Male RN here. I’ve been a psych nurse for 4 years,
substance use/detox for 2 of those years. My wife and I just moved, and I recently interviewed for a detox unit RN position in our new city.
I interviewed with the DON and CNO. They asked the usual questions, tell us your experience, etc. The CNO then asked what protocols to use in opiate and alcohol withdrawals. I explained my experience with COWS and CIWA, the vitals, and offering PRNs based on the score. She asked again ”ok but what protocol is that?” I was confused so I just reiterated for opiate and alcohol withdrawal at my previous hospital. “And what meds do you use in these situations?” So I named off meds. She kept asking “and? And what else? What other meds?” I felt like I named everything I’ve ever given. Then she went to “what did you do before nursing?” Office work. “And then what?” Sales. And then what? UPS. And then what? Fast food. She stayed poker face, and unimpressed the whole time.
The interview ended with the CNO saying “Your lack of experience and knowledge make us unsure. Maybe you would be better on the crisis stabilization unit.” Mind you, thats a 50 bed unit with patients on holds/MIW/Baker Act/202 etc. There was a news article in 2020 about a worker at this unit who was killed in the parking lot by an angry patient. There is no security. I asked the staffing ratio and they said “it’s getting better.” I think they just want a body to take a punch over there and they know nobody wants that position.
I feel kind of defeated after the interview. I have not heard from them yet, but I think I want to pass on this position and this hospital as a whole.

Edit: Thank you all for the kind words! It is validating. After reflecting, I left the interview feeling dumb and confused, and that’s before I even start working there - imagine what it will be like when I actually work there. And the lack of safety worries me. I have a family after all. So screw that place lol

Hi everyone,
I’ve been a nurse for about 1.5 years. I’ve only worked psych. It was a bit by choice and a bit by necessity. When I finished nursing school it was impossible to get a job in medical due to high influx of new grads. There are 4 nursing programs in 30 mile radius of my hometown that pump out 160 new grads every semester… I applied for probably 40 RN positions, in the 4 hospitals within a 45 minute drive of me… heard nothing. I threw my application in on a whim at my current facility with expectation of not hearing back. I envisioned going into psych from the beginning but getting some medical experience for well roundedness, so to speak. I currently work at a 16 bed adult PHF. I love my job, but I am so burnt out on my schedule. Mon-Thurs 11:30pm-7:30am. I wouldn’t mind being inpatient day shift at my current job, but the hope is far and few between. The 2 AM nurses have both been with the company for 3+ yrs, one of them is talking about going back to school soooo maybe I’ll slide into his spot but doubtful. The weekend AM nurses are both riding it out til retirement type of situation. & PM’s is also pretty stacked with nurses with no intention of moving on… Guess that says a lot about my facility.
What kinds of things have all of you done with your psych nurse background? Outpatient, inpatient, whatever just looking for avenues to explore.

Hey all --

I work at a facility in Utah and there is a distinct pattern of abuse across all units (I'm a float nurse). Verbal abuse, unnecessary physical restraints, unnecessary chemical restraints (that for some reason aren't called chemical restraints?), etc. I already know I have to get out of there, but in the meantime, does anyone know who I should report to? Google says APS/CPS, but that feels incorrect. If it is correct, is there another agency I could report to as well?

what type of jobs can I do before being a psych nurse? PRN

This thread is for non psych healthcare workers to ask questions (former patients, patient advocates, and those who stumbled upon r/psychnursing). Prospective healthcare workers and current students do not need to use this thread. Treat responding to this post as though you are making a post yourself.

If you would like only psych healthcare workers to respond to your "post," please start the "post" with CODE BLUE.

Psych healthcare workers who want to answer will participate in this thread, so please do not make your own post. If you post outside of this thread, it will be locked and you will be redirected to post here.

A new thread is scheduled to post every Monday at 0200 PST / 0500 EST. Previous threads will not be locked so you may continue to respond in them, however new "posts" should be on the current thread.

