Warming up
It's funny that when you perceive someone as stand-offish, abrupt, perhaps even a bit harsh that you really kind of tune out what they're saying without intentionally doing so. My advice to you? Turn your listening ears on, because you never know. You may miss something not only important, but quite valuable as well. I just had to take a big bite out of some self-humble pie as I just recently learned that lesson. This job, as I've said before many times, comes with its challenging days. Seems like lately we've had some challenging days. In my 4 years as a psych nurse, I've not yet had much experience in seclusions and restraints. To be honest, I had a very hands-off approach to the two, as in don't use them ever really, unless absolutely necessary.
Until recently.
Not that I'm about to start tying up everyone that gets in my way, no, not at all. But I had a particularly challenging patient encounter recently and am quite honestly still learning the ropes in regards to this particular population. But after a "come to Jesus" talk, so to speak, that in my opinion went rather well, I found myself back out in the hallway alongside another nurse again dealing with this patient. My spine somewhat stiffened when I heard the nurse throw out the "s" word if the patient could not control their behavior. Back in the nurse's station, I gained a new perspective. This nurse said that sometimes when patients have particular behaviors, such as grabbing, hitting or other means to attack staff to try and get their way, seclusion is often used in these cases not as a punishment, rather a means to remove such stimulus (the staff) that they keep going after. In reality, we're not really supposed to use seclusion as a means for punishment anyway, but the way I've seen seclusions used in the past is usually on really violent patients, and now that I look back on it, as a way to remove stimulus that is the root of their behaviors. And after all this time...
I sometimes get a bit on the defensive when I feel that my competency is in question. But it's not a matter of competency, or lack thereof. It's experience. And what I learned tonight was from those who to be honest are more experienced than I am, hence the humble pie. Learning from others, it's what you do. It's what we do, and given time, it just may make you better.
Until recently.
Not that I'm about to start tying up everyone that gets in my way, no, not at all. But I had a particularly challenging patient encounter recently and am quite honestly still learning the ropes in regards to this particular population. But after a "come to Jesus" talk, so to speak, that in my opinion went rather well, I found myself back out in the hallway alongside another nurse again dealing with this patient. My spine somewhat stiffened when I heard the nurse throw out the "s" word if the patient could not control their behavior. Back in the nurse's station, I gained a new perspective. This nurse said that sometimes when patients have particular behaviors, such as grabbing, hitting or other means to attack staff to try and get their way, seclusion is often used in these cases not as a punishment, rather a means to remove such stimulus (the staff) that they keep going after. In reality, we're not really supposed to use seclusion as a means for punishment anyway, but the way I've seen seclusions used in the past is usually on really violent patients, and now that I look back on it, as a way to remove stimulus that is the root of their behaviors. And after all this time...
I sometimes get a bit on the defensive when I feel that my competency is in question. But it's not a matter of competency, or lack thereof. It's experience. And what I learned tonight was from those who to be honest are more experienced than I am, hence the humble pie. Learning from others, it's what you do. It's what we do, and given time, it just may make you better.
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