CarolineR

I went into psych nursing right out of school. I loved it. I found it an easy transition. Every once in awhile we would get a patient with more medical diagnoses and so we would learn how to care for pts with feeding tubes and wound care and of course are always giving injections... Now, after 4 years on psych, I've decided I need a change, and applied to surgery. What a shock! Its a big learning curve. Im still glad I did the psych nursing because I know I like it, but its a difficult change when you switch areas. Perhaps if you start with psych and decide one day to change areas, pick a less stressful unit rather than surgery so it is not such a big change. It is true that you use psych nursing wherever you go.. but I also think its a good idea to have a solid med/surg background, as that is the backbone of nursing.