SoCal Psych Hospitals/Departments. Any suggestions!?

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Hi Fellow Nurses,

I'm planning on moving to California (Anywhere from San Luis Obispo down to San Diego). I've done all the hoop jumping and finally got my CA license, and now the job search begins!

I've had 2 years experience on an acute adult inpatient unit, and would really like to find a similar position in CA. My past employment was at a fantastic teaching hospital, and it's very important to me that I work for a respected hospital, known for exceptional care. I'm not at all familiar with the area, and really have no idea where to start looking.

Any suggestions regarding hospitals would be great! Whether it's a free standing psych facility or a psych department within a larger hospital, whether you have a positive review or negative review, any advice is good advice!

Also, any suggestions on where to live would be equally as helpful! (I'm looking for mild climate, surf, and nearby mountains for hiking/climbing/camping)

:)

Thank You!

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Hi :) Welcome to San Diego! I work at Sharp Mesa Vista and I may be biased but I think it's the best psych hospital in San Diego. I worked for Sharp while getting my BSN and had the opportunity to travel daily to all of their different locations as a CNA but I fell in love with Mesa Vista the first time I was assigned there (accidentally) and with psych as a result.

Sharp Grossmont also has a behavioral health department but, while it is not free standing as Mesa Vista is, it is equally as comprehensive and acute as far as their inpatient population. I was lucky enough to start at Mesa Vista through the new grad program in 2014 and I've been working in inpatient ever since. Couldn't be happier with the support I've received and my first years as a psych nurse overall!

A couple of my colleagues come from the privite chemical dependency treatment background and they report being consistently treated like **** as management put $$ above safety. Quite a few other collegues worked at Aurora Psychiatric Hospital prior to Sharp Mesa Vista and I've heard mixed reviews. Our patients overwhelmingly prefer us it seems ;) (or so they tell me!).

I would for sure (if you haven't already) recommend joining APNA in order to network and recruit the San Diego Chapter's support in making the transition to your new home town!

I'm tired of listening to myself talk but I love hiking and can recommend some great spots and dog parks etc so please feel free to ask me about non-nursing and nursing topics alike or if you just need a friendly person to ask about neighborhoods I grew up here so I got ya!

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Hi there,

Thank you so much for the informative response! I will most definitely look into Mesa Vista, it sounds great, and similar to my first job (in terms of patient and employee satisfaction).

Also, I could absolutely use information regarding neighborhoods! Ideally, I'd like to be around other young adults. I'm fairly social and do enjoy spending time out and about, around people (beach, parks, restaurants, bars, boardwalk, farmers markets, etc.) That said, I very much value the outdoors and all associated recreation. I'd love to have quick/easy access to the water, and trails or areas for running/hiking. I know I cant have it all and sacrifices will have to be made in some area, but that's just my "in a perfect world" living criteria :)

Thanks again for all the great information, it's so valuable to make these connections! Please keep me posted if you have any more advice, tips, thoughts, suggestions, recommendations!

Thanks!

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You can live in SLO and work at Atascadero State Hospital (ASH), a forensic state facility for men. Check out openings via the state employment website.

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Coronar, I'm wondering what you think the best approach would be for applying at Sharp Mesa Vista. On paper (or online rather), I feel that my application would be easily overlooked, (with only 2 years experience). For this reason, I'd like to go an alternative route and possibly contact a nurse manager or nurse recruiter directly. Since you're familiar with the facility, any suggestions on what might be most successful?

Thank you!

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Specializes in Psychiatric nursing; Medical-Surgrical.
Hi :) Welcome to San Diego! I work at Sharp Mesa Vista and I may be biased but I think it's the best psych hospital in San Diego. I worked for Sharp while getting my BSN and had the opportunity to travel daily to all of their different locations as a CNA but I fell in love with Mesa Vista the first time I was assigned there (accidentally) and with psych as a result.

Sharp Grossmont also has a behavioral health department but, while it is not free standing as Mesa Vista is, it is equally as comprehensive and acute as far as their inpatient population. I was lucky enough to start at Mesa Vista through the new grad program in 2014 and I've been working in inpatient ever since. Couldn't be happier with the support I've received and my first years as a psych nurse overall!

A couple of my colleagues come from the privite chemical dependency treatment background and they report being consistently treated like **** as management put $$ above safety. Quite a few other collegues worked at Aurora Psychiatric Hospital prior to Sharp Mesa Vista and I've heard mixed reviews. Our patients overwhelmingly prefer us it seems ;) (or so they tell me!).

I would for sure (if you haven't already) recommend joining APNA in order to network and recruit the San Diego Chapter's support in making the transition to your new home town!

I'm tired of listening to myself talk but I love hiking and can recommend some great spots and dog parks etc so please feel free to ask me about non-nursing and nursing topics alike or if you just need a friendly person to ask about neighborhoods I grew up here so I got ya!

I like you[emoji4] thank you for this detailed information

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Hi everyone,

I'm currently going through the prescreening process for an inpatient psych job at Sharp Grossmont. I don't have a start date yet (to be determined by hr), but my urine drug screen came back invalid due to having large amounts of nitrites. I'm supposed to get a second one done but haven't heard back from them yet. The NP said someone was gonna call me yesterday but they never did.

Anyways, my question is, has anyone ever had 2 invalid drug tests that showed positive for nitrites? Wondering, if this happens to me cause of a possible UTI or starting my period soon, what would happen next. The NP told me that a second invalid result would be a failed drug screen. Any tips and info would be greatly appreciated.

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

It seems as though you've settled on Mesa Vista...excellent choice, but stil here's the list in case you want to search more. Most have inpatient and outpatient AFAIK.

Sharp Mesa Vista

Sharp Grossmont

UCSD

Scripps

API (Alvarado Parkway Institute)

Aurora

Palomar/Pomerado

Paradise Valley/Bayview

San Diego County Psychiatric Hospital (CMH)

TriCity

Naval Medical Station Balboa

VA in La Jolla

Kaiser (outpatient only)

Alpine (long-term inpatient)

Best of luck!

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.
Hi everyone,

I'm currently going through the prescreening process for an inpatient psych job at Sharp Grossmont. I don't have a start date yet (to be determined by hr), but my urine drug screen came back invalid due to having large amounts of nitrites. I'm supposed to get a second one done but haven't heard back from them yet. The NP said someone was gonna call me yesterday but they never did.

Anyways, my question is, has anyone ever had 2 invalid drug tests that showed positive for nitrites? Wondering, if this happens to me cause of a possible UTI or starting my period soon, what would happen next. The NP told me that a second invalid result would be a failed drug screen. Any tips and info would be greatly appreciated.

I will presume you are not using any drugs :) Only because I've never heard of an invalid result d/t nitrites. Usually it's dilute urine that is the cause. Interesting.

Some causes of elevated nitrites are contamination, improper procedure (on either your or their end), elevated specific gravity, low pH, bacterial infection (yes, possible UTI), and Vitamin C. That's from Dr. Google, so take with salt. I would suggest that you contact your PCP for further information and to screen for that possible UTI.

I would also follow-up with them regarding scheduling the second test--if they haven't called yet, call them back and ask about it.

Best of luck!

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