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nurses, and most of all — the patients.”“Still interested?” Dr McKenna asked.“Sounds perfect,” I responded.“Call me Claire when it’s just the two of us talking,” she said. “Call me Dr. McKenna in front of patients and staff.I signed a contract, committing myself to a year-long internship.Then I started training which seemed designed to make new employees paranoid. The focus was on rules, protocols, and risk management. There were many possible dangers and opportunities for making errors with tragic consequences. We watched films about suicide prevention and poor boundaries. Managers from several departments led workshops on topics like documentation, aligning with unit staff, and asking for support or information frequently, especially at first.<figure id="a85f"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*Fb7X7870V9G6p0BcZZK_cA.jpeg"><figcaption>Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@tengyart?utm_content=creditCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=unsplash">Tengyart</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/orange-and-white-plastic-egg-toy-DoqtEEn8SOo?utm_content=creditCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=unsplash">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure>We took a tour of the facility. There was an addiction unit, a general unit, and a unit for patients with schizophrenia and other chronic mental health issues. Most of the people on that unit were involuntary patients, involved with the court system.There were only two of us in training. The other woman had quit the hospital three years prior and was returning to her former position in patient accounts. She

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offered insights from her previous experiences hoping to calm my worries. She told me about several psychiatrists, nurses, and support staff she trusted.My first two weeks in the General Unit were intensive. I learned how to do rounds on patients every 15 minutes, noting where they were and what they were doing. I learned to be discreet, to be a trusted team member, and to give support to patients whenever possible. I started befriending staff, although I soon discovered some staff were less stable and healthy than the patients.An evening nurse brought a gun to work — he was promptly fired — and some staff had bad boundaries. They would hang out in patient rooms or offer special privileges to their favorite patients.I offered support to the Medical Director, my second supervisor, and other Psychiatrists. They gave me insights into patients and their diagnoses beyond the patient chart notes. I was often asked to meet with a patient for a therapy session, or do testing. Most tests seemed outdated and geared toward patients from Western cultures.I also learned patient de-escalation strategies and self-defense methods used by the hospital. I witnessed staff respond when patients were threatening harm to others, self-harm, or decompensating. Interns were only allowed to do support activities like 15-minute rounds or distracting other patients with a spontaneous group in a community room with a locked door. There were at least three patient incidents each day.Gradually, I discovered how much I loved doing patient therapy sessions with patients, running psych and activity groups, and how useful music was as a calming method.</article></body>

When a Career Change Involves Entering a New World Without Guidance from Captain Kirk or Spock

NBC Television, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The first time I stepped foot in a psych hospital, I knew I belonged there.

Ironically, my biggest childhood fear was being committed to a psych facility by my parents. It was a threat they made when my siblings or I were being incorrigible.

Despite the fear, I was never sent to a psych hospital. I was reprimanded for many errant behaviors. Fortunately, ADHD was not a popular diagnosis back then or I would have been diagnosed and medicated.

Eighteen years later, I stepped into a psych hospital for an education, not treatment. I immediately knew it was the perfect place for an internship.

It happened like music, meaning the experience unfolded like a melody. I made a phone call to a recommended supervisor, a psychologist named Dr. Claire McKenna. We hit it off instantly. She suggested I try interning at a hospital where she had been a Director and student Supervisor for years.

“I have a sense it will be the perfect match for you, ” Dr. McKenna said.

“You have to be fast on your feet, always paying attention, responding quickly, all the while remaining calm,” she said.

I nodded to emphasize I could do all that. She wasn’t finished.

“You must have strong boundaries from the start and keep an open mind. There’s so much to learn from psychiatrists, nurses, and most of all — the patients.”

“Still interested?” Dr McKenna asked.

“Sounds perfect,” I responded.

“Call me Claire when it’s just the two of us talking,” she said. “Call me Dr. McKenna in front of patients and staff.

I signed a contract, committing myself to a year-long internship.

Then I started training which seemed designed to make new employees paranoid. The focus was on rules, protocols, and risk management. There were many possible dangers and opportunities for making errors with tragic consequences. We watched films about suicide prevention and poor boundaries. Managers from several departments led workshops on topics like documentation, aligning with unit staff, and asking for support or information frequently, especially at first.

We took a tour of the facility. There was an addiction unit, a general unit, and a unit for patients with schizophrenia and other chronic mental health issues. Most of the people on that unit were involuntary patients, involved with the court system.

There were only two of us in training. The other woman had quit the hospital three years prior and was returning to her former position in patient accounts. She offered insights from her previous experiences hoping to calm my worries. She told me about several psychiatrists, nurses, and support staff she trusted.

My first two weeks in the General Unit were intensive. I learned how to do rounds on patients every 15 minutes, noting where they were and what they were doing. I learned to be discreet, to be a trusted team member, and to give support to patients whenever possible. I started befriending staff, although I soon discovered some staff were less stable and healthy than the patients.

An evening nurse brought a gun to work — he was promptly fired — and some staff had bad boundaries. They would hang out in patient rooms or offer special privileges to their favorite patients.

I offered support to the Medical Director, my second supervisor, and other Psychiatrists. They gave me insights into patients and their diagnoses beyond the patient chart notes. I was often asked to meet with a patient for a therapy session, or do testing. Most tests seemed outdated and geared toward patients from Western cultures.

I also learned patient de-escalation strategies and self-defense methods used by the hospital. I witnessed staff respond when patients were threatening harm to others, self-harm, or decompensating. Interns were only allowed to do support activities like 15-minute rounds or distracting other patients with a spontaneous group in a community room with a locked door. There were at least three patient incidents each day.

Gradually, I discovered how much I loved doing patient therapy sessions with patients, running psych and activity groups, and how useful music was as a calming method.