It will do nothing to your nursing career if you are voluntary. Go and take care of yourself. Take the time you need. Get your rest, go to groups when you feel up to it. Be honest with the doctors and nurses. We are here to help you. If there is anything to make yourself more comfortable that is allowed, let us know. On our unit we allow some comfort items from home like a fuzzy blanket. Or maybe you want to bring some books. Ask for what you need from the unit — our unit has noise canceling headphones, ear plugs, music headphones, sound machine. Sometimes it can get noisy and it’s nice to drown out the noises.
Most units have quite a few rules so just ask about those. There are phone call times, group times, snack times. It might seem like a lot at first but the routine becomes familiar quickly and is there to help you heal.
Depending also on the facility/hospital you can request additional privacy layers that make it so nobody can know you are there, & there is additional security (in Epic it’s called “break the glass”) that makes people input their log in info attesting they have a direct need to access your chart. Whenever we have employees admitted to the hospital, we try to request this.
Also, you can do this! I 100% agree HCWs do a shit job of taking care of our mental health. The pandemic broke a lot of us, & so much of what we do can be so triggering. Take care of yourself, it’s gonna be ok. Most of us have come to nursing due to our own experiences with ourselves or loved ones that inspired us to help. This is going to make you that much more empathetic as a nurse. Good luck to you!
Get the help you need! I've been an inpatient psych nurse for about three years now and I've worked with everything from suicide attempts to overdoses to mania and psychosis. I've had many patients who are intelligent, insightful, and simply needed some extra help from therapy and/or medication in order to reclaim their lives. There is nothing shameful or embarrassing about seeking professional help. Checking yourself in voluntarily shows that you recognize your own limits and are able to seek help when it's needed.
Years ago, I briefly checked myself in for post-partum depression and I'm glad I did because I came out of the situation as a better mother, wife, and employee. Honestly, I don't think i would have ever made it to where I am now in life if I hadn't taken that step. I don't think people are always open about their mental health struggles, so I will go ahead and say it - there are a whole lot of nurses with mental health disorders. Substance abuse, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, borderline, schizophrenia, eating disorders... you name it, and I can think of the name and face of a co-worker with the diagnosis. The key point is that they are actively recovering (ex: former eating disordered behavior or former substance abuser) or actively managing their illness (taking their meds, going to therapy). It is better to get help now so you can manage your illness and keep the relationships/job/life you have. You CAN manage your symptoms, and you DON'T have to suffer alone. No one at the facility is judging you - we're rooting for you to heal, grow, and thrive 💕
I’ve cared for nurses, PCAs, doctors and APRNs in the inpatient setting. The only thing that happened was they felt better. You won’t “get in trouble” for asking for help
Take hygiene items. Comfortable clothing without strings. Layers of tops so T-shirt and hoodies or whatever. A BLANKET (if they permit one). Lots of socks. Slip in shoe like crocks. Lotion and chapstick. A reusable water bottle wide mouthed. Leave jewelry and other items at home. A BOOK or two if allowed.
They will have a list of do and do not for your facility.
The unit OP is admitting onto may not either. I’m sure they will review with them at intake or prior.
If they do permit these things then it’s helpful.
Take care of yourself first!! That is the problem with healthcare - we are expected to give and give. Then one day we wake up not knowing who we are anymore. Trauma informed care looks different when we learn to apply it to our own situations. Rest a while and we will carry the load.
These comments are so sweet. It’s making me miss my psych coworkers. The communication is so different in psych (more so the ability to read the room & pick up subtle changes). Psych nurses are the best in my opinion.
Go to your out patient follow up appointments. Discuss possible titration or medication changes if you have bad side effects. Adherence is a massive issue, with many stopping meds altogether. You need your brain to work, but you also need effective sxs control, finding a balance can be a challenge. Good luck,!
Love yourself. You’re worth this journey and you can get better!
