any psych nurses out there???

hello!

im a nursing student, graduating in october. my clinical expierience so far, i have to say, has been extremely boring! except for our short stint at a psychiatric facility... i really enjoyed it and i think mental health is something i might be interested in when i graduate.

if any of you psych nurses out there could tell me a little bit about what your job is like, and the pros and cons, id really appriciate it!!! :nuke:

[Little Panda RN, ASN, RN]

Hello and welcome!

If you go to the specialty forums, you will find psychiatric nursing. Just do a search and I am sure you will get all your questions answered.

Have a great day!:wink2:

[sunny261]

I always felt uncomfortable during the psych rotation.....trying to remember what to say and how to say it. God bless all the Psych nurses!!

[EarthChild1130]

LOL I thought most of the other clinicals in school were boring too except psych...I love psych nursing! Anyhoo, check out the psych nursing forum!:nuke:

[Midwest4me]

I work nights in a mental hospital...we usually have 2-4 pts up at night; often they are verbally/physically combative, intrusive to others' rooms, to staff, etc. This can be very challenging(dodging the slaps, kicks, punches, etc and some of the MDs just don't want to change their prn meds for more effectiveness), very frustrating(when several combative pts are up and at each other)...very rewarding. We do reality orientation, nursing monthly summaries, LOTS of non-nursing duties like laundry, stocking the linen closets, cleaning, etc.

I am a Psych Nurse. I went to Psych after graduation. It can be a challenging yet rewarding job. If you truly like it, go for it.