Psychiatric Nursing - Your Thoughts

brian1991

Hey,

This UCC sub-forum was great for getting advice on other courses I've contemplated, and I wanted to get your advice on Psychiatric Nursing.
I am very interested in helping people and also want to be able to travel with my degree (from Ireland to India and the rest of the world).

I thought Psychiatric Nursing would be like Nursing, but with more of an emphasis on psychology. Is this true? Are the travel prospects good too? Could I work with Médicins Sans Frontiers?

Does anyone here do the course? How are you finding it? Is it what you thought it would be?

Thanks in advance,
Brian

rachel_koeman

Hey

I'm doing general nursing, and as far as I know, first year psych nursing is pretty much identicle to any other nursing degree. However from 2nd year on, things begin to get a little bit more interesting in terms of modules being more to do with psych.

whatever your choice, nursing is a great profession, provided you have the right personality for it

brian1991

Hoozah, a reply! Thanks.

I used to think of working in a mental hospital like this:



Also generally strapping people down and injecting them with things. Like Shutter Island as well I guess? Anyway, now I see that it's a lot more than this. Would I give counseling or things like that?

I'm still wondering whether to put it as my first choice or not. If you know anyone who studies it, please ask them to post here too.

rachel_koeman

i suggest you do alot more research about it first...alot of ppl go into nursing thinking its something and drop out cos its not anything like they hought. psych nursing is not what its like on tv.. psych doctors do councelling.. nursing generally do meds ect.

a psych nurses jobs include assesment of the patient, admin meds, and monitor the patients. from what ive heard for a large part of the day your sitting down looking for something to do. of course nursing involves being part of a multi disciplinary team so you would be constantly consulting other professionals..and one big thing nurses do...educate patients and their family!

SuperInfinity

Because of some friends who've had experiences with this, I believe (and evidently many others do also), that the mental health system is more a money-making scheme than anything else.

In the UK they are shutting many of these "mental institutions" down, in America they did years ago. In the A Vision For Change initiative they're doing the same in Ireland. So to be honest with you, there may not be a job in the future for these qualifications.

I think it's highly remiss of them to continue taking the same amount of psychiatric nurses now, given the general fall away from institutionalisation of people and the fact that many of these jobs will be defunct in the non too distant future.

rachel_koeman

SuperInfinity wrote: »

Because of some friends who've had experiences with this, I believe (and evidently many others do also), that the mental health system is more a money-making scheme than anything else.

In the UK they are shutting many of these "mental institutions" down, in America they did years ago. In the A Vision For Change initiative they're doing the same in Ireland. So to be honest with you, there may not be a job in the future for these qualifications.

I think it's highly remiss of them to continue taking the same amount of psychiatric nurses now, given the general fall away from institutionalisation of people and the fact that many of these jobs will be defunct in the non too distant future.

you have a point about the use of medication ie. antidepressants and how thats all a money making business... but so is all medication, after all it is the Pharma industry. psych problems will never decline, if anything there getting higher due to the way we live today. people are unable to deal with stress etc...

so what i say is, make an educated decision, but go with a job that you will adore doing for the rest of your life, not one in which your only doing because or money status or otherwise. in my opinion, a good nurse is someone who is interested in PEOPLE, not medication etc... if you love people then go for it!

kumate_champ07

nurses mostly just observe the patients and sometimes give out meds with the permission of a doctor

jeanie123

If you want to travel particularly to developing countries then would suggest general or Peads. There is not a huge call for psych nursing in developing countries or in the NGO world. To be honest Psych nursing can be a bit quiet...

cian_s_obrien

This R. Koeman person seems to know her stuff.

A true Genius

Bella xx

Hi is anyone going into 1st year psychiatric nursing in TCD this September??
thanks!:)

ReacherCreature

Best to ask here?: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=468