RNcashy89

Let me start with a huge preemptive thank you to anyone who can provide insight on this matter, it has been causing me a lot of stress. My wife has been offerred a job to commence in Toronto in Aug/September 2015. I am an Australian Registered Nurse,...

Thanks guys. Anyway, Ill just have to satisfy the requirements for general registration prior to looking for a job.

In Australia - international nurses with a psychiatric background can received registration to practice only within a mental health setting. Hence my query.

Recently, in their vast wisdom and without consulting clinical staff, management have screwed a hotel-style reception bell to the desk of the nurses station within my psych unit. I want to hear from experienced psych nurses; is it as obvious to you, ...

Hahaha I think you have nailed it!

I am aware of rare cases of adverse interaction between Haldol and Lithium which can lead to an encephalopathic syndrome which could be categorized by weakness, lethargy, tremulousness, EPSE, confused state, you need to monitor patients who are recei...

Not sure if this will be directly helpful to you. If I interpret what you are feeling correctly, its a form of performance anxiety. In my graduate year I was giving probably my 10000th IMI one day when one of the more intimidating psychiatrists came ...

General med/surgical trained nurse on a psych ward (generally) = as useless as a psych trained nurse on a general med/surgical ward (generally). AS mentioned, the knowledge practice gap is just as evident. Furthermore, I will always argue that a high...

Exactly. Reason #1 : high potential and likelihood of misuse. By demented patients, developmentally challenged patients, hypomanic patients etc. Not to mention that it is FIXED to the counter, so it can not be removed or silenced at any time.

You have some options/techniques as far as redirection and deescalation of acutely psychotic or hypo manic patients - however, ultimately their level of receptiveness will depend on their own capacity for emotional regulation and rationalisation. Man...

My dear god, this sounds like a bad dream. It is phenomenally inappropriate for such an individual to be treated within the facility you describe. I'm very ignorant re: international health care law, but in my neck of the woods said individual is a c...

Indeed. I too find swearing to be remarkably therapeutic :)

If this is the individual's genuine presentation, it would almost certainly be due to ortho hypo - if anything related to actual position change. +1 for Mandychelle. I feel grossly uneducated to comment on the gas exchange factor :) - but the above c...

Psych nursing is different, not easy. Certainly there is less task orientation than in a med/surg ward. I work with a lot of task oriented individuals - often they are the ones swanning around a psych ward waxing lyrical about how quiet and lovely it...

By definition, the context you have addressed was form of manipulation. You were manipulating your own pain - please don't see the word "manipulate" as having any particular connotation (negative or otherwise). Furthermore, I clearly stated that "not...

Australia :)

A bit off topic (maybe) - but after years as a psych nurse, I feel like I am invincible in any argument against my wife/ non-psych friends etc. Haha, you can always reframe, always deflect, always promote direction. Additionally, I am much calmer in ...

Agree with above poster. Within my facility, sharing your own psychiatric history with a patient would likely result in a formal warning. Boundaries, boundaries, boundaries.

Dealing with severe incidences of self harm (ie the amputation of a limb or suicide) will effect everyone - but always to varying degrees. I was involved in a severe incident recently, and could not sleep for three days after the event. However, now ...

Deliberate self harm, particularly via superficial cutting, is a manipulative action. Not all self harm is the product of emotional distress. It can be a form of revenge, and certainly as a method of eliciting attention. It forces an emotional respon...