Comments on: The worst float ever

By: Ana54

Ana54 — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 02:52:34 +0000

Because I never dealt with my problems when I was younger; instead I daydreamed of more stimulating lives where I would be able to prove my competence. And the awful depression that I got that had nothing to do with the mental difference but everything to do with the understimulation, just made me need to solve those other issues more, since my understimulation issue had seemingly caused permanent damage. And I had to make sure I never got understimulated again.

By: Ana54

Ana54 — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 02:30:58 +0000

I’m 21 and I have been hospitalized for psych reasons 6 times. I only started being hospitalized when I was 20, though. And I only started having psychotherapy and taking meds when I was 19. I had a hard time when I was under 19. I was understimulated, and also misunderstood because I didn’t think the same way as others, but I thought just as well. But others thought that because I didn’t think like them, I didn’t think as well as them, and that made me so depressed. Now I finally have a diagnosis I’m content with… Pervasive Developmental Disorder– Not Otherwise Specified. Itotally agree that almost everyone who is a patient in a psych ward is probably in pain and why is it that just because it’s in the mind, it’s not acceptable to express that you have pain in the mind, or even worse, in the soul?

By: liz

liz — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 15:24:59 +0000

As far as the rule for no touching goes: You do not know what these children have gone through. No touching is a rule in psych wards for patients of all ages, but most important for the younger children. Those who have suffered physical or sexual abuse would not take well to touching by strangers, whether it seems as though they do or not. Nurses in psych wards are not meant to be mothers, and should not be seen as mothers.

As a person who has been in a psych ward, I’m not pleased with the tone taken in this article. You treat seem to treat these children as though they are just your average brat, not a child with problems deeper than you will know as a “floater.” You admit that you cannot sit in on therapy, which makes sense, but you must realize that is an important part of this process, and you do not know what is going on with these patients. You reaction to the children is similar to someone complaining that a patient could not feed themselves because of an illness. Different disability, same thing.

By: Donna B.

Donna B. — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 04:06:56 +0000

Interesting story and I’d like to know more about the no touching rule… as it seems to me as a non-nurse mother that loving, caring touch would be a good thing. What is it that I do not know?

By: libby

libby — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 12:50:27 +0000

I get backbiting and inbred from having worked med-surg right after nursing
school and seeing how small-minded, petty and not very helpful most floor
nurses are, though of course there are always exceptions…
also, when I worked as a paramedic, most medics didn’t like them since they
weren’t usually very helpful as far as transmitting information about their
patients.
Of course I understand that understaffing (national issue) affects morale,
but the thing about working on a psych floor is the RN’s are outnumbered by
the Mental Health Specialists which is great ( more guys, more varied
backgrounds, less rigid ways of thinking).
Let’s face it, nursing school doesn’t exactly encourage radical, creative
thinking.
Of course there are bitches on psych, but, believe me, they don’t choose to
have a non-psych RN come to float, that’s a management decision.
They know perfectly well how unprepared you are, but they are often tired,
stressed out, mad at management themselves and realize they don’t have time
to both explain the job and do it at the same time.

I have a couple good friends who are floor nurses, but I look at them as the
exception.
Why didn’t you call the Manager of Patient Services when this happened and
refuse to continue your shift on that unit?
Why did you let the MD leave the room?

When she first started getting out of control, that’s the time to tell the
MD to grab the patient and get her out of there.

anyway, thanks for the email!
ps how do I get a password so I can answer direct emails?

By: elizabeth ames

elizabeth ames — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 22:48:01 +0000

Imagine how the psych nurses felt having to put up with a med-surg RN who doesn’t know anything about psych.I’ve been a child/adolescent psych RN for 6 years and I think it’s great, heartbreaking, challenging and teaches me something every day.
If you want to really feel yourself and others, come work with me. If I had to work med-surg I’d kill myself, with all the backbiting and the patients all tucked away in their rooms. Yuck.
At least, on psych, we have Mental Health Specialists, who often know more than the RN’s and who are often a lot more fun than a bunch of inbred RN’s.
Everything is relative. Our patients soak up love and attention and want to learn things more than any children you’ll ever meet.

By: Jane

Jane — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 18:47:38 +0000

Great story! One has to have spent some time working in psych to truly appreciate what it’s like. One year of working on a child/adolescent unit was all I could handle. I was good at my job. My problem was I left every day feeling as though I could do nothing to truly help these kids. They’ve been through horrendous experiences that the ordinary person cannot even imagine. Just to get a smile from some of them is a major accomplishment. God Bless those who work in pysch forever. There will be a special place in Heaven for all of you. As for the euthanasia comment. They’ll be a special place for you elsewhere!

By: donna, rn

donna, rn — Sat, 14 Oct 2006 12:18:39 +0000

I’m a nurse, a midwife, and a mom of a 14 yo with numerous psych diagnoses and several hospitalizations. I came across this site while researching issues with RNs being “floated” to other units. I was appalled at the blog that began this thread (and I’m not easily shocked at all). And the person who recommends EUTHANASIA??? Are you a nurse?! I pray not. Interestingly, my son, my husband, and I have all thought of death as the easiest way out of our unbelievably difficult situation a time or two. Thank God, that’s never happened and I pray it never will. My son’s birth mother drank and took drugs while carrying him, leaving him with disabilities he (and we) struggle to overcome, or at least cope with. I know as a nurse that burnout is common when you see so much of life’s most intense situations, and that “floating” is often inappropriate, but usually, compassion for others’ pain is why we go into this field. Please, nurses, PLEASE understand that many times patients’ pain is difficult to comprehend or doesn’t seem to make sense–but it exists, often to such depths that its expression is shocking. I am thankful for many people who have over the years been kind, compassionate, and patient with my own “Tornado Child.”

By: JMo

JMo — Sat, 10 Jun 2006 23:22:41 +0000

Please dont judge too harshly , just because nurses think these things and may vent to each other in this way doesnt mean for a moment that we dont do our job or that we dont care. If we dont vent and we dont develope some thick skin we will burn out and be of no use to anyone. I know some of my patients would be suprised to hear what I am really thinking but they never will, be cause I put on my happy nurse face and do what needs to be done, thats what being a professional means. The person you should be angry at is the institution that would put an untrained nurse in that environment.

By: autism mom

autism mom — Thu, 08 Jun 2006 23:58:55 +0000

I pray you never care for my son or anyone elses’s child. In a psych ward or any where else.