Question about Psychiatric Nursing, L&D nursing, and OR nursing

wanjik · Dec 2, 2009

Bump! :crying2:

Jules A, MSN · Dec 2, 2009

Hi,

Definitely do some share time on these different units to get a feel for the team also. I'm a psych nurse and:

1) How safe do you feel at work? I feel relatively safe but fwiw I'm a city girl and not really frightened by odd people. We stick together as a team and help each other when things get violent.

Have you ever been attacked by a patient? I have not been targeted but have been swung on, kicked at and spit on. No serious injuries but I do know two nurses that have had their nose broken. I know people say we shouldn't be subjected to this however, imo, when you work with what can be a delusional, combative population I think this comes with the territory. In an odd way it is part of what keeps psych fresh and exciting for me.

2) What's the nurse/patient ratio? It depends on the unit but an average for me is 10 patients.

3) What do you love most about your job? My patients, they are so unique and often misunderstood. Ahhh, the stories. I also love my team, psych nurses are the best.

4) What do you hate most about your job? We get a fair amount of malingerers/addicts, and I know they are also illnesses but they can be pretty entitled. Its tough dealing with their endless demands when you have other patients that are seeing murderous demons and need your help. Sometimes the borderlines get on my nerves also but they are just another aspect of the wonderfully varied cases we see.

Good luck with whatever you pick!

Guest321574 · Dec 2, 2009

regarding psych:

1) How safe do you feel at work? Have you ever been attacked by a patient?

I feel semi-safe. I've never been attacked, but I've only been working for 2 months! Almost everyone I've spoken with has said they've been hit at least once.

2) What's the nurse/patient ratio?

Probably varies by facility. Where I work its for a maximum 25 pts we have 1 RN with 2 techs overnight. Day/evening is 2 RN/LPN and 3 techs.

3) What do you love most about your job?

Umm...I'm getting lots of experience with documentation and delegation as a charge RN. I felt that was glossed over in my program, so I'm grateful for that much. Other than that, I can't say I love it. I work nights, and I essentially feel like an overpaid secretary (never ending paperwork), with very minimal pt interaction (mostly redirecting pts to bed, handing out prn's and AM blood sugars)...I wouldn't flat out say I don't like it though, because like I said, its only been 2 months...

4) What do you hate most about your job? See above, and also I don't like the threat of violence that permeats psych.

Second option is L&D nursing

2) Nurse/patient ratio? I can answer this, I worked as an aide when I was in school. The RN's never had more than 2 pts, and usually it was 1, or 1 in active labor, maybe 1 in early or 1 triage. If there was a rare occasion of more than 2 pts, usually it was 2 triage pts, and maybe a "walker." And if it ever got to that point, they were calling someone in from home to help.

teensmom · Dec 2, 2009

Hi,

I've been and L&D nurse for about 1 and a half years.

1) How long did it take to feel comfortable and competent in L&D? I still don't feel comfortable and competent, it's hard having a patient who is unseen and very unpredictable. I find I'm really on my toes the whole shift because something could go wrong at any minute-and many times has gone wrong.

2) Nurse/patient ratio? It depends on the facility, it's supposed to be in California 1:3 in triage-such as labor checks, non-stress tests, etc. 1:2 if patients are both in early labor and 1:1 in late labor or if pt is on pitocin or high risk or in a c-section. My hospital is understaffed though and I've had as many as five pts at once in different stages of labor, we do try to call in people because with that many pts someone is seriously ignored.

3) What you love most/least about it. It is very exciting sometimes, it is also such an honor to be a large part of one of the most memorable days in people's lives. When you have a pt that is wonderful and after the birth the baby is lying on mom's stomach just looking around and trying to figure out about the world, there is nothing like it. What I like least is that all is not roses in L&D. I found a fetal demise yesterday, I cried with the patient. Sometimes the unpredictability gets wearing on me. And then the entitled pts drive me crazy, the other day I had to clean up spilled soup one of the pts guests spilled while they sat and watched me. Then I had to heat up their pizza, then I had to clean up the vomit all over the floor, even tho I'd given them a big basin, and she had about 20 guests in the room who would not leave, I finally had to threaten to call security. This all one pt and her family. I didn't sit down to chart for 3 and a half hours trying to please the family, I've gotta learn to draw some boundaries.

Just remember L&D is different than most people imagine, I have talked to seasoned ER nurses who shudder and say they could never work in L&D.

Good luck.