CeCeInMI

Hi all! I'm super new to this board but I wanted to get your thoughts on whether or not it is appropriate to take a tech job that will put me in the mix with potentially violent adults. I am sitting out the remainder of my school year and reentering my RN program next fall. While I have all this unwanted free time I would like to gain experience working in an inpatient psych environment. I want this job badly. I felt cheated when my psych rotation ended. I barely had a chance to recognize let alone develop my skills. I just knew right away that it was what I want to do when I graduated. In so many words I have been informed by the hiring manager that violence is more of a "when" situation rather than an "if" situation. No worker has been seriously injured, but pretty much all of them have experienced bumps and bruises. The support staff to patient ratio is 3:1. Once a resident is stabilized, they are transitioned to another unlocked unit. I would be cross-trained for both units. Is this this a safe ratio? What are some steps I can take to reduce my risk for injury? I am a bit on the small side in stature as well. Should this factor in to my decision? Is this too hardcore for my first job in the field? I'm looking forward to staff meetings, discussing patient progress, learning more about different disorders, and observing DBT in action. There is a lot I can gain from this experience. I feel like I have what it takes to handle the environment. Also, I can be foolish sometimes! Any thoughts? Be as honest as you like! *removes rose-colored glasses*

In a way, it is good that students like you and I get this life lessons now. We are in a safe, controlled environment. We are a lot less likely to do harm. I would much rather make a mistake and take my lumps as a student than as a new nurse with no safety net. It sounds like you're going to do really well once you recover from this.

Thanks :) It is a bit scary to search myself for all of my weaknesses. Thank goodness I have that annoying nursing process hammered into my brain. I've just been applying it to me now. I never have fallen in love with any other work that I have done. And if you are my twin, I know you feel exactly the same. We are are going to get there.

I'm so sorry you are having this experience right now. It took me a few days before I could tell anyone but my fiancee. Somehow talking about it reopened the wounds for me. I could not shake the feeling that I let down everyone I loved. Of course they all set me straight when I expressed those fears to them. I had only one semester left. I have to wait a year to reenter. I think it is great that you are looking for positives instead of focusing on the loss. It is really important to do an inventory on yourself and figure out what led to the failure. In my case, I have decided to enlist the help of a psychologist. For you, it may be different. I hope you will be able to grow from this experience. When you finish, it will be that much sweeter. You will know you gave everything you could.

It needs to be said, my clinical instructor was awesome. She was extremely knowledgeable and tried everything she could to make things as non-intimidating as possible. I had already talked myself out of being successful by the time I got to her. In the end, I was the master of my own fate. I knew it was nobody's "fault" but mine when I failed. I would be wasting a lot of energy on bitterness or blame anyhow. I would not pass me either. I know my instructors understood I loved the whole nursing process. I loved researching my patients. I loved interviewing them for concept maps. And it should be said I kicked butt in my psychiatric rotation. My analytical and communication skills are my strengths. I want to be a psych nurse so those skills will be in play quite a bit. Everyone has been so helpful and supportive here, and I want you to know I really appreciate it. It is difficult to explain to a non-nurse how hard school really is. It is even harder to describe why this loss hurts so much. It is nice to hear from people who "get" me. :) Big hugs back to you Ayala :redbeathe

I cannot believe how many of my classmates have reached out to me since I left the program. Many of them thanked me for how much I helped them in the classroom. I do believe after a year of direct patient care experience and some good mentors, I can conquer my anxiety and my organization issues. I honestly never believed my ADD was a big deal. I also never knew I was capable of having an anxiety problem. It's weird decision maybe, but I have decided to see a psychologist. I think that being terrified of failure is something that might need a closer look. :) My finances I will try to work on as much as I can. However I am poor, so I am a bit limited there. I didn't realize how much my financial situation would impact my effectiveness in the program. I'm going to do this.

I did end up emailing my the program director and asked her about what has been done for students with organization problems in the past. I will let everyone know what I learn. :)

I am on medication for ADD and depression right now. However, I never told any instructor that I had ADD. I have been reflecting a lot on how things got away from me. I can also say my financial situation was pretty dreadful. I also didn't eat or sleep well. Some of these things I can fix. I am currently looking at CNA and PCA positions. I hope I can find something! It has been only two weeks since I exited the program so I have a full year to build up experience. Would I be better suited for nursing home work? I feel like consistency with patients and routines would probably be safer. I would love to hear from any nurses that conquered their disorganization :)

I am seriously doubting if I have the "stuff" to be a nurse anymore. I am reaching out to some wiser, cooler heads to offer some advice on what I need to do next. I did not fail the class work. In fact, I was one of the best students in my year. I shared my notes with my peers. I tutored a few of them. I will even go so far as to say a couple of times I did everything but carry a classmate on my back to help her pass a module. I am a very bright girl. I always have been "book-smart" and I work hard too. However, I also have ADD. I have managed to organize the way I learn in the classroom well enough to eliminate it as a problem. In clinicals, I was up and down from week to week. I could never chart on time. I couldn't get any sort of system down to get in and out of the rooms efficiently. I was pulling scraps of paper with random notes out of my pocket every five minutes. My anxiety would be sky high by the end of the shift. I just couldn't progress. I could perform the skills all day long. It was the organization piece that did me in. It was demoralizing to watch all of my peers that took the program so lightly just blaze past me in the clinical environment. I wanted this SO bad. This has been a crushing experience for me. I mourned like I lost somebody I loved. It took me a week before I could even bear to unpack my book bag. I have the opportunity to return next year and pick up where I left off, but it will be my last shot. My program only allows one reentry. Honestly, I don't know if I SHOULD be a nurse anymore. I don't want to be incompetent or unsafe. I don't want to miss something big because I wasn't on time with my work. I have never really been in a position where I couldn't pick something up quickly. I have never failed anything in my life. I even miss writing care plans! I just want to try every option I have before I give up. Please offer your advice or ideas. Anything, good or bad would be a help to me right now.