This semester my psych rotation is split between the YWCA and Grandview Medical Center. I am starting at the YWCA, which is a shelter for women who have suffered from domestic violence and have nowhere else to go. This experience has already proven to be different than a typical nursing clinical that I have already experienced. This clinical rotation will make us rely on the basic foundations of nursing, such as therapeutic communication, whole-person care, maintaining patient safety, etc. This psych rotation will be a difficult one, however, I think it will also be very rewarding and I will learn concepts that I will be able to take with me throughout my nursing journey.
To be honest, I was and still am a bit nervous/anxious to work with people who suffer from mental illnesses. This is due to the fact that I have not had much experience dealing with people who suffer from mental illnesses. TV shows and movies put this persona in your head on what psych floors and patients are like, and they’re typically scary. I have already learned that this is not the case with most patients I have already interacted with. It is true
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Working with psych patients require myself to think more about my actions, how I say things, and how I come across to them. Patients can pick up the slightest discomfort and pick me apart. It is also important to remember to take what they say as a grain of salt. They may say offensive sayings directed towards myself or insult me, but it is something that I don’t let that get into my head and affect me. It is not necessarily the patient saying those thoughts, but the disease itself is what may be fueling the outburst. It is also important when dealing with psych patients to understand the different triggers that may affect them. This could be touching them, certain words or phrases, hugs, etc. Triggering them could cause them to go into crisis mode which is not