ChildPsychRN

I currently work on a pediatric unit that houses children from age 2 to 12. The youngest on the unit at this time is 4. The youngest I have cared for is 3. I also pick up a lot of overtime on other shifts, so I see adolescents and adults. Our hospital divides the patients into strictly detox, dual diagnosis, acute psychosis, etc. It's definitely interesting to float to those places. We also have two units for developmentally challenged children and those with Autism. I don't usually work those units because I have difficulty with the amount of chaos and number of non-verbal children.

I came into psych in an acute inpatient psych hospital right out of school. I have been here for a year now. I haven't regretted it. You will encounter psych patients in any line of nursing, as psych patients get sick like everyone else. I feel better knowing I've gotten a good handle on it at this point. However, I was just hired on a telemetry unit with a different hospital system. I never got any calls from previous applications and attributed that to being a psych nurse. However, once I got my magical one year of experience as a RN, I started getting calls from everywhere. I will remain PRN in psych because I do enjoy it. As I am pursuing my MSN in nursing education, I felt it would be beneficial to have a hefty amount of medical experience as well.

Thank you Jules. I appreciate your feedback. I did notice that the pay was significantly less. However, I like some of the other benefits they offer, like loan repayment and the ability to work in any state. I'm trying to stay realistic about the VA. It has a bad reputation here in Kentucky, but so does the hospital where I work currently. It's great to hear from someone who's actually been there. :)

I agree with Meriwhen. I have worked in an inpatient psych hospital for a year, and I wouldn't consider doing home health at this point. I have seen many patients escalate to the point of violence. I am happy for you that you were offered a position, but I would strongly consider getting some experience in an inpatient setting or clinic before going into homes.

Hello everyone. I am a relatively new nurse. I was a LPN for 18 months while I completed my LPN to RN program. I have been a RN for one year and am pursuing my MSN in nursing education. I would like to follow that up with a PMHNP. My ultimate goal is to work for the VA as I feel strongly about serving those who have served our country. With that being said, I am afraid that I am committing myself too early in my career. I enjoy psych very much, but what if in a few years down the road I don't any longer? I don't want to be so specialized that I can't work elsewhere should that happen. I'm sure that I could always get my FNP certification if that were to happen, but I would appreciate your thoughts. Just for some added background, I have worked with pediatrics/adolescents for this first year. I have just accepted a position on an adult unit (dual diagnosis) and will be transitioning from days to nights. I'm looking forward to working with the adults on a regular basis as I've only experienced them when I pick up overtime or get pulled. Again, thank you for your input!

I work on a children's unit and my patients range from age 2 to 12. Everyone gets up in the morning, does hygiene, eats breakfast, takes meds, then heads to school. We have a very structured environment for them. I find they do a lot better when they have structure and consistency as those are traits often not found in their homes. My facility gets a lot of oppositional defiant disorders, ADHD, anxiety, sexually acting out, and depression. I have been cussed out often and the children can be very physical, more so than the adolescents I have worked with. I agree that the parents often have the same traits and the kids have definitely learned a lot of their behaviors from those they live with. I haven't had a day yet where I've gone in and not enjoyed my job. It can be busy and overwhelming at times with numerous admissions and discharges, treatment team meetings, new orders, etc. But I have found that it feels really nice when a patient came in with a horrible demeanor and full of anger and leaves, able to use new coping skills, behave appropriately, and understand their triggers. Good for you for wanting to do child psych. I absolutely love it!

What I've found to be very helpful on the units I've worked is to be consistent. A lot of children and adults appreciate a structured environment and it helps them to feel safe. In my facility we have one person for every five patients. We usually have two RNs on every unit. Congratulations on the new position. I have only been in psych since graduating with my RN in August of this year. I worried about what to expect as well, but I have loved every minute of it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.