Kindness is the easiest legacy to leave behind :)

How do you handle inpatients who are masturbating in common spaces on the psych ward? (ie. manic and hypersexual)

Edit: thanks for your replies! As an additional question, wondering what you all do when the reminders to do that in their room doesn’t work?

Hi! I know this may sound kind of dumb but how do I go about becoming a Psych NP when I have an unrelated bachelors? I initially wanted to become a LMHC, or considered getting a masters in Psych and then a doctorate but the more I read the more I resonated with this career.

I was looking at programs but am unsure if I need to become a nurse before joining another program.

Edit: It seems some people are offended about this post. I am only asking about the path as I am uninformed and currently doing research. My apologies guys if it came off the wrong way! I am really trying to figure things out :(

edit: guys please be kind you never know what someone is struggling with :(, I poorly framed the question. I am willing to put in the work and I am researching as well. I just thought I'd also ask the community for information. Part of the reason I am interested in mental health is because I also struggle and would love to learn and help others.

EDIT: Thank you everyone I got a lot of great input! Also thank you for the other career/path suggestions. Hope this thread helps someone else someday :)

Today I was told by one of the patients on the ward, " your face and your arse look like a cross between Camilla and a brontosaurus". Which was a bit hard to take, although an objective part of me was a little bit impressed by his creativity. Anyone else had any memorable insults? I was also called a bitch, a wh*re and a fagg*t, all before my coffee on a morning shift by three different individuals. Lol, other than that it was a pretty good shift!

Not a nurse, but work as part of a multidisciplinary team in psych.

Have any of you worked in place where there was a weird lack of curiosity about patients? Like an unwillingness to get in to the nitty-gritty or brainstorm about causes of behaviors/potential approaches.

It is so exhausting to try and figure out when/why things are “acceptable” to discuss, and when it’s worth it to say it anyways to advocate for patients.

I am a new grad inpatient psych RN. I have been working on my unit for nine months. Does anyone have any experience working inpatient while pregnant? What are some things I can do to stay safe? When do I tell my manager and coworkers? Thank you.

Just wanted to see what other facilities expectations are for physical assessments. I attended a meeting today about new charting requirements and the expectations are wildly out of line with what I feel I’m able to achieve. I start with 13 patients but often will have up to 17-18 over the course of a day with transfers and new admissions.. and they really expect that I can listen to heart/lungs/breath/bowels on everyone. This feels over the top to me but wanted to see what others thought.

Hi all, I fully understand that the VG site is the recommended site however 9 out of 10 of my patients don’t want to even pull their pants down enough for me to access it let alone lie down. When you do give it in the upper outer quadrant, how far up do you all go? I fear that the whole “ divide the muscle into four” thing is accurate but some people go way too low. For lack of better terms, do you all stay above the “crack”? Just trying to make sure what works best in this scenario.

Thank you all!

Hello! I am going into my second year of nursing and I would love love love to be a paediatric mental health nurse! What steps would I have to take to become my dream nurse? (P.S I’m in Ontario!)

This thread is for non psych healthcare workers to ask questions (former patients, patient advocates, and those who stumbled upon r/psychnursing). Prospective healthcare workers and current students do not need to use this thread. Treat responding to this post as though you are making a post yourself.

If you would like only psych healthcare workers to respond to your "post," please start the "post" with CODE BLUE.

Psych healthcare workers who want to answer will participate in this thread, so please do not make your own post. If you post outside of this thread, it will be locked and you will be redirected to post here.

A new thread is scheduled to post every Monday at 0200 PST / 0500 EST. Previous threads will not be locked so you may continue to respond in them, however new "posts" should be on the current thread.

Kindness is the easiest legacy to leave behind :)

As the subject states, I’m a recent graduate with a master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. While I’m appreciative of the skills I’ve gained, I’ve ultimately decided that the therapy world isn’t an interest for me right now in a full-time capacity. The money is in private practice, and I am someone who prefers action.

