(Untitled)

[dragonsrmd]

Sometimes I wonder why I do this job, and then.....

I work on a psychiatric ward so part of this could be triggery for some. So please be warned!

Comments

[polymale]

You do good work. I applaud you :)

[dragonsrmd]

Thanks, it was a tough weekend but I'm lucky to work with a good team of people :)

[pygmalionsennui]

Good lord, I'm quite happy to not be involved in anything close to psychiatry. It's good to see that you seem to take such incidents in your stride, rather than to fixate on them -- I'm not going to lie, they seem somewhat amusing, and I don't tend to feel too guilty considering no-one really got hurt (at least in those incidents).

I'm sure you totally deserved that compliment!

[dragonsrmd]

To be honest I've been in nursing long enough to develop a pretty macabre sense of humor, and like you said no one got hurt (though it does happen). Besides in the middle of this a couple of us were squabbling about who got the cute police officer so you can see how concerned we were :)

I am lucky enough to work with a good team though, so there was solid back up all the way.

[stupidfool]

wow, that sounds like it could be a pretty scary job--i'm impressed that you just handle it, without getting too scared!
and congrats on the compliment, too--it's always nice to know that people recognize the good work you're doing :-)

[dragonsrmd]

The scariest part of this job is the obscene amount of paperwork that we need to do!

It's a shame that such compliments are a novelty and not the norm though. The people that I work with could do with a few more just to recognize that everyone does exceptional work in what can be difficult situations.

[aydenclare]

may i ask what kind of a degree you have? I'm interested in mental health work, so i'm just wondering.

[dragonsrmd]

No degree, but quite a few newly qualified psychologists work with us for a couple of years to get some experience with people, so that could be a start. Or nurse training if that's the route you think you could take.

I've always liked ward based work, which is why I'm happy to stay where I am. It's constant on the job training. I know it sounds cliche but the best way to learn how to work with people is to work with them. You learn how to build a therapeutic relationship, with good listening skills and a non judgmental approach. Life skills also help, if you can empathize without crossing professional boundaries you're more likely be able to give them the right sort of advice.

Plus for us there's the courses we get sent on such CBT, DBT etc

Whatever route you take, good luck with it :)

[dragonsrmd]

Yep it makes all the difference :)