PSYCH RN to ER RN advice!!??

[Liz12345]

Hello Fellow nurses! I am a psych RN who has been working for 7 years in inpt behavioral health and I am now fortunate enough to make the move to the Emergency Dept where I have ALWAYS wanted to work. I know I have a steep learning curve ahead of me and of course am nervous about my nursing skills despite working on a medical /psych service ( we hang fluids, G-tubes, foleys ect) Any words of advice in making this transition to the ER? I am really excited about making this transition but nervous too!!

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Moved to the Emergency Nursing forum to elicit replies from those who work in emergency departments. Good luck to you.

[emtb2rn, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

With your background it sounds like you'll fit in well. Your psych experience will be used often.

[Lunah, MSN, RN]

What size ED — small/community, large/trauma center? How long is your orientation?

Congrats on this move! :) I always suggest handy pocket books, like the "Emergency & Critical Care Pocket Guide," I love that thing. It's a great reference and well organized.

[Liz12345]

Hi

It is a small community hospital ED not a designated trauma center, but a busy place with no shortage of drugs/ETOH and psych coming in in addition to typical flank pain, CP abd pain ect, sprains lacerations GI bleeds ect. I am super excited about the move as I have been eager to obtain more clinical skills but of course am nervous about my hands on skills that in inpt psych were used inconsistently. Just looking for any guidance to help make this transition go well., The plus side is I have worked in the ED for a year in a different capacity (psych clinician) so I know most of the ED nursing staff and doctors who are all very supportive of my move. My orientation will probably be for as long as I need it!! I start in July.

[NurseOnAMotorcycle, ASN, RN]

You're going to be great! The first year will be tough, but it's tough for everyone and it will NOT be because you came from psych. It will be because you came from a floor to the ER.

Im jealous that your ER will have a psych nurse available. We don't.

[bebbercorn]

Agree with Nurseonamotorcycle... my last shift I had 3 psych holds. Your expertise will be highly valued.

[ReadyToListen, CNA, EMT-B]

ER staff love it when former psych staff join the team!! As PPs have said, there is an abundance of psych holds even in a small ER and guess who gets to sit with them if they're out of control!! (New CNA here, got cornered and slapped yesterday, so yeah ). In my experience, nurses who transfer from behavioral care to another unit are especially talented at MAINTAINING calm in a patient who has once been contained; whereas most nurses just deal with it as situations come up instead of being able to plan ahead. Welcome to our world!!!!!

[Liz12345]

Thank you, there are more than enough psych patients in the ER at our hospital!!

[gonzo1, ASN, RN]

They are going to love you. Most ER nurses are not happy about having psych patients, they scare them. You will be greatly appreciated because you have a level of confidence with them that ER nurses don't. You'll learn the ER stuff quick enough. Good luck and enjoy. I work ER, ICU and psyche and they are always excited to have a psych nurse around to take the pressure off. Funny enough the psych unit is always excited to have an ER, ICU nurse around because it makes them feel safer.

[claneRN]

Wait, I thought all nursing was psych nursing?! Hehehe. [emoji23]

[Ndy-RN]

Wait, I thought all nursing was psych nursing?! Hehehe. [emoji23]

From experience all nursing requires some sort of psych training to be honest. I find that after working psych, every other area of nursing is easy breezy!