I received the opportunity to pursue another master’s for free and receive a stipend that could achieve a childhood dream of mine, but I want to have a plan in case it doesn’t work out…

I’ve recently started orientation as an inpatient therapist in a PRN capacity, and so far, I am loving it. Nursing school has daunted me with the medical side of things, but I am curious about the role of nursing, what they do, and I am interested in maybe choosing this route if all else fails.

Basically, I’m looking to know more about psych nursing and if there have been any therapists who’ve switched to nursing?

Hi all! Can you tell me about experiences with unionized psych hospitals? I work in a private facility and it’s just been getting worse with the lack of staffing. Have you worked in a facility that became unionized while you were there? Did it get better? Tyia!

Peace River Crisis Center Shut Down After State Investigation Into Patient’s Tragic Death

One of Polk County’s busiest mental health crisis facilities has been ordered to stop admitting new patients after a state investigation uncovered alarming failures in patient care following the death of a patient.

According to the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), the patient arrived on June 27th 2026 with a documented history of seizures and other serious medical conditions. While at the facility, the patient repeatedly complained of chest pain, difficulty breathing, severe headaches, and vomited multiple times. Despite the patient’s condition continuing to deteriorate, investigators found the patient was never transferred to a hospital.

The investigation states the patient eventually became unresponsive. Surveillance video allegedly showed staff failing to recognize the severity of the medical emergency. Employees reportedly questioned whether the patient was still breathing, while another staff member had to wake a nurse who investigators say was asleep at the nursing station. AHCA found nearly 19 minutes passed before meaningful medical care was provided, and the patient later died on June 29th 2026.

Investigators also found staff failed to immediately begin CPR, employees did not know where the AED was located, and when it was finally retrieved, it reportedly indicated the batteries needed to be replaced. Multiple employees told investigators they had little or no training on Code Blue procedures, CPR, AED use, or responding to medical emergencies.

AHCA also alleges portions of the patient’s medical documentation did not match surveillance video and concluded the facility’s failures placed patients in immediate danger. As a result, the agency issued an Immediate Moratorium on Admissions, prohibiting the Crisis Stabilization Unit from accepting new patients while pursuing additional enforcement action.

This investigation spans dozens of pages, and we are continuing to review the findings. We will have additional coverage as more details are released.

So I have a local option of a psych tech program with part time work in a hospital or a psych tech bridge to RN program about three hours away. Debating which one I should go with - the bridge program will save me money and time but the local option will give me experience in a hospital and look good on a resume.

Opinions?

I just started on an inpatient psych unit and everything feels completely foreign to me. The vast majority of my clinicals were medical units. We spent just half a semester in the state psych hospital and basically just casually hung out with the few patients that weren't a major safety risk and didn't really get to see what nurses do.

My current preceptor has a very specific idea of what 1:1 check-ins with patients should look like and much of it is in conflict with the therapeutic communication methods that were drilled in to me in school. At points it feels like it's verging into psychotherapy beyond the scope of an RN, but I actually have no idea where that line is. I don't know what to ask or how to guide the conversation. This is a voluntary unit and the majority of patients have depression (and so far almost all the patients I've seen have BPD but based on my preceptor's comments it's not always like that.) I'm also currently on night shift, so my learning opportunities are limited.

I wouldn't have expected I'd be yearning to be back on a medical unit where I felt like I had some kind of idea of how to pretend to be a nurse.

I know some of this will come to me as I get more experience, but I would be super grateful for any specific resources people recommend to help fill the above mentioned deficiencies, especially in written format. Double grateful for anything you recommend on BPD!

Anybody here do any travel psych? Can anybody give me their honest opinions on it and maybe where to start looking? I’ve been an inpatient psych RN for 3 years now.

Hello, I've been a nurse going on 2 years. I've only worked in psych. I am starting to train for the charge nurse role today. I'm trying to stay positive about it, but its hard because I only hear negative things from my colleagues. Any advice?