Psych nursing is easy

Specialties Psychiatric

Published

Does anyone else think so? I just started not too long ago so my perception can be wrong but it seems so much easier compared to other nursing specialties. I love that I get to talk to my patients , sit, and eat lunch and go to the bathroom lol. I know it depends on the floor ( I work on just plain adult psych so no substance a users) . Would love to see what others think, thanks.

Specializes in PICU, Pediatrics, Trauma.
I've hired several new grads. Too bad Maryland is such a far commute Illinois

I'm in California and was just offered a position in psych without direct experience. I am a very experienced RN in other specialties as are you cafe_run, so positions are out there.

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Specializes in PICU, Pediatrics, Trauma.
UHS and other for-profit facilities are horrible because they will cut corners every single way possible in order to maximize the profits. And they LOVE to take it out on staffing. Try to get out of there if you can.

Uh oh!!!....I'm just about to start a position in a UHS facility. First time in psych. Any advice?

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).

The facility I work for, Wrongway Regional Medical Center in beautiful downtown Eiffel Il, is part of for-profit company.

In no way are the conditions "horrible", but there are times when getting necessary supplies is a little like pulling teeth. Over the years, things have been cut out, like free turkeys at Thanksgiving, Christmas presents, etc. And there's a lot of "show", in that the facility has been given a façade makeover and they're big on dog and pony shows.

But hey- it's a successful business which provides a service to a certain population.

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Specializes in PICU, Pediatrics, Trauma.
The facility I work for, Wrongway Regional Medical Center in beautiful downtown Eiffel Il, is part of for-profit company.

In no way are the conditions "horrible", but there are times when getting necessary supplies is a little like pulling teeth. Over the years, things have been cut out, like free turkeys at Thanksgiving, Christmas presents, etc. And there's a lot of "show", in that the facility has been given a façade makeover and they're big on dog and pony shows.

But hey- it's a successful business which provides a service to a certain population.

In general, as long as I am not forced to work in an unsafe environment, meaning...an impossible work load, chronic short-staffing or the like, where my patients are at serious risk and it all would fall on my back, I put up with the corporate crap (within reason). Corporate hospitals are pretty much the only game in town these days. If you can't tolerate it and make your way around the problems, then you are better off working somewhere else. Hopefully, one day it will change for the better. Probably not in my lifetime, though! Bahahaha! I like caring for patients. I like/love being a nurse.

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
In general, as long as I am not forced to work in an unsafe environment, meaning...an impossible work load, chronic short-staffing or the like, where my patients are at serious risk

Even corporate hospitals have to bow to certain entities. For years and years at Wrongway, on midnights, each unit was staffed with two members- An RN and another, which could be another RN, LPN, Tech, or an CNA pulled from the medical side. Sometimes the ratio was as much as 24 patients to one RN.

Then lo and behold, some entity set ratios and Wrongway adheres to them!

I neglected to mention that corporate hospitals tend to save money through inferior merchandise. The computer system is as slow as mine when I had a windows95 with a dialup service. Seriously- once, I noted the time and it took me 6 minutes to wait for the computer to do its thing so I could administer one med!

Also- the accucheck machines. Before we had what I think were called Data Docs with the curved test strip that you could just swipe across the blood drop. With these replacements, you have to approach the blood drop at a perfect perpendicular angle in order for pick up the specimen. These replacements are suppose to require1/10th of the blood needed for a specimen in comparison to the Data Docs, but we're still using same old lancets that were used to stick pigs to cause them to bleed out.

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Specializes in PICU, Pediatrics, Trauma.
Even corporate hospitals have to bow to certain entities. For years and years at Wrongway, on midnights, each unit was staffed with two members- An RN and another, which could be another RN, LPN, Tech, or an CNA pulled from the medical side. Sometimes the ratio was as much as 24 patients to one RN.

Then lo and behold, some entity set ratios and Wrongway adheres to them!

I neglected to mention that corporate hospitals tend to save money through inferior merchandise. The computer system is as slow as mine when I had a windows95 with a dialup service. Seriously- once, I noted the time and it took me 6 minutes to wait for the computer to do its thing so I could administer one med!

Also- the accucheck machines. Before we had what I think were called Data Docs with the curved test strip that you could just swipe across the blood drop. With these replacements, you have to approach the blood drop at a perfect perpendicular angle in order for pick up the specimen. These replacements are suppose to require1/10th of the blood needed for a specimen in comparison to the Data Docs, but we're still using same old lancets that were used to stick pigs to cause them to bleed out.

