oldpsychnurse

oldpsychnurse

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All Content by oldpsychnurse

  1. New Psychiatric Support Technician..HELP!

    I was pretty young when I graduated nursing school and started working psych. I, like you, was very "nice" and kind of socially shy. Believe me when I say you'll learn pretty quickly to set...
  2. Burnout in transition to FNP

    I just finally quit nursing after 32 years. I'd had enough and I knew it. But since you're still in the profession, I'm sure quitting isn't a possibility. Have you checked into agency nursing? Or...
  3. Keeping up?

    If you plan to make psych nursing your career, you mostly need to stay up on emergent problems and know when your patient is going bad so you can get appropriate help, start CPR, call a code or...
  4. Nurse yelling at patient

    How did the patients react? That's what tells the tale. I rarely yell at my psych patients, but I have worked with nurses and techs who do and generally the patients respond well. IMO, the most...
  5. Annoying words/behaviours during report

    My favorite was back when I was working strictly locked down male psych patients. The second shift nurse always wore a sweater about 2 sizes too small and it never failed - during every report she...
  6. Almost fired for med error

    Most hospitals I've worked at in the past 15-20 years have gone to anonymous incident reports to encourage the reporting of med errors and other issues so administration can work towards eliminating...
  7. Don't be an Autobot

    It's not quite the same, but ChikFilA started responding to "thank you" with "my pleasure." The first time the girl said that, I thought hmm, that's a little strange but ok, whatever. Then after the...
  8. Called a code for a seizing patient

    I started nursing back in the dark ages when there were very few seizure meds available and it seemed like every seizure patient was med non-compliant because of the side effects. Back then, seizures...
  9. Inane scripting

    In reply to the ChikFilA comments: I actually wrote to ChikFilA to complain about that. I told them I'd rather have a heartfelt "thanks" than have some sullen teen, who couldn't even look me in the...
  10. nursing career over 50 in Raleigh

    I'm in Raleigh and you'll be lucky to get on at any hospital that I know of with no experience and only an LPN license. In fact, you'd probably have a hard time getting hired anywhere except LTC...
  11. Positive thoughts and prayers

    How tragic. Prayers for all of you. I hope you're able to let the students know your door is open to them if they feel hopeless. One suicide in this age group often leads to another, as I'm sure...
  12. Intimidated

    What is it you love about the medical field? Nursing consists of a lot of technical tasks, but also wiping butts and suctioning disgusting stuff out of people, providing "customer service" to people...
  13. What to do? Underwhelmed RN, stuck in a rut!

    If you really feel like you need the hospital experience, maybe you can pick up some per diem shifts at one of the outlying hospitals. You could gain experience and use the extra money for tuition....
  14. To add or not to add to resume?

    I'd leave that job completely off if I were you. I have a few jobs over the years that I don't put on my resume. One I was fired from, one that was only part time, that kind of thing. Explain the...
  15. Can I ask why you took such a severe deviation from your original plans? Going from CRNA to non-nursing psych is a pretty huge course
  16. Commuting an hour to work

    I did an hour commute for 4 years. Like the other posters have said, it wears on you after a while, but it was such a good place to work that it was worth the drive. I worked as a travel nurse for a...
  17. Correctional setting or clinical setting??

    Do you like med/surg? Working in a hospital is a whole different ball game. I worked forensic psych for 16 years and loved every minute of it. Now I'm in a behavior health holding area in a general...
  18. I've been a psych nurse for 32 years and never worked one single day in med/surg. But if you want that experience, maybe you can look for a med psych position. I know the state hospitals usually...
  19. Double Shifts

    I've found that not talking to anybody at least 30 minutes before I go to bed helps my mind start to settle down. Also, a Benadryl works wonders to help you fall asleep. And I assume you work psych,...
  20. New ICU Travel Nurse

    I traveled locally for awhile. It was quite an experience and I don't regret it. My biggest piece of advice to you is if or when you decide to travel, get an experienced travel nurse to look over...
  21. Work ethic of team members

    I've found in my many years of psych nursing that management knows what management wants to know. Management is satisfied with the results your team is providing so they have no inclination to delve...
  22. Dashing a patient's hope or just being honest?

    You did a fine job being honest with that patient. It takes time, but eventually you'll learn to let the patient set the mood of some conversations. You say he was joking. That's fine, he's coping...
  23. I Don't Think He Meant To Hurt Me

    You say you can't treat every case like a potential attacker. That is true. But this patient is not a potential attacker anymore. He IS an attacker. You should report his behavior and refuse to...
  24. Daisy Award on Badge for New Grad

    I wouldn't wear it, but that's just me. But unless you come across as one of those know-it-all grads that we see too frequently now, I probably wouldn't care one way or the other if you came to my...
  25. Help me feel better...

    I've left several long-term jobs in my years as a nurse. It's always hard to leave your friends, but you're going to make new work friends and before long the past will be well behind you. The one...