I'm an RN, started out on a med/surg ICU stepdown floor which sucked a large one. I work at a level I trauma inner city hospital so we get all the homeless/indegent and gang bangers. I have been working in Medical/Surgical/Trauma ICU for the last 3 years now and its a bit better.
Psych nursing is the fucking worse!! Nobody even looks at psych nurses as 'real' nurses. You lose all your nursing skills working psych. You never have to titrate drips, work with intubated pts, wound care, ACLS etc... It's always hilarious the rare times I get called to a code on the psych floor and how so absolutely clueless they are. I still get my fair share of psych pts working ICU and they are the worst pts to have. They are all drug dependant and very manipulative. they can make a 12hr shift feel like an eternity. At least being in the ICU I can snow the shit out of them and tie them down.
I would suggest finding your nearest lvl I trauma center and applying for a CNA job in their ICU or ER. You will gain the most experience and you will be batting people away with job offers come graduation day.
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