Nature_walker ASN, RN

I agree with what has been said so far. What I'm hearing is that you want to improve your life but you are scared to be "labeled". Now how on this green Earth would anyone know this "label" without seeing your files? Will it be tattooed on you? No. The stigma for mental health is real, but asking for help is showing a strength of character. You are reaching out and the advice you have received is great. As a child I was labeled as dyslexic. I was told I would never graduate hs, or hold a "meaningful job". I worked hard to not only graduate hs, but be in the top 5. I graduated with honors from my BA, my masters and my ASN. I'm slated to graduate with honors from my BSN if I keep the work up. Does anyone in these classes know I struggle with spelling and sequencing by looking at me? Nope. It motivates me to keep pushing and growing. My point is, labels don't define you, YOU define you.

Hiking in the woods, reading and knitting are my go to's when I'm stressing. Camping in good weather is always helpful for me!

I started out in psych straight out of school. I personally love psych and was really excited to start. Like you, I was really nervous about de-escalation and how to protect myself. I found that the team I work with knew I was going to be nervous and worked with me a lot until I got the hang of how to handle things. I know I am never alone on my floor and that people are always watching. You'll find support and watch how everyone handles different situations. You'll learn what works best for you. Good luck and best wishes as you go forward!

This! Being a new nurse is like being a small child learning to walk. Your preceptor can not always stop you from falling, but it is how you pick yourself up and learn from it that they are watching for. As a prector, I know my new nurses are going to get frustrated and that is ok, it's how they handle that frustration that I have to watch for because that helps me see how I can best help them through it. In my unit, emergency psych, I also need to know that the new people have my back when I'm out there with a pt that could escalate to a violent situation. I have my newbies come out with me whenever I am dealing with these situations, so that they learn they need to be out there when things happen. Even if they just stand there as a physical presents, they need to be out there with me. The ones that run and hide in the bathroom when these things go down are ones that I know I can not trust to help me when I need it. These new nurse that are scared out of their minds, and it happens from time to time, I kindly suggest that they might be happier on another unit. It is not safe for them or me. This is not bullying, this is for safety. If I have a pt attacking me, and they are nowhere to be found, well, I'm not going be really happy with them once all is said and done. I know this is for my unit and maybe your preceptor is seeing how you handle what is happening on your unit. She might be trying to make you better without you even realizing that's what she is doing. Not all preceptors are great teachers, but you can learn from everyone, no matter if it is good, bad or ugly. Best of luck as you move forward.

I knew I wanted to do psych nursing while I was in school. I did go right into it and have not had any issues with it. I love it. I have also seen several nurses who started there then left and have had no trouble finding new jobs when they wanted to move on. My unit is friendly to new grads so it was nice that several of us started together when I started. We seem to hire in pairs or threes so that when we are orienting new nurses they have a buddy that started with them to help encourage them as they learn to be full fledged nurses on my unit.

I am pagan, and like PP stated, I doubt you would know unless you saw me at ritual. At work, I dress like everyone else, in my scrubs. I don't wear any jewelry, excpet my wedding band, so there is no identifying marker that would shout "She's pagan!" As for how I greet others, whatever they wish me, I wish them back. They mean well and their intention is to wish you a wonderful time of year. I don't have a problem with anyone saying Merry whatever, or happy whatever. It's their well meaning intent. I wish them back whatever was wished to me because I want them to know I want them to feel the warmth of the season even if we don't celebrate it the same way. I find no harm in this. To my coven mates, yes, I wish them a Happy Yule, but that is a private event that happens in a sacred space for us. Otherwise, I'll happily wish you whatever greeting you have wished to me, because again, it is the intent of goodwill that is behind the words.

Would someone who left the unit for another, but picks up shifts once in a while to help the former unit out be a boomerang coworker? We've had a couple of people leave, but they come back once in a while to pick up for extra hours/extra $$, but are not coming back permanently. I'm genuinely curious about this as I have never heard of this term until I read this thread.

