Leahr

Lucianne- Im considering getting my NP in psych as well. I have worked on a acute adult unit for 10 months and completely agree that you need that time on a floor to get a handle on what psych patients are. How long though? I dont know how much longer I have but I know I have to pay my dues.....

I live in Chicago and work at a non-profit, faith-based hospital. I make 2-3 dollars less an hour than the stated average per hour Staff RN pay in a recent poll i saw. The price we pay for choosing this specialty....

sounds like you are unhappy with the profession.

I might be switching jobs at the hospital I am working at. Does anyone have any pointers, suggestions or opinions about the job of psychiatric intake coordinator?

works decent for some. bad side effects sometimes.

I have done this and called the doc after.....

In the sky--sounds like you handled it well.

Lifecycle-Your reply is not helpful.

The patient has a history of violence and threatened to "kick our asses" if she sees me or some other staff members. She shoved another patient and punched a hole in the wall. We have been setting solid boundaries and staff has been staying on the same page as far as her treatment plan. Prn's have helped, too.

What is a therapeutic response, in a acute setting, to a violent, attention seeking borderline?

Unfortunately, thats the chance you take when you work PRN or registry. It has its definate advantages, but this is one of the disadvantages. With your years of experience, you can go anywhere.

She sounds like a insensitive B***h, Not a suprise as most RNs who go into administrative roles are. They love the power.

We have the same populations described by BunnyRN with a lot of the same issues. To all that have posted to this thread, are your units divided? We have one 12 bed unit for DD, one 12 bed for geropsych, another unit with 12 beds for habitual non-compliants and another 24 bed for general adult (this is where I work). This eases some of the tensions, but the same issues persist as BunnyRN described.

I have been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder and on effexor 75mg BID. I have never been hospitalized, though I think I could of benefitted from it a couple times. I think I can empathize well with patients and place my self in their shoes a little easier than nurses who do not have psych issues. In fact, I think this why I was drawn to psych as a specialty.

we have a secruity team at our hospital that assists the RN's. They are really fast and know how to assist very well.