psych nurses : please tell me more about yourselves and your job !

[dreadypelicang]

hi there :-)

could you tell me a little bit about what exactly is hard or stressful in your job as a psych nurse, and how do you cope with it ? do any of you have a history of even sub-clinical mental issues ?

the thing is.. i'm currently doing a PhD in Psychology (non clinical research so i am not a psychologist by any means). As much as i love the intellectual and practical aspects of it, i sometimes find it hard to adjust to the demands of "academic" lifestyle : it tends to give me an almost perpetual sense of isolation, worthlessness and insecurity. the job is hard (40-55hrs/week including lunch breaks, i don't know if that's actually hard, but it is on me) and the pay is bad... so if this job makes me miserable on top of that it think i should consider doing something else lol. Anyway the chances of my landing a tenure job before menopausing are scarce so i need a "Plan B" either way !

i've been thinking about becoming a doctor since many years, but was afraid of responsabilities (when i was younger) and of the very long studies (now). i go to the maternity ward once a week because of my job and i like the atmosphere there (plus i love wearing scrubs lol yes i am that vain) i have always been attracted to psychiatry, this interested made me pursue a Psych PhD in the first place. this is why i am strongly considering Psych NP as a "Plan B". The more i think about it, the more i am attracted by the job : contact with patients, actually being useful to them, possibility to do some teaching and research as well, decent hours and decent pay !! it seems almost too good to be true !! maybe my experience with psychology research could even be put to some use ! this could even become "Plan A" when i think about it.

however, i don't know if i got what it takes. because of my job i tend to spend more time with computers than with people (except for the teaching), i sometimes seem "weird" to people who i regard as "very nice", and i guess i am a bit vulnerable in the anxiety/depression department (nothing chronic or serious, but i did feel the need to get a bit helped at several points in my life, and even if now than i am stronger i still work on this everyday and i still have to take a "mental health day" sometimes or ask my friends for a reality check).

so i wonder if you guys could please tell me a bit more about yourselves and your job. how stressful and tiring do you reckon it is. did you ever feel the need to get help on this department yourself in your life. was it your first career ? what do you think it takes to be a psych nurse, and how you achieved those skills ? how burned out do you feel on a daily basis ? what's the hardest part of your job. just put those pessimistics googles on and tell me what you see lol i just don't want to have unrealistic hopes and expectations, and then find out i'm doing more harm than good to the patients and/or i'm unable to adjust to my job once again !!

in short, i would love to get a feel of what it's like to be a psych nurse, and to see if those scrubs are for me or not

thank you for reading ! please share your story

ps: please don't tell me psych nurses don't wear scrubs

[pinkiepieRN]

Well, it is a good deal of what you say, in having

contact with patients, actually being useful to them, possibility to do some teaching and research as well, decent hours and decent pay

. Just remember nursing school is pre-reqs, 2-4 years of classes and clinicals and then you have to land the job after passing NCLEX.

What were/are your plans with the PhD? Have you conducted research?

do any of you have a history of even sub-clinical mental issues ?

Yes, and as I'm sure you can see by the abundance of articles here in regards to Mental Health Awareness Month, nurses are not immune to mental health issues. Obviously, it behooves one to get oneself under control mentally speaking to bring the condition to a manageable level, so as not to impede or interfere with daily life (as is the goal with any other disease management), but it's still somewhere in the background.

It gives you a bit more empathy if you can put yourself in those shoes and say, "Gee, they're just another person, not *just* an illness or a diagnosis."

[dreadypelicang]

hi !

ok thanks for the answer so it is like any other illness, and if properly managed it helps humanizing your patients.

as for the PhD, it's my first year (not sure how that translates in the US education system but basically i'll be getting my PhD in two years if all goes well). for now i think the best for me is to stick with it and get it "under my belt". maybe i'll get a job with that after all, who knows. plus it can't hurt if you're working in psych, duh. i do research everyday but as a student researcher i don't conduct it in the sense that i am constantly advised by lead researchers. this is not clinical research however so i don't know how that compares to the kind of research nurses usually get involved in.

as for the studies, because i already have a BS degree i can take a "short cut program" (1 year preparation accelerated BSN, 2 years MSN, NCLEX along the way) to PsychNP-hood right ? i know those programs exist but i don't know if there are many of them out there though... (edit : there is ! http://www.aacn.nche.edu/leading-initiatives/education-resources/APLIST.PDF)

cheers