to the curriculum that is solely focused on clinical skills and application of critical thinking - a "residency" something like MD's go through? I think that something like this would be very beneficial to student nurses. I know this would lead to a big restructuring of nursing programs and would add an additional year of schooling, but I think we would see a vast improvement in the quality of new grads, and they would be much more confident upon entering the workforce. What do you think? Please share your thoughts!

I don't really see any differences where I work. I don't get any special treatment as a male, and I am not targeted to take specific patients just because of my physical strength. I have good working relationships with my female co-workers and managers, and have never been told or made to feel like I "entered a woman's domain" in the field of nursing. It's sad that these things happen in other facilities. My PCM is very fair and takes all concerns seriously, granted they are presented professionally, objectively, and are legitimate in nature. I made some other comments in a response to the topic "male nurses" in the general nursing discussion group - check it out if you have time. I explained that being taken seriously, in my opinion, has more to do with professionalism than gender. Thanks.