phattass BSN, RN

I don't think that before Orlando I would have put my hand up to be counted on this site, but if I'm to gain anything positive from this tragedy, it is to find my strength to face environments like this where many are so quick to start hating. I'm a...

I am so very sorry you are having to put up with this. It is 100% unacceptable! Studies back in 2012 indicated that at least 60% of new nursing grads leave their first job within the first year due to nurse on nurse bullying. I totally get how stuck...

On the units I have worked, we often needed to call the police. It was supported by management. As for close obs, a nurse can increase the frequency without a doctors order (even seclude but need a dr order as soon as you have secluded and only in a...

I'm so sorry you are feeling discouraged working in psychiatry. I think you are describing the barriers that are so often faced in psychiatry. I personally think that this may be a combination of the reality of mental health as well as a tough unit...

I can't stop blessing everyone's heart since I started reading AN!!!!!! The whole office has been blessing everyone's heart the last few days! Oh, you really did finish Social Work school bless your heart

Gosh, it's too late now to change my answer?? I just remembered I married a nurse! Run away fast...very, very, very, very fast!!! Just kidding of course, though I agree, two nurses can be a handful and we never have and never will work together. ...

I think I "get" what you are saying. I'm married to a "head-in-the-clouds" nurse. Head-in-the-cloud got the exact job as targeted in school absolutely against all odds. I would have never guessed it was possible. I'm a feet-on-the-ground kind ...

I've given more long-acting IM's then there are people in Iceland. Each semester I get new students and each semester someone has new methods they have been taught. Some semesters I have two differing methods coming at me from new students in the s...

AWWWWWWWWWW....ask her out! and heed all the above warnings. Good luck!

yay! a fun questionarre! ummm...where is it? 1.) what type of nursing licensure do you have? please check or type your title. registered psychiatric nurse 2.) how long have you been a nurse? ten years or more 3.) what annual salary do you expect a...

I think you are at your best if you consolidate your skills in the first year in one place, BUT....I like your plan to do some acute psych and medical ER. :) Best of luck!

"Making an early warning signs list", medication management, navigating the ___________system, "making small-talk", symptom management....bonus marks if you make them fun!

Yes, if your staffing ratios are good then it's a great environment to work! Have fun!

IMHO psych ER is advanced practice. I've seen people start in ER and get faced with losing their licenses fairly quickly (usually having to do with someone suiciding after ER assessment). For what it's worth, I would recommend at least a year minim...

Oh shoot.....I wish I would have known about all this BEFORE I got my dead brother's initials tattooed on my ankle!!!!!! Crap....and now I can't seem to find the sarcasm icon.

Obsolutely wouldn't happen for me! There is nothing that could ever convince me to sign my name to assessments that I have not done myself. Absolutely NO WAY! Ever!

I read your whole post from top to bottom even though I'm fresh off a long shift myself. Your ratios are totally wack. This is not the norm. Please don't give up nursing based on this crappy experience. Give at least one or two more jobs a chanc...

The best part about every bad shift is that it eventually ends. Hang in there!

I'm so sorry to read your post. I'm sorry you are encountering this. Lateral violence is so common in health care. Did your school cover this topic at all? It seems schools are starting to address lateral violence right from the beginning of studi...

My quickest words of advice....Learn your psych meds! Nothing feels worse then when a patient starts questioning the meds you are giving them and you don't have the words to explain things. Trust me, the quizzes your instructors threw at you are no...

I love psych. It's my "calling" if you will. I find it super rewarding. If you are worried about keeping up med-surg skills then take casual shifts on med-surg units while you work in psychiatry. :)

I've taken this yearly since it came out. It's a requirement where I work. However, this is paid for by my employer. I would NEVER pay that much for the course. Yes, it's useful, but not worth that amount of money. I also find it full of useless ...

As a nurse who has spent the last ten years working in mental health, I have to say I agree with much of what Meriwhen suggests. It really depends. The same question can be generalized to being alone with ANY patient. There is a risk when you are ...

Sadly, I've been nursing for over ten years and have never heard a sincere thank you from management....and only heard two insincere "Thank you's" in all that time.

Totally agree with you.