Psych. Nurse Job

[Macann]

I have been job hunting for more than 7 months with no luck / no interviews.

attempt after attempt nothing happened.

Finally, I am being called for an interview upstate NY Psych facility. Its about 8 hour

drive from where I live right now but I can be eligible for a transfer since this is a

State job.

I am not a fan of Psychiatric Nursing but at this point of time I am ready to take up

anything.

But, I don't wish to end up in the Psych. Field all my life.

How high are the chances of a Nurse with Psych Unit experience, to shift gears

and make a landing into a Med Surge / Pediatrics ?

Help...

[GinginRN]

Congratulations on securing an interview. If you are accepted into the position, you could possibly work PRN based on your previous experience or pick up extra work with an agency to keep the med/surg skills fresh. In the meanwhile, keep applying for the positions that you are interested in.

[Orca, ADN, ASN, RN]

I can only speak from personal experience. Psychiatric nurses get pigeonholed, and prospective employers assume that you can't do anything else. I went straight from nursing school into a mental health job, which worked fine until the place where I was working closed and I had to find something else. I couldn't get an interview to save my life, at a time when local hospitals were running full-page ads looking for help.

[VanasMommyRN]

I'm in a similar situation, I worked at a Private Mental Health Hospital for a couple years as a mental health worker and am now working as an RN on a geri-psych unit which also provides basic medical needs like IV's and wound care. I was offered a position on a Dual Diagnosis unit, so now I'm wondering if I should stay in geri-psych because there is a bigger medical component than the dual diagnosis unit (even though i believe I would enjoy the dual diag. unit more)---my ultimate goal is to get into med-surg within a couple of years.

As for the OP, I know of nurses that started in psych and were able to transfer for medical units- but generally you need to be a go-getter with a strong personality, and they also had tons of volunteer work and certifications too.

Thanks for any input.