question about psych nursing

Published

I'm a nursing student who just started my mental health clinicals. I really want to start out in psych when I get my RN. My mental health teacher told me that if you start out in psych and then decide that it isn't for you, then getting a job in another speciality is very difficult because employer look at you like you don't have any experience. is this true? I know that pscyh is very different from like med/surg, ICU, LTC, etc... If this is the case, should I maybe get some med/surg experience first? I just don't want to start out in something, end up not liking it, and be stuck there. any feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I'm of the mind that it's better to get some M/S experience under your belt, hone your assessment skills, etc. But on a adult psych unit, you will get those skills too. Patients don't leave their illnesses at the door you know?

It's a shame that people don't look at psych as "real" experience.

I can see both sides. I did M/S, adult psych, child psych, 5 years in ICU, phone triage and now back to child psych (which I love). I'm glad for those 5 years in ICU. I learned a ton in phone triage about child illness, which helps me now as a child psych nurse. I learned a lot in ICU and grew in self-confidence. But I was always the one loving the 1:1 suicides and the ETOH detox. I knew i would go back to psych. I just wanted to "make sure" it was what I wanted.

No matter what you do in nursing, you can try different areas and learn different things in each area about yourself. That's what makes nursing a great profession.

I digress...yes, I think a year in M/S would benefit you, esp if you end up not liking psych. You will have some "real" (not my words) experience to fall back on. Just my 2 cents. You will find other opinions here as well. Good luck!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

If you have doubts about psych it would probably be best to get the traditional med surge experience for a year. Since I'm old and was fairly certain I wouldn't ever want to switch from psych that is where I started. I'm glad I did because I love psych and there are definitely other areas such as addictions or community health that I'm confident I could be hired for at this point. Good luck!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Get you med/surg experience, it will be invaluable in psychiatry. You may find it difficult to maintain proficiency owing to the lack of medical or surgical pts.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in critical care; community health; psych.

I know some very long time psych nurses who are very uncomfortable around anything medical and pass the medical patients off at all costs to other nurses. This is the stereotype viewed by non-psych specialties as the traditional psych nurse; not hirable for anything else. So yeah, get your experience.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Micu.

i also wanted to start out in psych and was worried about if i didnt like it . so i went and got a job in MICU figuring that it was the best place to get "medical" experience and see some psych pts. we get alot of Etoh and overdose pts. i love it there and may never leave and i get my little bit of psych pretty often.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC.

This hits very close to home for me. When I finished nursing school I went straight to work on a hospital adult mental health unit. Four years later I relocated and I hired on with a stand-alone psychiatric hospital. About a year later the parent company shut down my facility. That is when the fun began. Hospitals with full-page ads in the Sunday paper seeking RNs would not return my calls or acknowledge my applications. I drew unemployment compensation for three months before finally finding work in a rehabilitation hospital.

My advice is not to go directly into psychiatric nursing. If you decide to seek a job in another specialty, it really helps to have that magic year of med-surg experience that everyone seems to be looking for.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in psych, addictions, hospice, education.

I agree that having a year of med-surg can be valuable. However, I think a year of med-surg years ago, with years of psych afterwards doesn't make you remember the med-surg stuff. I've also found, in my case, that when my psych hospital closed, I was able to get a med-surg job easily, and was provided a great orientation in it, that let me learn pertinent skills again.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Psychiatric.

I'd say get the M/S experience...that way you can hone your physical assessment skills and be more familiar with the illnesses that you will run into with psych patients...and your assessment skills will be very valuable when dealing with people who, for various reasons, either cannot or will not tell you how they feel.

I went into psych straight out of school, then when I moved a year later I worked m/s for a year...I'm glad I did that...I'm back in psych now...but don't worry, you'll see PLENTY of psych on a m/s unit. Psych and med-surg, to me, are sort of the core of nursing...IMO, people should try to develop more knowledge and skills in both areas because you don't ever get 'away' from either of them.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion