Starting psych rotation tomorrow and TERRIFIED

marilynmom, LPN, NP · May 4, 2007

Psych ended up being one of my fav rotations so far! I was scared at first because of all the "crazy" people and wasn't sure how to act and react. After a day or so I realized most are fun to be around with and I spent a lot of time talking with them and playing games, watching movies, etc.

I think your psych rotation is soooo helpful because no matter where you go in nursing, your going to need some psych (theraputic communication, etc) skills and have a basic understanding of psych illnessess with patients.

cherokeesummer · May 4, 2007

I agree with the above poster, its not as bad as we might think going in! I was scared too and suprised b/c I had a degree in psych before I went into nursing school...but psych still suprised me. It had its good and bad points. I don't know that I would want to work in the psych field but as mentioned above you will use psych alot in all fields. :):) Just try to be calm and remember that its a learning experience and these people are ill too, just in a different way then our ICU or CCU patients - a different hurt but still a hurt none the less.

Purple25 · May 5, 2007

I just finished my pysch rotation and like you I was terrified. After my 1st day I was good. I was suprised that many of the patients were okay with just some minor mental impairments. A lot of them just wanted to talk and know that someone was listening. I enjoyed the rotation. It really helped with my pt communciation skills.

carolinapooh, BSN, RN · May 5, 2007

I think this rotation scares everyone. I too ended up really enjoying this rotation and feel I got a lot out of it.

Just remember this: most of the psych patients I encountered really wanted someone to listen to them - no matter how outlandish their conversations were, they only wanted a few minutes of someone's time.

marilynmom, LPN, NP · May 5, 2007

I wanted to add that I agree with the above posters, most of the patients really just want to talk and be listened to. So don't be afraid to ask them questions and listen to them (they can tell when your uncomfortable) no matter how "crazy" they may seem or even the stories they tell.

Most of them are more normal than you think.

carolinapooh, BSN, RN · May 5, 2007

I wanted to add that I agree with the above posters, most of the patients really just want to talk and be listened to. So don't be afraid to ask them questions and listen to them (they can tell when your uncomfortable) no matter how "crazy" they may seem or even the stories they tell.
Most of them are more normal than you think.

This is true - but always be mindful that they are PSYCH patients. I say this because I can see where an especially manipulative patient could pull someone in...

Honeychild · May 5, 2007

Pysch rotation wasn't what I expected at all. Mostly, the patients I dealt with just needed someone to talk to and really listen. Luckily, as a student, I was more than able to make that happen, at least for one day.

I did have some 'silent' patients, schizophrenic, etc, but mostly just really depressed and overwhelmed with life in general.

Good luck!

SmetRN2008 · May 5, 2007

I was terrified too of my psych rotation but really it was not bad at all. I actually enjoyed it. My patient was a paranoid schizophrenic and yes, was very strange but I could tell that he really appreciated me just sitting down and talking with him. All of our interactions took place in what they called the "community room". There were other patients and students in there. We were never to be alone with a patient and never to go into their rooms. We basically did alot of talking and assessed our patients behaviors during our conversations. We also attended their groups (which was my fav part, very interesting!). I thought it was pretty easy actually..it's a whole different kind of nursing..not the type of nursing we do on regular med/surg rotations. Just relax, you'll be fine!! Good luck!!

SmetRN2008 · May 5, 2007

I was terrified too of my psych rotation but really it was not bad at all. I actually enjoyed it. My patient was a paranoid schizophrenic and yes, was very strange but I could tell that he really appreciated me just sitting down and talking with him. All of our interactions took place in what they called the "community room". There were other patients and students in there. We were never to be alone with a patient and never to go into their rooms. We basically did alot of talking and assessed our patients behaviors during our conversations. We also attended their groups (which was my fav part, very interesting!). I thought it was pretty easy actually..it's a whole different kind of nursing..not the type of nursing we do on regular med/surg rotations. Just relax, you'll be fine!! Good luck!!