with physical management, de-escalation, needy and med seeking patients
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Mental Health Workers, How To Deal With Stress On The Job?3 comments to Mental Health Workers, How To Deal With Stress On The Job? |
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I think that it is really important to remember that the patients you support will often be feeling more stressed than you are and are relying on you for help and support. Because of the demanding nature of your job it is easy to forget that patients are individuals. If you are kind, courteous, approachable, consistent and always fair I think you will find many of your stresses will disappear. Patients will respect you and you will be able to get satisfaction from really helping someone. I am not undermining the fact that your job is hard however it is equally terrifying to be a detained patient with a tenuous grip on reality and your only support is a hostile and stressed worker. Take care and look after your patients.
Well, I work on a locked psych unit for over 20 years now–and the staff who do the best, and stay the longest, seem to be able to disengage themselves personally from the patients.
I don’t mean to ignore, or smooth over situations.
It is important that everyone does their job, and anticipates what may happen. Safety is key–and working as a team.
When someone is escalating, early intervention is key. let that patient’s nurse know right away–so they can check for prn medication–and call the doctor, if needed. Some meds have to be sent up from the pharmacy–and all of this takes time. Time you may not have.
If someone is revving up, having them go to a quieter place to cool off/talk is good. Sometimes the noise and activity of other patients makes things worse. Don’t ever go to a patient’s room, without letting other staff know–and never shut the door. Always sit closest to the door, so the patient cannot barricade you in the room .
Physical management. Hmmmmm. If the person escalates to a poi9nt in which he/she needs to be moved to a seclusion room–or be restrained–you need back up. At our place , we call a Code Green, which goes overhead throughout the hospital, and security and a team of staff (trained in this) come to out unit to help. Of course staff tries to de-escalate the situation, so the person does not need restraining.
So early intervention–by way of talking to him/her–and getting medications ready/ by way of telling the nurse–so she call call the doctor, etc. Most of it involves keeping your eyes and ears open–and communicating with your ‘teammates’–so everyone is aware.
needy patients will always wear on your nerves. Set limits. if you are assigned as their contact person, tell them , early on, that you will have 2 30 minute ‘sessions’ to talk that shift. All other times, you have other patients and other duties that you need to do.
Instead of coming to the desk every 5 minutes, they can write down their concerns/questions–and you can deal with them all at once, during your 2 ‘contact times’.
med seekers are their nurse’s nightmare–not yours. Direct the patient to their nurse, as you are not a nurse. It is the nurse’s job to deal with this.
Psych units are filled with patients with legitimate mental health issues. Unfortunately they are also filled with people who need a place to crash for whatever reason–and they tell the E.R. staff anything to get them admitted. many are drug addicts/alcoholics who want “Three hots and a cot”, as it is phrased. or ‘hospital hoppers’ who go from place to place to get a free bed, meals andpain killers, benzos to feed their addiction–instead of doing the work necessary to get help–and get well.
I could go on for pages–but suffice it is to keep in mind that YOU are the staff–and only have to put in so many hours until you go home!
Our unit is a locked unit, and I sometimes will touch my keys to the unit as a reminder that I will be leaving. the patients will be staying.
hang in there–keep safe–keep sane
Knowing this and reminding yourself this, helps alot.
I agree with ChiLady, and would add that when I worked in Psych, I worked extra hard taking care of my mental health when I wasn’t at work.
I made sure I got my walks in everyday and ate a well-balanced diet. I talked out my problems from the job with people who knew the business. I asked for help when I needed it.
I gave help when it was asked of me.
The psych business will eat you alive.
Take good care of yourself, and you will enjoy it. If you don’t the needy and med-seeking will drive you away – and it will take you a while to recover from it.
Oh, and do not care more than is required to get what ever your job is done. The people on the unit – the patients – do not care about you. They are ill. They are there to take what is given and try to stabilize and maybe even get well. They are not there to care that you care.