Switching to children’s psych from adult psych?

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Specializes in Psychiatric.

Hi everyone!

 

Recently, I’ve been offered an opportunity to switch to the children’s psychiatric unit. I currently work in the adult involuntary unit. I have been there for a year and I have another year worth of other nursing background. My only experience working with children was during my orientation for and that was a total of 3 nights. 

 

I have young kids so I was wondering how do you separate your feelings from home life and work life? Do the backgrounds and stories of your patients affect you? 

 

Has anyone made the switch? Or any advice for working on a children’s psychiatric unit?

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Specializes in Psych, Hospice, Surgical unit, L&D/Postpartum.

I work with both adults and children in the ED as a psych nurse. I prefer working with kids more, I guess I have more compassion for them. It is tough hearing their stories sometimes, but I do not take it home with me. I can somehow shut off my work brain and leave everything behind once I leave the hospital. Most of the stuff I am seeing now with kids coming in are increased depression, anxiety, and boredom due to the pandemic. they fight with their parents, the parents usually call the cops to straighten out their kid, the kid gets upset, says they want to kill themselves then they just earned themselves a section 12 for saying that. It's the same story over and over. I see alot of kids from group homes too, who are unruly and run away and are very behavioral. 

A lot of kids are cutting more now, due to being stuck at home and not being in school or with their friends. A lot of kids are using drugs more and more to try and take their anxiety and depression away. Some kids just hate their life and their families and they do not know why. It's really sad..

Sometimes you can help be a lending ear to them and they will open up and listen to you. others may remain guarded with an attitude, it all depends. I have an older kid so these stories do not affect me much, I can separate them from my feelings somehow. I think you will be okay.. just give it a try. Good luck!

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Specializes in ED/ICU/EMS.

I work occasionally in psych emergency department as an RN, used to be a psych tech for both adult & peds units back when I was an EMT. 

I definitely found working with the kiddos to be more difficult, not really at any fault of the children. I really hated dealing with the parents though. Same story currently in psych ED, same challenges but then factor in parents. 

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