Pros and cons of psych nursing?

pigginsrn · Jul 3, 2016

Depends on the on a lot of different things. In my opinion the most important factor in reducing risk of aggression is the attitudes of staff their interpersonal skills and the unit culture.

elkpark · Jul 3, 2016

I doubt there is much new to say about "pros and cons" of psychiatric nursing. The likelihood or frequency of encountering physically aggressive clients depends to some extent on the setting in which you work, and the level of acuity of the clients they admit. You're never completely guaranteed you won't find yourself in that situation, and employers provide training on dealing with those situations. Whether or not someone will find it rewarding and satisfying is an individual matter; a lot of us are "hardcore" psych nurses and don't want to do any other kind of nursing, some people enjoy it as well as some other specialties area, some nurses wouldn't touch it with the proverbial ten foot pole. It can be emotionally draining -- that one reason many people don't like the specialty. Some settings are likely to be more emotionally draining than others.

Best wishes for your journey!

WinterLilac · Jul 6, 2016

I find it interesting to see how different mental health diagnoses affect different people and what treatment works/doesn't work. I find the 2 steps forward 3 steps back in terms of recovery, frustrating, particularly when you think a person is on their way to be discharged and they seem to be going so well then bam! attempted suicide out 'of the blue' (it may have been evident but we didn't see the signs).

Each day is sometimes such the same but also so different. If you have a deep interest in psychology, the psyche, nature vs nurture etc then I think you'd be interested in psych nursing.

As a previous poster said, yes it can be absolutely emotionally and mentally draining; we are dealing with some of the most difficult and/complex personalities that a lot of society can't (or won't) try to deal with so put these altogether with being unwell, withdrawing off AOD, triggering each other and generally not wanting to be on the ward then you can see these people at their worst.

Take time away from work regularly (I mean holidays/annual leave) because it can be a high burn out specialty. It is rewarding though particularly when you can make a difference to someone's life when everyone else has turned their backs. I got a coloured picture with a short note 'Thank you for caring about me, I do appreciate it even when sometimes I don't act like it'. What more can I say?

B52, ADN, BSN, MSN, RN · Jul 6, 2016

How often does one work with a violent/aggressive patient? (daily, weekly, monthly?)

We daily get violent/aggressive patients on our thought disorder unit. (Flakka is often the culprit.) Verbal deescalating techniques might or might not work. Everyone is trained in CPI and sometimes it helps to have a uniformed security guard presence on the floor.

Is being a psychiatric nurse rewarding and satisfying? Is it an interesting career?

It's very rewarding to see patients improve, even if it's just a return to baseline. The interesting part is simply getting to know the patient as a person.

How emotionally draining can the work be?

It can be very emotionally draining. For me, the most draining work is trying to persuade an aggressive patient to take po meds, being the target of verbal abuse, and trying to comfort homesick patients.

Buyer beware, BSN · Jul 10, 2016

Just from a nuts and bolts point of view, I've always felt it was important to be well rounded in taking care of all types of patients. This approach will give to what I call a "push comes to shove" marketability in the workplace. So while psyche is very good, so is working in an ICU.

This approach will also make you a valuable "hired gun" so to speak and help keep you on your toes and up to date so you will never be hesitant to take on any nursing challenge thrown your way.

vintagemother, BSN, CNA, LVN, RN · Jul 20, 2016

I have read all of the 'ancient' threads on this very topic, but I am curious to see if anybody else has anything new to say about the pros and cons of psych nursing?
How often does one work with a violent/aggressive patient? (daily, weekly, monthly?)
Not often. Maybe several weeks between incidents, sometimes weekly, when it happens day after day, it's really hard. And that's rare.
Is being a psychiatric nurse rewarding and satisfying? Is it an interesting career?
Yes it was satisfying. As well as highly interesting.
How emotionally draining can the work be?

Likely quite draining. Though, all fields of nursing are likely as draining.

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3peas · Jul 22, 2016

How often does one work with a violent/aggressive patient? (daily, weekly, monthly?)

We deal with verbally aggressive patients daily, physically aggressive I would say monthly. All of our staff is trained in deescalation and that helps.

Is being a psychiatric nurse rewarding and satisfying? Is it an interesting career?

For me it's extremely rewarding. I have done a couple other of specialties and I love psychiatric nursing.

How emotionally draining can the work be?

Some days very draining, other days are hysterical, and other days are great.

I had a passion for it since nursing school. I listened to everyone who said you would lose your skills. Not true! You gain other skills-it's about perspective.

Marshall1 · Aug 27, 2016

Re: the verbally or physically abusive/aggressive/violent patient..they are NOT limited to psych units..the hospital I last worked at the ER got patients (and family members) behaving like this all the time for various reasons, other units, including the one I worked on (not psych) also got patients/family members who would act out, act aggressive, rude, etc.

I agree w/other posters...physically and emotionally draining is just part of nursing..the scale may tip more toward one or the other depending on the the flavor of nursing one works in but the demands/stress/pressure on patient care, getting more done with less and the "bottom line" budget being ever present, has changed healthcare/nursing a lot, in my opinion, over the past 20 years or so.

Whether psych is interesting is really relative to the individual considering it - for me, I would have ZERO interest in L&D while other nurses would be completely fascinated by every aspect of it. The "interest" factor is something you would need to explore yourself for a more solid view I would think.

tapeitup · Aug 28, 2016

How often does one work with a violent/aggressive patient? (daily, weekly, monthly?)

One perspective... I am on a med/ surg floor. We deal with physically aggressive, verbally abusive patients ALL the time. We frequently have patients withdrawing from alcohol hallucinating. Add in treating their medical issue(s), IVs, and it's quite a challenging environment.

IMO we don't have the training or environment to manage this population.

MrChicagoRN, RN · Sep 9, 2016

On our unit we frequently have patients that are disorderly and disorganized and have the potential for escalation and aggression. However, my team is very good at deescalation and the times that we need to place hands on patients is very rare...monthly maybe.

Patience, CPI, teamwork, providing choices, and forming therapeutic relationships (even in the acute short term setting) goes a long way.

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Sep 21, 2016

How often does one work with a violent/aggressive patient? (daily, weekly, monthly?)

Varies. A lot of it depends on the unit I'm working on as some units are typically a higher acuity than others (just like ICU is typically a higher medical acuity than a med-surg floor)--on these units, I'll encounter violent/aggressive patients more often. But such patients can also be found on ANY unit. I often remark that I get swung at more by the geropsych patients than I do than by the ones on the psych ICU.

Is being a psychiatric nurse rewarding and satisfying? Is it an interesting career?

To me it is. I feel like I'm actually doing something to help the patient, instead of dealing with call lights for trivial requests of the patient or--more often--their families. It's also amazing to see how much the patient can progress over time.

Interesting...you are going to see and hear things you never thought you'd ever see or hear. It's never dull.

How emotionally draining can the work be?

There are times when it's tough. Dealing with patients with personality disorders in full bloom can get the best of you. It's also tough for me (personally) to take care of child psych patients--I burn out a lot faster working with them.

Best of luck whatever you decide!