Psych clinical experiences?

virgo,student nurse, CNA · Aug 6, 2011

I was told that the rationale behind this is: You must keep strict confidentially, and it seems to "upset" the patients, to see people in scrubs (white coat syndrome). I did not care for psych, but it is amazing how I wound up working with mentally ill OMRDD clients.

I would blend into the crowd, and really "listen" to what the patient is saying. Sometimes it is really INTERESTING what you hear.

Hospice Nurse LPN, BSN, RN · Aug 6, 2011

When I did my psych rotation as a LPN student, we spent 2 full weeks at the state mental hospital. We lived in the nurses dorm, had class Mon, Wed, Fri a.m. and spent the afternoons w/ the pts. Tues and Thurs were full days at the hospital. I really enjoyed it!

We also were instructed to wear street clothes. Seems that scrubs upset the pts. I now work in hospice where I use my nursing skills and rely lots on the psych training.

elkpark · Aug 6, 2011

I was around back when psych had first started switching to street clothes from uniforms. The original rationale was not that uniforms "upset" anyone, but simply the desire to create a more normal, "home-like" environment on psychiatric units, less institutional/medical, and to minimize the barriers between staff and clients. This was back in the "golden age" of therapeutic communities and milieu therapy, and, unfortunately (IMO), the pendulum has swung back since then toward the medicalization of psych settings and treatment.

I enjoyed my psych clinicals in school v. much, and have gone on to make my career in psych nursing (first as a staff nurse and, for the last >15 years, as a child psych CNS).

ErinRN2B · Aug 6, 2011

When I did my psych rotation as a LPN student, we spent 2 full weeks at the state mental hospital. We lived in the nurses dorm, had class Mon, Wed, Fri a.m. and spent the afternoons w/ the pts. Tues and Thurs were full days at the hospital. I really enjoyed it!
We also were instructed to wear street clothes. Seems that scrubs upset the pts. I now work in hospice where I use my nursing skills and rely lots on the psych training.

That sounds amazing, I would absolutely love to get an opportunity like that. I have no idea what we will be doing for our psych clinical. The city I live in has a small mental health hospital, but it's for acute cases and I think the average stay is a week or possibly less. There are several small group homes but I don't know much about them and I don't think that they are even staffed by nurses. The closest big state hospital to us is about an hour away and was either recently closed or is about to be closed.

They're currently building a new, supposedly state-of-the-art psych facility here, but it won't be open until December. I'm already planning on applying there once I pass my boards.

student422 · Aug 18, 2011

I start psych this semester and we were also told to wear street clothes. I like to look professional but also do not want to wear the same shirt and khakis everyday. What type of outfits do you wear to the pysch facility? What guidelines did your school make?