RN displaced by Katrina...advice on getting into Psych?

Meerkat · Sep 9, 2005

Nothing??

Meerkat · Sep 9, 2005

Please someone answer???

jnette, ASN, EMT-I · Sep 9, 2005

(((((((((((HUGS)))))))))))), Meerkat.

I am so sorry for your situation. And I know nada about getting into psych nursing, myself, but thought you might get a better response if you posted this also on the General Nursing Forum ?

I do wish you all the best, and am grateful someone has opened their hearts and home to you.. hope you can find work VERY soon ! Do keep us posted, please.

CharlieRN · Sep 11, 2005

Just apply for the position. I've had the hiring of nurses to do inthe past and the statement that your are excited about the job is enough of a recommendation to at least get your foot in the door. Someone who wants to do the work is worth the effort of training. A nurse with a solid med surg background is gold on a psych unit. You may well be a better judge of the patients physical condition than his psychiatrist.

I've been a psych specialist for something like 20 yrs now. It is hard to tell you what to expect. Psych units vary greatly. Give me a little data about the focus of the unit and I can give you more guidence. I have worked almost every type of inpatient psych.

In general I would say that there is no reason to fear your patients, and every reason to be careful with them. Her own safety is something a psych nurse needs always to be aware of, with out making it appearent to the patients that you are thinking about it. :)

Much of a psych nurse's function is to observe the patient's behavior and make judgments about their mental status, and safety. Inorder to do that it is necessary to have some understanding of the processes of mental illness. Review the DSM 4(diagnostic and statistical manuel) it is the bible of psychiatry. Review common psych meds and their side effects.

PRNMEDS · Sep 11, 2005

Agree with Charlie. and check your PMs

Meerkat · Sep 12, 2005

Just apply for the position. I've had the hiring of nurses to do inthe past and the statement that your are excited about the job is enough of a recommendation to at least get your foot in the door. Someone who wants to do the work is worth the effort of training. A nurse with a solid med surg background is gold on a psych unit. You may well be a better judge of the patients physical condition than his psychiatrist.
I've been a psych specialist for something like 20 yrs now. It is hard to tell you what to expect. Psych units vary greatly. Give me a little data about the focus of the unit and I can give you more guidence. I have worked almost every type of inpatient psych.
In general I would say that there is no reason to fear your patients, and every reason to be careful with them. Her own safety is something a psych nurse needs always to be aware of, with out making it appearent to the patients that you are thinking about it. :)
Much of a psych nurse's function is to observe the patient's behavior and make judgments about their mental status, and safety. Inorder to do that it is necessary to have some understanding of the processes of mental illness. Review the DSM 4(diagnostic and statistical manuel) it is the bible of psychiatry. Review common psych meds and their side effects.

Thank you so very very much, everyone. Where do I find a copy of the DSM?

legalnurse22 · Sep 12, 2005

Hi, Where are you staying? If it in the Jackson area I can give you the name of some psych hospitals to apply to. There are several around here. Some

are total psych hospitals and some are psych units at other hospitals. Reply

back and I'll help you all I can.

legalnurse22

Jackson, MS

Danelle · Sep 12, 2005

Like legalnurse asked, where are you staying? Here in Mobile, the state psych facility in the northern part of the county was advertising that they were hiring a few weeks ago. And I know of another in town that takes children and adolescents as well as adults that is always hiring.

peaceful · Sep 12, 2005

Hi,

I know of excellent psych travel rn position in california that would love to have you. Pay is great. This is an in patient adult unit where the acuity is high, dealing with many types of DSM IV disorders. There are some psych units not so difficult, unlocked units, pts. not so sick or chemical dependency only. I find psychiatric nursing interesting but have also loved the subject of "psychology" since hs. Many of my rn friends hate psych nursing. This sounds like might be a good change for your right now. Hope you find what you are looking for. pm questions anytime. Take care and i am sorry that you were displaced by katrina.

Hi everyone!
I am stuck about three hours away from home after evacuating...I had to leave quickly and have no resume with me but I am flat broke and need to work. I am excited about applying for psych RN position...I don't know if it is the hurricane, and seeing all the suffering or what; but I feel STRONGLY that psych nursing is what I need to do, especially right now. Currently my baby and I are living offthe charity of a great family who took us in, but I want to get back on my feet ASAP.
Can anyone give tips on interviewing or finding psych positions? What is a typical day on the unit like? I would be grateful to hear your stories and advice.
Thank you so much for all your prayers and thoughts for those of us in Katrina's path.

CharlieRN · Sep 12, 2005

It is available on line but at a hefty price. I would try a public library. The medical library at a local hospital might let you read it on site but prob will not let it out the door. The psych unit you are applying to must have copies. Apparently the APA(American Psychiatric Association) is putting presure on web sites that want to make its data available on line. There is a certain amount of clinical validity in this but it is prob motivated by monetary considerations.

There is a "work around" to look up specific items, go to amazon.com, search for dsm, the page will offer the DSM 4 and A desk ref to the DSM 4, clic the desk ref, its page offers a "search in this book" Look up specific topics there.

elkpark · Sep 12, 2005

I would suggest that reading any of the standard psych nursing textbooks would be more helpful/practical than the DSMIV -- when I was teaching psych nursing, I used the Keltner text, and found it v. useful (so did my students).

Reading the DSMIV to learn about psych disorders is sorta like reading the PDR to learn about meds -- there's so much technical stuff there, it's hard to find any practical, useful information.

A psych nursing text will cover all of the DSM categories and major diagnoses, but will do so from a nursing POV, discussing interventions, milieu management, commonly used meds, etc. That is the stuff that you really want to know ...