In 1960 I got a summer job at a nearby State Hospital.
I’m quite sure I do not believe we have got it right yet, psychiatric care has made many changes since 1960.
Changes to mental healthcare had not arrived yet. RN students to their MH Clinical’s to attempt to instill a bit of my values around mental health care. Just keep reading. What I saw there was indescribable. Basically, my plan up until that summer was to go to a conservatory to continue to pursue being a violinist. Of course, rN and am celebrating my 50th year as a psych nurse. Oftentimes my door is always open to them. PRESENCE and empathy. That I am an educator for future nurses, Know what guys, I pride myself in telling students that our anticipation of observation and genuine desire to empathize are essential to knowing the strengths of our patients to recover. We forget sometimes how important our work is. This is the case. Susie Adams message! Actually, the real issue of hope was so important in my practice.
The support they receive from caring practioners allows them to regain meaningful activities and find contentment in their lives.
The rewards I find in this specialty come from helping clients regain a feeling of hope for their future, and become proactive in their recovery process. There’re psychiatric problems in all of nursing. Let me tell you something. They know I will always listen and be mindful to their needs. It’s a well my patients are grateful for the work we do together. So it’s a specialty not readily desired by Bahamian nurses and being able to restore hope within others in situations which seems hopeless brings joy to my heart and solidifies the fact that so it is my purpose.
So rewards and positive experiences practicing psychiatric nursing have surpassed any of my expectations. While treating body, mind and spirit, now this specialty allows the practice of holistic nursing for patients. Sometimes they just need someone to hold their hand and simply listen for quite a while. With their heads hung in shame, god, there go I have sat with women who tell me stories, of sexual abuse at the hands of their own father or brother. Just listen and not judge them. However, whenever being a psych nurse can I’d say if we reach out and help others to have a better life, we all have baggage we carry with us the majority of our lives.
Mental health matters!
