Blue4me2

Thanks Mom To 4 but the last thing I want is to pour more money and time into my education. I do not want to be paying off my student loans with social security.

If I received what I put out it would be respect and kindness not a bunch of high school behaviors. Ummm some people think that others cannot hear what they are saying about them or they think you are not around.

Thanks, I have been applying to them since graduation in 2011.

Ummm some people think that others cannot hear what they are saying about them or they think you are not around. Geesh sarcasm.

I am sick of school really do not even want to finish the BSN program I am in.

You are making assumptions that I have not or am unwilling to put forth the effort in order to reach my goals. I have attempted to get into other areas of nursing as well as acute care. I have sacrificed a lot and have worked my behind off to get the degree I currently have. I cannot no matter how much effort I put into it get the "medical" nursing experience that I need to be an adequate nurse without obtaining a position where I can do so. There is little time to practice physical assessment skills beyond VS on a psych unit when you are carrying a heavy patient load and having to handle codes all the time. I do "own" my own mistakes and accept full responsibility for them and I am rather annoyed that you would imply otherwise. I have been making attempts to improve my situation but that does not magically happen just because one tries to do so.

So here I sit almost two years after my graduationfrom nursing school unhappy and stressed. Due to the economic state of our country I was only able to secure employment in psychiatric nursing. I am now experiencing the repercussions of this. I feel totally inadequate as a nurse, I can deescalate, practice active listening and communicate effectively but my total lack of ability performing an adequate physical assessment sickens me. I tried after my first year to gain employment on a medical unit and even had afew interviews but never received an employment offer. I have zero time between work and school (working on BSN) to review and practice my physical assessment skills. When we occasionally get a patient that is somewhat medically unstable I am often at a loss for even the most basic nursing interventions. I feel as thoughI spent eighteen thousand dollars on an education I am not even thoroughly utilizing. After some minor errors in nursing judgment that caused no harm whatsoever to my patients I either want to work a desk position or leave nursing altogether. I went into this profession not for the money but to truly makea difference in the lives of others and I feel I am not doing this. I am tired of the inadequate orientations and training. I am tired of nurse managers who only want to point out what you did wrong and overlook all the good you do. Iam tired of co-workers berating me and talking behind my back. I am tired of seeing nurses who should have left the profession years ago intentionally being verbally and physically cruel to patients who are alone, mentally ill and defenseless. I have truly wanted to be a nurse for all of my life. I am now forty-one years old and I am a nurse like I always wanted to be; yet I am sad and heartbroken over the state of my short career and the nursing profession in general. I no longer want to be a nurse. I am no longer proud to be a nurse. I have wasted years of my life attending school to work in a profession that leaves me feeling poorly about myself and my abilities. In reality I should have seen this coming while in nursing school with the instructors who were always quick to point out your flaws and ignore your successes. I could be an outstanding nurse if giving the right training I might even gain an ounce of the self-esteem that I left behind somewhere in the first year of nursing school. I am at a loss as to what to do now. Most insurance companies want nurses who have acute care experience and they do not mean acute psychiatric care trust me. So where does one go with such a limited nursing background? Please do not suggest school. I am so sick ofschool and just the few classes I have taken towards my BSN have left me nauseated. I really do not want a BSN but feel that not getting one would limit my employment options even further. I do not want any further education especially in nursing. I am tired of wasting my money and time on a profession that is slowly losing sight of its historical foundations and ethics.

Thank you for the reply Commuter it was very helpful!

Does anyone have any experience working in group homes with the developmentally disabled and mentally ill? What is it like? What can you expect? What is the typical salary range? What is the amount of on call responsibility? Thank you!!

I am currently enrolled in an RN to BSN program that is totally online and the most affordable I have found. Here is the website Wilmington University the college is located in Delaware.

I am a new nurse and have been working in inpatient psych at a hospital for about six months now. I was given three weeks orientation as well. I do not believe it was an adequate orientation. When I approached management about some of my concerns like safety etc I got an eye roll and a oh you are overreacting it's not dangerous at all (low staffing, being alone with patients in isolated area) Needless to say I have given my notice. I found that management who appeared very supportive initially was not and overall it was a seriously disappointing new nurse experience. I actually considered leaving the profession for good over this poor experience. I have instead decided to give another area of nursing a try in hopefully a better environment. My suggestion to you is to give it sometime until you get to know whats going on on the unit or units and how supportive management is in addressing any of your concerns and definately watch for high staff turnover it is definately a red flag people are leaving for a reason.

