student feeling discouraged...

ehooper80 · May 15, 2010

This rotation is very different then any others I have done and though I enjoy the "take the day as it goes" mentally..I guess I am used to more measurable goals being met.

You are right. Psychiatric nursing is very different from medical nursing. Instead of dealing primarily with a patient's medical/physical issues, you are assessing and treating problems with their emotions, behaviors, cognition, personality, coping skills, etc. Psychiatric disorders are much more subjective than medical disorders... medical nursing is much more black and white.

I've done both and I currently work as an RN is an acute psychiatric hospital. I love psych and I couldn't imagine doing anything else now. Our patients generally are admitted for acute psychiatric/behavioral crises and stay for an average of 7-14 days. We have units for ages 3 to the elderly, and I almost always work with the adult population. I became a nurse because I wanted to help people, and everyday I work I feel I accomplish that goal. Some patients have an acute bout of depression/anxiety related to a certain event, become stabilized, and we never see them again. Others have chronic, disabling mental illness and are admitted over and over.

The goal in psych nursing is the same as in all nursing... to assist the patient to reach and maintain an optimal level of functioning. It's just very different different approach... instead of using a stethescope, looking for physical signs/symptomology, you are assessing the patients mood, affect, coping skills, thought processes, adaptability, etc. You also have to be able to interact with patients objectively and be empathetic without "feeling sorry". I know a lot of nurses don't like psych... and I can understand why. Nurses who thrive on the technical aspect of nursing (monitoring blood pressures, titrating drips, algorhythms for blood glucose, etc) probably won't like psych.

Anyway, as new nurse, you will just have to get a feel for what you enjoy doing. There will be areas you love and areas you hate. That's the good thing about nursing... there are so many different fields to go into.

Shanlee79 · May 15, 2010

Thanks ehooper80, I guess I just need a little reassurance. It sounds very much where I am at is where you work. I also think a big contributor to my feelings have been fueled by my interaction (or lack thereof) with my instructor. I am used to having more guidance and direct/timely feedback but I guess being my last year now I should be a "big girl" and only need my instructor to come around for 15 mins/a shift(??). I think it's easy for me to get discouraged when those 15 mins is filled with questions I cannot answer and realizations that expectations haven't been met. But, that's just something I need to get over. I can't beat myself up about not doing a MSE correctly when I have never been shown.

I think next week I am going to work on just going with the flow and coming to terms with tossing that black and white mentality that has been drilled in my head. Funny, besides this minor hiccup, I really do think that I finally found an area that I could strive in. I was always the only one in my group that never took well to the structured environment of med-surg and I sure can talk my way outta a wet paper bag. haha. I just got to remember that and try to give myself more credit. Thanks again for the post!

Orca, ADN, ASN, RN · May 17, 2010

You are delivering nursing care. Just because you aren't using a syringe or IV catheter doesn't make it any less so. In mental health you have to give of yourself. I used to tell my staff that we save lives all the time, we just don't always know it. Something you tell a patient - or just the fact that you to the time to listen when others didn't - can make a big difference for someone struggling with a problem.