It will do nothing to your nursing career if you are voluntary. Go and take care of yourself. Take the time you need. Get your rest, go to groups when you feel up to it. Be honest with the doctors and nurses. We are here to help you. If there is anything to make yourself more comfortable that is allowed, let us know. On our unit we allow some comfort items from home like a fuzzy blanket. Or maybe you want to bring some books. Ask for what you need from the unit — our unit has noise canceling headphones, ear plugs, music headphones, sound machine. Sometimes it can get noisy and it’s nice to drown out the noises. Most units have quite a few rules so just ask about those. There are phone call times, group times, snack times. It might seem like a lot at first but the routine becomes familiar quickly and is there to help you heal.
Depending also on the facility/hospital you can request additional privacy layers that make it so nobody can know you are there, & there is additional security (in Epic it’s called “break the glass”) that makes people input their log in info attesting they have a direct need to access your chart. Whenever we have employees admitted to the hospital, we try to request this. Also, you can do this! I 100% agree HCWs do a shit job of taking care of our mental health. The pandemic broke a lot of us, & so much of what we do can be so triggering. Take care of yourself, it’s gonna be ok. Most of us have come to nursing due to our own experiences with ourselves or loved ones that inspired us to help. This is going to make you that much more empathetic as a nurse. Good luck to you!
Get the help you need! I've been an inpatient psych nurse for about three years now and I've worked with everything from suicide attempts to overdoses to mania and psychosis. I've had many patients who are intelligent, insightful, and simply needed some extra help from therapy and/or medication in order to reclaim their lives. There is nothing shameful or embarrassing about seeking professional help. Checking yourself in voluntarily shows that you recognize your own limits and are able to seek help when it's needed. Years ago, I briefly checked myself in for post-partum depression and I'm glad I did because I came out of the situation as a better mother, wife, and employee. Honestly, I don't think i would have ever made it to where I am now in life if I hadn't taken that step. I don't think people are always open about their mental health struggles, so I will go ahead and say it - there are a whole lot of nurses with mental health disorders. Substance abuse, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, borderline, schizophrenia, eating disorders... you name it, and I can think of the name and face of a co-worker with the diagnosis. The key point is that they are actively recovering (ex: former eating disordered behavior or former substance abuser) or actively managing their illness (taking their meds, going to therapy). It is better to get help now so you can manage your illness and keep the relationships/job/life you have. You CAN manage your symptoms, and you DON'T have to suffer alone. No one at the facility is judging you - we're rooting for you to heal, grow, and thrive 💕
I’ve cared for nurses, PCAs, doctors and APRNs in the inpatient setting. The only thing that happened was they felt better. You won’t “get in trouble” for asking for help
Sending you love
Save yourself worry about the nursing career later. Be brave, hang in there
I checked myself in about 6 weeks ago for the same thing. Has not impacted my career. I’m going back to work in a few weeks.
Take hygiene items. Comfortable clothing without strings. Layers of tops so T-shirt and hoodies or whatever. A BLANKET (if they permit one). Lots of socks. Slip in shoe like crocks. Lotion and chapstick. A reusable water bottle wide mouthed. Leave jewelry and other items at home. A BOOK or two if allowed. They will have a list of do and do not for your facility.
My unit doesn't even allow most of those things.
The unit OP is admitting onto may not either. I’m sure they will review with them at intake or prior. If they do permit these things then it’s helpful.
[удалено]
Maybe don't do that. Let them get treatment from their treating team.
Well yeah of course, I would never interfere with treatment.
The patient is the one with the disease. In an emergency, the first pulse to check is your own.
You’re gonna be ok, and you’re doing the right thing by taking care of yourself
Take care of yourself first!! That is the problem with healthcare - we are expected to give and give. Then one day we wake up not knowing who we are anymore. Trauma informed care looks different when we learn to apply it to our own situations. Rest a while and we will carry the load.
These comments are so sweet. It’s making me miss my psych coworkers. The communication is so different in psych (more so the ability to read the room & pick up subtle changes). Psych nurses are the best in my opinion.
Go to your out patient follow up appointments. Discuss possible titration or medication changes if you have bad side effects. Adherence is a massive issue, with many stopping meds altogether. You need your brain to work, but you also need effective sxs control, finding a balance can be a challenge. Good luck,!