Psych question

Specialties Psychiatric

Published

Is there anyone out there that only wants to do psych nursing?

I recently accepted a med surg job after leaving pysch, and realized I have no interest In the medical aspect of things. I love the one on one I get with psych.

Specializes in Psych/med surg.

I am with you on this. I start my first job as a psych outreach nurse in May. I gave working in a nursing home a try and I hated it. I hope to become a psych nurse practitioner eventually.

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Good luck!!! I hope to get back into psych as well.

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just offered a PRN position in a psych facility for children/adolescents!! sooo happy :)

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Behavioral Health.

Yes, I agree with you 110%. I could not see myself working anywhere except psychiatric/substance abuse nursing. I did the med/surg thing for a year to get experience (which I will never regret) but I, much like you, hated the fact that I could not give my patients one on one time without feeling guilty or rushed. Med/Surg is very task-oriented, and I felt like a machine because of it. Meds, Feed, Clean, Repeat. I could go into a laundry list of all the areas of nursing that either bored me to tears or scared the bejeezus out of me.

Funny how psychiatric nursing doesn't scare me nearly as much ICU/ED/OR etc. Scream at the top of your lungs that I'm "NURSE RETARD" as you flail down the hallway like a bat out of hell? No problem. At least five different alarms going off at once and praying one of them isn't ventilator related? No thank you! :eek:

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Omg!! I feel the same way. If I was never part of a Code I would be ok. If I never had to be chest compression again I would be ok. Pysch doesn't scare me at all. Med surg scares me!! I don't feel at home there. Lines tubs drains wounds vents NO thanks it's not for me!

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I'm happy with Psych. Been doing it 5 months now.

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I went back to college to get a second degree (nursing) with the sole intent of becomnig a psych NP. I'm now in the process of becoming a psych NP and working as a RN. I don't care for the typical medical stuff either. Yeah, I know I'll see it as a provider, but dealing with it as a mandatory job requirement every work night for 12 hours is killing me. I can't stand it.

A looong time ago, I was a paramedic (was a side thing), and I still have an interest in emergent care, trauma, medical problems you can fix and send home or fix enough to admit and let someone else deal with, lol. However, my school schedule pretty much precludes ER work as here in medical I mostly sit and type assignments or do what I'm doing now (discussion board).

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I agree, it's very task orientated. And to be honest most of its gross. I've been thinking about my NP in psych a lot lately. Well see. I know the medical aspect isn't for me. Good luck to you, I'm glad other people out there share the same views as i do.

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After receiving a BA in psychology and realizing that wasn't going to pay the rent, I went back and got my BSN so that I could practice in the psych field (grad school was an option but at that time there were few programs available). Best thing I ever could have done. Trust your gut. If you love it, do it.

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Thanks, I have an interview next week with working with children. I hope I'm not jumping the gun and leaving the medical unit too soon. I can't imagine doing this for long term at all... I find it boring and task orienting.

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Specializes in Mental Health.
After receiving a BA in psychology and realizing that wasn't going to pay the rent, I went back and got my BSN so that I could practice in the psych field (grad school was an option but at that time there were few programs available). Best thing I ever could have done. Trust your gut. If you love it, do it.

That's too bad you couldn't do grad school. There is a huge demand for psych NPs.

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Specializes in PMHNP student.

No, you aren't "crazy"! I feel exactly the same way! I'm about to finish nursing school and the only thing I want to do is psych nursing. I just hope I will be able to find a job in it without psych nursing experience (though plenty of personal experience with family members, but I digress ;)) The only reason I have stuck it out in nursing school is because I dream of working in psych and even becoming a psych NP eventually. Many years ago, I started out majoring in psychology, wanting to be a therapist, but I was silly and quit school to get married. Well, now I'm divorced 20 years later and back where I started. My first love has always been and always will be mental health.

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