Transfer Psych to Medsurg

[babaloo, BSN]

Hello! I am a registered nurse working in the acute psychiatry unit. I have been working in inpatient mental health now for 1.5 years. I started off as a new grad nurse in psychiatry in June 2014. I chose to begin my nursing career in psychiatry because I decided to follow my passion for mental health. However, as time went by I realized that I really want and need the medical foundation a new grad nurse typically gains in med-surg so that I can be the best nurse I can for both my patients and the facility. I've gained a lot of characteristic (as opposed to hands on technical) foundational skills in my first 1.5 years of nursing in mental health. I work both as a staff RN and charge nurse on my unit and this first 1.5 years of nursing I've gained skills including prioritization, using the nursing process to assess patients and mangage the entire milieu, delegation, communication skills, and collaborating with the interdisciplinary treatment team. Now I am ready to move forward in my nursing career and provide more intensive physical care for my patients. I know that the skills I gained in mental health I will take wherever I go, especially in my facility where I work with veterans. So many veterans not only have physical health issues, but also mental (PTSD a big one). I am hoping to transfer units within my hospital from inpatient acute psychiatry to medsurg.

I would appreciate any tips for a fairly new nurse as myself in transferring from mental health to medsurg, including tips for cover letter writing. I already know that my weakness is in the hands on skills that are more used in medsurg (example inserting IVs), but I believe in myself and that I can gain the skills back with practice. I've been told by previous instructors that it is difficult to switch from psych to another department. I would appreciate any tips on what I should emphasize to medsurg to show that I would be a good fit even though I've only worked in mental health so far.

[j8810]

Hello! I went through a similar situation a little over a year ago. I made the transition from working on an inpatient child/adolescent psych unit to working in a medical surgical float pool within the same hospital system. The psych position was also my first job out of school and I was in that position for 2 years and 7 months. So I can definitely relate to how you are feeling! I felt like I was losing my medical skills working in psych, especially in child/adolescent psych where the majority of the patients were physically healthy. I also didn't want to pigeon hole myself into working in adolescent psych my whole life.

I also think it is a lot harder to transition from psych to medical nursing, but I am here to tell you it is absolutely possible. You will feel so proud of yourself for getting out of your comfort zone and trying something new, gaining new skills, etc. You will be a more confident and competent nurse. I do not regret leaving psych to get medical experience. It has opened up more doors for me as far as job opportunities.

Getting a position in the medical float pool wasn't too challenging for me. It helped that I transferred within the same hospital. You also have that benefit. I also knew another nurse who was in the float pool and she encouraged me to apply. I started my cover letter out saying My name is so and so. I am writing to express my interest in working as a RN on the Medical Surgical Unit. A former colleague of mine, so and so, informed me there would be a position open.”

Networking is definitely key to getting jobs. I think it also played a huge role in getting the job I currently have working in a clinic.

Also, find out who the hiring manager is for the position and address your cover letter to that person specifically. It looks good that you took the extra step to find out who the hiring manager is.

I also recommend this book about resumes written specifically about nurses. I found it very helpful. Nurses, Jobs and Resumes: Resume Revisions for RNs From the New Grad RN to the Experienced RN: 9780985755201: Medicine & Health Science Books @ Amazon.com

Even though you might be rusty with your technical skills, don't worry too much about not having technical skills to list on your resume. HR Managers don't want to see that you can insert catheters on your resume. They know that you will be able to relearn those skills with time.

When I transitioned out of psych and even from the float pool to the clinic, I emphasized my charge nurse experience – delegation skills, leadership skills, etc. The fact that you have charge nurse experience will set you apart and look good. Definitely emphasize it.

Below is a sample from my resume:

Medical Float Pool

Successful utilization of critical thinking skills in organizing and prioritizing the care of 4+ patients in high acuity Medical-Surgical, Rehab, and Mental Health nursing units

Versatile and integral team member, demonstrating flexibility and ability to work independently and with all the members of the multidisciplinary healthcare team to deliver exceptional patient centered care

Adolescent Behavioral Health

Fulfilled charge nurse role on a 12-14 bed Adolescent Mental Health unit, successfully handled patient and family concerns, delegated and oversaw nursing cares to ensure a safe and efficiently run unit

Going back to my float position. I floated to 5 different floors: med surg, a burn unit, rehab, adult psych, and adolescent psych. I got about 6 weeks of orientation; but since I was already familiar with psych nursing, I asked for more training on the medical floors instead. Don't be afraid to let people know you haven't done something before and have worked in psych for a while. It is completely understandable why you would need a refresher on skills. I kept a small flip notebook in my pocket and wrote down tips during my orientation and reminders for how to perform certain skills. When I was on my own I kept the notebook in my pocket and referred to it when I needed to.

I'm not going to lie, it was a tough transition. I felt like I was a brand new nurse. And in a way I was – a brand new medical nurse. It took about 6 months to feel remotely comfortable with my new position. At the year mark, I felt pretty comfortable and couldn't believe how far I had come. However, there are certain skills I still suck at such as inserting catheters into females and inserting IVs. This may have something to do with the fact that I floated and didn't have the practice to do those skills consistently.

Overall, I think you should have no problem transitioning from psych to med surg if that's truly what you want to do. Like you mentioned, you'll be able to use the skills you have learned in psych anywhere you go. Therapeutic communication is a skill that is needed in the majority of nursing jobs. I was initially surprised at how many psych patients there were on medical floors, which makes sense because many people with mental illness also have poor physical health.

Anyways, I wish the best of luck to you. If you have anymore questions let me know!

[babaloo, BSN]

Thank you so much! It was really encouraging to read this. Do you have any other tips when it comes to cover letter writing? So far for my cover letter I want to express my interest in working in medsurg as I am ready to provide more intensive physical care for patients, my charge nurse experience, and that by working with the mental health population I will take this knowledge and skills to the medsurg floor as so many veterans have both physical and mental health needs to be addressed. Do you have any other suggestions in terms of what to best include in a cover letter for a nurse transitioning from psych to medsurg?

Also, during the interview what type of questions are typically asked? I remember when I was interviewing for new grad positions the interview questions were situation based such as "tell me about a time you had a stressful situation at work" or "describe a time when you and to act quickly". As you know my only experience in nursing so far has been mental health, so I was wondering if the interview questions will still be situational based, or if specific medical scenarios will be given instead?

[Isitpossible, LPN, LVN]

As a psych nurse new to med surge one skill that completely came in handy just today was de-escalation!!! A family member was going off on my fellow nurse!! I interceded quickly, therapeutically and got her to calm down and assisted her right off the floor!! Oh yes psych skills work on the medical side... !! Technicall skills you can learn..People skills are needed on every floor!!