Got it! The 24:1 issue would send me running!

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Specializes in Behavioral Health.
Does anyone else think so? I just started not too long ago so my perception can be wrong but it seems so much easier compared to other nursing specialties. I love that I get to talk to my patients , sit, and eat lunch and go to the bathroom lol. I know it depends on the floor ( I work on just plain adult psych so no substance a users) . Would love to see what others think, thanks.

Give it time lol....

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I believe it takes a very specific kind of person to be a psychiatric nurse. You have to really understand your patients, and be empathetic and compassionate towards them. It is easy if you understand the medications, expected outcomes, etc. And what kind of psychiatric nursing you work with. You need to have a very thorough understanding of mental illnesses. I've heard people say "never turn your back on the patient!" but I have never, ever witnessed a patient assault or felt physically threatened by a patient, and I'm a small and light woman.

When they have everything stripped from them and every window and door barred, there is not much they could do to you anyway. Plus, when they feel locked in, the stress and fear rises. You must adjust yourself to the patient and the environment. If patient's don't feel threatened by you, they won't attack you- verbally or physically. I've seen this firsthand, and I've experienced this. I honestly do think psychiatric nursing is in dire need of renovations- I still believe there are a lot of changes that need to be made and that it should focus more on each specific patient. Not all patients work well being locked up on a unit. I also see nurses frequently threatening restraints, which where I live you need a doctor's order for, and legally is an assault threat. Restraints should never be mentioned, and I see no need to use them. This isn't the 60's anymore.

Those who find psych nursing difficult, most likely do not know what it is like to suffer mental illness. I've had patients be nothing but cordial, and the worst case was I had a patient suffering withdrawals from a heroin overdose. The only thing I suffered was insults. I'd have to disagree with the majority here and say that if you find it difficult, you're not doing your job as well as you should and you need a better outlook.

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Specializes in Behavioral Health.
Got it! The 24:1 issue would send me running!

It's still 23:1 on adolescent lol....

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
The 24:1 issue would send me running!

It's still 23:1 on adolescent lol....

Well, it all started on a pleasant Saturday morning around 0600, when I was going through the cabinets looking for some dice to play Yatzee

But it's just a little different on the different units, BeenThere.

While, at 0600 on a pleasant Saturday morning around 0600 Safety Coach is going through cabinets looking for some dice to play Yahtzee, on the Gero Psych unit, we are goofing off, making 15 minute rounds, providing hygienic measures to incontinent patients, doing accu-checks, tube feedings and IVs, working with colostomy bags and foley catheters, passing early morning meds, dealing with sleepless psychotic and/or demented patients who have been up and about all night, documenting, and readying for the dayshift.

Yeah- Safety Coach has got it rough, working with another staff member who makes all the 15minute rounds while he deals with with up to 23 adolescent patients who typically sleep through the night and rarely have any medical issues!

This is just one of the many reasons Rooty Payne Psych Tech and I often threaten to take Safety Coach out back and beat the crap out of him!

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.
The facility I work for, Wrongway Regional Medical Center in beautiful downtown Eiffel Il, is part of for-profit company.

In no way are the conditions "horrible", but there are times when getting necessary supplies is a little like pulling teeth. Over the years, things have been cut out, like free turkeys at Thanksgiving, Christmas presents, etc. And there's a lot of "show", in that the facility has been given a façade makeover and they're big on dog and pony shows.

But hey- it's a successful business which provides a service to a certain population.

Well, I guess not all of them are horrible. However, the negative things I've heard about most for-profit facilities outweigh the positive, so IMO, I'm wary of working for one.

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In response to the titles from Daveydos psych career,

I have a few to add to this.. "Who pooped in the seclusion room?", "Bring the cutters, someone is self-strangulating : A sequel to psych patient, blue patient". , "Who pooped in the seclusion room again/this time?", "Code white: mutiny in the mood disorders unit", "Pay per view: Patient attacks staff, is restrained and then copatient attempts to attack patient while they are in restraints", "Whack nurse, grab badge, run!", "Assaulted by a sailor mouthed 6 year old", "Razer in her lady parts!?!", "Polysubstance refused cigarettes, hulks out and smashes holes in all the walls!" And i could totally go on!

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