Stop Hating on Psych Nurses

JKL33 · May 6, 2020

Don't let others' problems get you down. Not always (but often enough), the people who find it necessary to disparage something like your enjoyment of psychiatric nursing are primarily doing so as a means of shoring up their own feelings about themselves. It isn't as if they're knocking your choices for a legitimate reason such as being unethical or illegal.

I would argue that this behavior isn't insulting in the least. What they are saying has nothing to do with anyone but themselves. It's unfortunate that they haven't found more pleasant ways to feel good about themselves.

Sour Lemon · May 6, 2020

49 minutes ago, LibraNurse27 said:
Hi all! During covid19 my hospital received funding from the government to cross train RNs to other units in case of a surge. Mostly it's been Med/Surg, PACU, OR training to ICU and Stepdown. I've been training a lot of people! Our manager asked who from Stepdown wants to train in ICU and picked a few people who have been in Stepdown for a while and were interested (not me!).
I've been going to inpatient psych to help with covid pts. I like it! Their manager asked me to cross train. I'm excited to train but my coworkers are laughing at me and about how everyone's going to ICU and I "got sent to Psych". As if ICU is superior. They're asking why I want to go there, it's no skills, "why do I want to deal with those people", it's just babysitting.
Most don't know I have a psych issue so it's insulting on a double level, to me personally and to psych nursing in general. Psych nurses are amazing and help people in need of compassion as well as treatment. I like seeing people go from hallucinating, depressed etc get better with meds and therapy (although I know it's not always butterflies and rainbows!) It gets me down to see my patients cycle through substance use, withdrawal, go out and drink/do drugs, come back, etc. without addressing the root of the problem. Has anyone faced this situation and what can we do to combat it? All areas of nursing are important

I wouldn't take it too seriously. It sounds like normal workplace banter, to me. Different departments talk trash about each other all the time. Even different shifts on the same unit are not immune.

I work behavioral health, med/surg, and occasionally help out in ER. I hear it all, but I hear nothing. ?

JKL33 · May 6, 2020

To piggyback on my other comment, the other side of this is that we often crave others' approval inappropriately; we mistakenly ascribe personal meaning to their words and actions. This is wrong and it's difficult to mentally combat. A good tactic is to briefly review what they've said (about us), pondering it to the extent necessary to come to a conclusion about the truth of it, and then relegate it to its proper place.

In this case, the proper place is with the one who spoke it. IOW, it is nonsense.

Only if it actually means something should you consider applying it to yourself personally.

Emergent, RN · May 6, 2020

Psyche is a specialized field of Nursing that doesn't appeal to a lot of people. I'm certainly one of those. I can't stand Psych. Sometimes I find myself making fun of the whole psychiatric industry. I just don't have a lot of respect for it, since there is so much subjectivity in it. It even seems politicized.

So, if you ever hear me making fun of Psych please don't take it personally. For my part, I'll try to restrain myself.

Salisburysteak, BSN, RN · May 6, 2020

Bless you for doing Psych! That is one area I cannot do. This is why nurses are needed everywhere. One specialty is not better than another.

As a previous poster has stated--it is their problem not yours.

I worked with a nurse awhile ago in SNF, he was to put it nicely not a good fit, would miss labs, not medicate elevated BPs, etc. I saw him a few years later working at one of the Behavioral Health facilities and, he was a changed nurse! He wss great with the patients and I coud tell the patients trusted him. He had found his niche! So what I am getting at is tht you have found an area of nursing that maybe your niche! Go for it! ?

Davey Do · May 7, 2020

18 hours ago, Emergent said:
I can't stand Psych.

Ooooooh...

So you're a "Anti-Psych-Type", eh emergent?

It is good that you've come out of the closet.

18 hours ago, Emergent said:
So, if you ever hear me making fun of Psych please don't take it personally. For my part, I'll try to restrain myself.

Just say that you're using humor in order to decrease stress and people will think you're being therapeutic.

Emergent, RN · May 7, 2020

14 minutes ago, Davey Do said:
Ooooooh...
So you're a "Anti-Psych-Type", eh emergent?
It is good that you've come out of the closet.
Just say that you're using humor in order to decrease stress and people will think you're being therapeutic.

I find that, when people have decided to be offended oh, they will be offended. A lot of people really enjoy being offended. It's sort of a conditioned response that seems to happen in many.

Davey Do · May 7, 2020

Just now, Emergent said:
A lot of people really enjoy being offended.

Yes I do and being a victim gives me something that inspires me get out of bed thank you very much.

RatchedAfterMidnight, MSN, APRN · May 7, 2020

“To not crave the approval of others but to let it come from within is true freedom”

-anonymous

But we’re also better

Golden_RN, MSN · May 8, 2020

I get the same remarks because I love SNF nursing. Who cares what other nurses think? I want a job where I can be somewhat happy and feel like I'm making a difference.

I think psych nurses/social workers/psychiatrists are angels! If you like it, go for it!

Uroboros, APRN · May 8, 2020

You're absolutely right all areas of nursing are important. And as you're finding many make too light of the subject too often. These are often individuals who have not found their place in this amazing profession like yourself, or simply need to move onto another career. That's more of a reflective issue within themselves, and has little if anything to do with you. I began as a CNA in an ER over 25 years ago, and was attending an ADN program. All the ER nurses told me to do something else all together. After obtaining my ADN, I went onto acquire a BSN, while nurses told me it was a waste of extra time and money. Within three years I was finishing my MSN with an ACNP cert, while again nurses said I wouldn't find a job or make more money (most have since gone to NP school themselves interestingly). In the last 15 years since I've gone back for several other post-masters certs, and currently finishing a PhD.

For everything you want to do, right or wrong, there will be a group of people saying you can't. Point is had I listened the those burned out ER nurses in the beginning I never would have had a long rewarding career. You don't listen either. Wish you well.