I have only worked as an RN for 5 months and I am done. I hate my job I have to be medicated in order to work due to a medical condition. My co-workers are backstabbing, gossiping jerks and management is non existant and uncaring. I finally lost it had a bit of an emotional issue( unstoppable crying had to leave) today I think my meds may have contributed. I am turning in my resignation and I' m not sure I want to work in nursing at all anymore so I dont even want to apply elsewhere. This job has been a nightmare for me and I just can't put up a good front anymore. Talked with NM today and informed her I will be resigning. Out of all this experience I have learned if you have mentally ill family members realize that there are hospitals that can do more harm than good to a mentally ill patient.

I have been working in psych nursing for the past 6 months this is my first nursing job. I feel like I am losing the skills that I learned in nursing school and have a strong desire to get at least some experience on a medical unit. Unfortunately I believe I may end up being trapped in psych nursing since everyone appears to want nurses with at least one year med-surg experience. I would have liked to have started my nursing career on a medical unit but with the job market being what it is I took the first job offer I got and it happened to be in psych nursing. Does anyone know if employers will hire psych nurses for medical units?

I do not have a union where I work and I am an at will employee. I talked to the nurse manager and she says that she sees nothing wrong with the situation and it will be required that I work there. I'm expecting more of the same if I discuss this with anyone above the nurse manager as well.

Unfortunately where I work they are telling me that it is mandatory that all psychiatric nurses will have to work there at some point....of course I am job hunting again and the market is tight especially for a nurse with less than a year of experience but I am not putting my safety in jeopardy. I have only been working there for two months.

This area is the hospitals idea of the emergency psych area although it is not part of the emergency department and is isolated to itself but next door to part of the impatient psych unit. You are the only nurse back there with no cameras, only a phone and a button to push if you need help. My thing is what happens if you cant get to the button or phone...who is gonna come. No one can hear you there and no one checks on you periodically either so you could lay there seriously injured until the next shift comes on duty.

Do you think it is safe to be alone with psych patients in an isolated area?

I have serious anxiety and panic issues due to having IBS-D. This anxiety and panic was affecting my ability to function at work (until Dr. gave me Xanax), and I am in my 1st nursing job after nursing school. My family doctor prescribed me Xanax which has really been helping with the IBS and the anxiety, unfortunately she will no longer write me a script for it ( I have only four pills left) and has given me a script for Buspar. I do not know if Buspar is going to work for me. I am very sensitive to medications and am unsure when I can even begin taking the Buspar in case I have any horrible side effects (was given paxil a year ago and developed horrible diarrhea and cramps for three days from just a small dose - could not be far from a toilet). I am now anxious about losing my job if I have to miss days because I am not well because of the IBS-D or the new medication. I have only been working as a nurse for one month and am still in the probationary period. I do not really get adequate time off to try a new med that might give me problems ( days off are usually Wed & Sat one week the Fri & Sunday the next week). I am so stressed out at this point and I just don't know what to do. I know nursing jobs are hard to come by for new grads which just adds additional stress because if I do get fired for missing time I will probably not be able to find another job. I have been considering asking for less hours until I can get this worked out, but since they are short staffed already, I fear that this may not be a good idea. I also do not want to disclose this medical condition because most people just don't understand it at all even those who work in healthcare. Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do?

The three week orientation does not seem bad considering all the clients are medically stable and the unit is pretty small and I was told that if I needed more time it would be provided.

I recently interviewed for a psych RN position at a hospital that I believe I will get an offer for. My only concern is that the unit is undergoing major changes (such as being taken over by an outside entitiy) almost all of the staff is new and I was told that many people quit when the new company stepped in to run the psych unit because they didnt like the changes taking place. Upon touring the unit I noticed that it appeared that there was alot of confusion and lack of organization within the unit and staff. Since I am a new grad I am concerned that this may not be a great first nursing expereince... yet I am excited to just get the opportunity to work in the area I want to work. Also orientation is only three weeks. (This is the first interview I went on that i am actually excited about the position) Does anyone have any insight they could offer on this?

I did not get called for an interview for the ED internship......so I am applying for the medical nurse internship. Hopefully I will at least get an interview for this one.

I live in Maryland and graduated in May 2011. I am still not working as an RN. I have had two interviews out of hundreds of applications and no job offers at all. I fear that I may have wasted my money on a degree I can't use.

What kind of questions did they ask during the interview? Was it with one person or a group?

Goodluck with your interview!

I have applied for the ED internship and so far have not heard anything.