Transition out of psych

[Jmira.BSN.RN]

Hello all,

I've been in inpatient psych nursing for the last 2 years, which i entered into it as a new grad and it is the only nursing that I have done outside of school clinicals.

As I start to wonder about taking a second job, my heart loves psych nursing but part of me still burns to work in the acute medical side of nursing that I learned in school.

How have others found the transition from psych nursing to the predominately medical side of nursing and what hurdles, if any, did you have to jump? Were jobs hard to find coming from psych? What were some of the biggest changes between psych and non-psych?

Would love some input. Thanks :)

[Davey Do]

Similarly, jamiraRN, I worked in Psych the first two years after becoming an LPN, and then transitioned into Surgery.

This was nearly 30 years ago, and being much younger, taking Pre-Reqs for my RN, I didn't have a whole heck of a problem learning the ropes.

Fast forward a few years, as an RN, I left a Position at the State Mental Hospital for a job in a small Community Hospital, working Med-Surg and ER. I had to do quite a bit of homework, but was able to hold my own. I also worked in Home Health at the same time, and that helped me keep up on my skills.

God luck in your second job, jamiraRN!

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

I love psych, but lately, I too have been feeling ready for a change. So I decided to lay some groundwork down for that change. I took an ED nursing course which has been an enlightening and educational appearance, plus my psych skills came in very handy. And the procedures I learned in nursing school but didn't often use came back to me very fast (I'm now a Foley pro ). I liked the course enough that I've applied to a couple of ED training programs, both at facilities I work at...which does give me the internal applicant advantage, what little that may be.

I'm also applying for a psych-acute care position, which involves caring for patients that are too psychiatrically unstable for medical units, but too medically unstable for straight psych units. That lets me accrue medical nursing experience while continuing to work in psych. And I'm racking up CEUs in non-psych areas, to strengthen my knowledge and make me more confident for if/when I land interviews.

Given the job market, it's tough for a lot of people to switch specialties, and not just those of us in psych. There's too many experienced nurses looking for work, so employers are more likely to choose the person with experience and so requiring minimal training, than putting the time and money into training someone new to the specialty. Search the forum and you can see posts lamenting such in nearly every specialty.

Look internally to see if there are options for you to switch areas. Some facilities offer residency/training programs for experienced nurses interested in trying something new. Try networking with managers/recruiters and let them know you are interested--they may be able to help you with finding something. Look at positions at smaller/rural facilities, who may be more willing to take a chance on you. You can also try looking for a LTAC position.

And like Davey Do said, homework's going to be involved on your part...because unless you land in a residency or training program, you are going to have to learn new things on the fly.

And don't sell yourself short. The fact that you were in psych doesn't mean you haven't used any of your medical nursing knowledge. After all, you still address your psych patients' medical issues when planning your care, right? And you still should be performing physical assessments and managing non-psych meds and treatments for your patients...maybe not to the detailed extent as you would on a M/S floor, but you're not just handing them some Prozac and telling them to go to group, right?

Best of luck!

[nurseypants123]

I worked my first year and a half on psych, then transitioned to Med-Surg in the same hospital.

I had oriented to Med Surg as a float area (6 days), and the manager did not want to give me any further orientation, even though I felt like a new grad with no medical experience. Standard orientation was 4 weeks, up to 6 months for new grads.

It was a steep learning curve, but I really enjoy Med-Surg and I'm glad I made the switch. Plus all the psych experience is helpful. As they say, every nurse is a psych nurse.

Good luck, whatever you do.

[Jmira.BSN.RN]

I took an ED nursing course which has been an enlightening and educational appearance, plus my psych skills came in very handy. And the procedures I learned in nursing school but didn't often use came back to me very fast (I'm now a Foley pro ). I liked the course enough that I've applied to a couple of ED training programs, both at facilities I work at...which does give me the internal applicant advantage, what little that may be.

Thanks for replying. I was wondering how you go about finding an ED training program? That sounds like a really good idea