What do you do as a Psychatric nurse? How is it like? Do you enjoy it?

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I am currently a college freshman and I have always wanted to help people socially, counsel them, know about their problems and finding a way to help them, those kind of things, so I had in mind to become a Psychologist but realized it would take a LONG time to accomplish so that was a no no. I have looked upon being a Psychiatric nurse because mainly it has what I desire to do for others and it is shorter on time. I would like to know what Psychiatric nurses enjoy most from their job, what is the thing you dislike the most, is it rewarding?

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Okay, but what's your hurry?

If you really want to be a psychologist, then go for it.

Some things are worth the long hard road.

Nursing school isn't as long as trying to become a psychologist, of course, but I would strongly suggest you get a BSN because I know our hospital is only hiring BSNs anymore.

Also, some psych hospitals or specific psych units won't hire new grads.

I work in geri-psych and they want someone with previous psych background or a medical or geriatric background.

Now each unit in a psych hospital is different. I've worked them all and I have to say that my geri unit is very challenging in comparison to the others.

In geri, we are managing both medical and psych issues in some pretty frail folks.

We typically have pts that require a lot of care (toileting, brief changes, showering, dressing, feeding, skin care, IVs, wound care, fall prevention, redirection and on and on and on... you get the picture) and so imagine trying to do all of that with some pts screaming, trying to escape, hitting, having chest pain and blood pressures out the wazoo... etc. etc...

Most of the other nurses live in fear of being floated to our unit and we've had plenty who flat-out refuse to float there...

Which is too bad because we are really swell and friendly... and helpful (because ya gotta be;)).

Now, we don't have a lot of time to really interact the way we wish we could because of how complicated and busy things can get, but I know other units are better off in this regard.

So what I like most is the fact that I work psych but I can still some medical stuff-- it's all interesting.

I also love geriatrics and always have.

Oh... and the things you see and hear...

Never a dull moment.

What I dislike is not having as much time as I want to really talk in any depth with my pts.

Most of my time is spent charting and calling doctors.

I also am rather disgusted with poor staffing, but that's common to all areas of nursing.

It's very stressful and sometimes I wish I'd just break a leg or something so I won't have to go in... ugh.

Honestly, psych nursing is much better, to me, than med-surg or whatever and you couldn't pay me to work in a medical hospital.

My least favorite unit to work in is Eating Disorders.

There is a lot of pt drama and histrionics over there, but the nurse work is pretty easy peasy... just my opinion.

There is also Detox (which is my next favorite), Adolescent (which I don't care for), Adult (pretty easy) and a unit for more dangerously psychotic pts (not bad and very interesting).

Okay, I'm blabbing now. I just got home for work and I can't shut my brain off...

Cheers!

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Thank you so much :up:

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