I'm right there with you! I have two terms to go and I'm done with my BSN. While it was not a condition of my hire, I am pursuing it due to my hospital's reimbursement program. I really can't stand my class and my husband will be more excited to not hear me whining anymore when I'm done. Since work is paying for most of it, I'm doing it for job security and if I even had some crazy desire to move up to a management position. I'm at a magnet hospital, so all management jobs are BSN or higher. Currently, I have no desire to do that, however I don't know what the future holds for me, so I might as well be prepared. I have a master's in English, so when I get praised on my "excellent APA skills" I just laugh. Not sure how having excellent APA skills makes me a better nurse, but I'm almost done! I take only two classes at a time so that I do have time for family and friends. I despise giving all of my free time to schooling, so that is why I'm going at the pace of a snail. Plus work will only pay for two classes at a time, so that keeps my work load for school in check. Good luck! Keppy plugging along!

Working in the psych ED I see a lot of homeless people come through. We offer all the community services we have to help them and give them a hot shower and food while they are on the floor, but giving money is a big no no. It's very hard to see people in these situations, however do the best job you can and show them you care about them in a professional way while they are under your care. Get in touch with social work to find out what resources are out there for this pt and his family.

Nursing is a second career for me and I couldn't be happier with my choice. I'm glad I left teaching for nursing!

In my area, outpt ambulatory jobs are 7-3 or 8-4. Several of my friends have left the hospital for those jobs. It seems like a good deal as they are not open on holidays or weekends.

We see a bit of everything. We see all stages of life since we have both pediatric and adults. We see everything from people who made vague suicidal statements to unmedicated psychosis. I've worked closely with CPS, the police and the jail. We are in close contact with all the homeless shelters and soup kitchens around. We are kind of a staging area for people waiting to see the psychiatrist. Once they have seen them, we funnel them to the next steps, sometimes it D/C, sometimes to a psych inpt floor, sometimes back to the med ED for more testing, and sometime we transfer people to other hospitals that are closer to their home area. It is very fast past and you never know what kind of pt you are getting until they walk on the unit. It can be very physical at times. Your heart breaks for really sad cases. We don't often know what happens to our pts when they leave us. Once in a great while we get word about regulars who have commited suicide or are in jail. Those days are hard, but you do the best you can while they are in your care. If you really want to go into psych, go shadow and see what all the different floors look like. Our inpt units are much different than where I am. There are general adult units, med/psych units, gero units, even have kids units. We also house a special short term smaller unit that helps with med adjustments and a small break from their stressors. I'm glad I went right into it. I love it and wouldn't have it any other way! Good luck!

Oh dear, as a new nurse there is always going to be a learning curve. Psych like any other nursing job will have a steep curve. However, unlike other nursing jobs, psych has more "walkie-talkie" pts and they don't like to stay still sometimes. Psych nursing is not task based and more about how you use that therapeutic communication to help de escalate situations that occur. Learning to de escalate is one of the hardest skills for new nurses to learn. When it's done right it's magical. When it's done wrong, well, that means more documentation for me. I've seen new nurses who think they have this down and then things go sideways. Once it goes sideways it can be really hard to recover and learning to keep your cool during this time is the second hardest skill. Psych nursing takes a lot of fine tuning to get just right. Not the kind of thing you want to take on when you are looking for a "more chill nursing job." My job is very physically demanding and emotional draining, but with a good team it makes it worth it. At 2 and 1/2 years in I still have a ton to learn about the psych world. Don't let it fool you into thinking it's easy. Plus, we are always short staffed, so my hours swing all over the place. I never have a set schedule and every week is something new.

I fell in love with psych during school and I applied for a job on the emergency psych floor before I graduated. Loved it and I haven't looked back. It's a hard job, but at the end of the day it is what I want to be doing. If you like it, then go for it.

Are you looking for an accelerated BSN program? Several of the ones around central NY are about 18 months total.