Work as a mental health worker/counselor/orderly

[pyra]

Does anyone have experience working in a psychatric hospital as a mental health worker/counselor/orderly? Has working with psychiatric patients given you a better insight into medicine? Has it been rewarding for you? What is the payrate in your area? Thanks for sharing!

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[BjOrKnRaDiOhEaD]

HI PYRA

i havent been a psychiatric counselor, but i am an hiv/std counselor....and its sorta similiar.....its been an AMAZING EXPERIENCE for me....i personally want to go into hiv and aids and so this has been a great learngin experience for me......i think it has given me a lot of insight into medicine because of the whole psychology aspect to it....how the mind of our clients work...trying to assess their risks and trying to get them on a path to safer sexual activities....we have to assess where they are on the behavior chart....pre contemplation, contemplation, ready for action, action, or maintainence......its really allowed me to deal with a lot of different personalities and people.....there is such great diversity...and its even prepared me greatly for disclosing difficult news as a hiv positive result


noosh

 

[jgarlovsky]

Pyra-

I am currently a mental health worker/couselor/tech in an inpatient adolescent psychiatry unit. I work at Highland Park Hospital in Highland Park Illinois. The hospital is part of the Evanston Northwestern Healthcare network. My pay rate is $15/hour which is about the norm in the chicagoland area for psych techs. My job has definately given me insight into the pathology of adolescent psychiatry. If you are considering psychiatry, being a mental health worker will give you great experience in understanding the pathology of people with mental health disorders as well as their treatment. I have also worked with adults, but being in an adolescent unit is much more interactive. I am ready to leave after a year so I can pursue my medical degree and I will have taken with me a great experience. the people I have gotten to work with are amazing. There is definately something to say about people who have worked in psychiatry. I have also worked as an ER Tech which was also very rewarding but did not pay as much.

 

[pyra]

Thank you everyone for sharing!

Jon,
What are your job duties as a psych tech?

 

[jgarlovsky]

My duties include but are not limited to the following; facilitate theraputic discussion among the patient population in a group setting, enforce all rules and set limits on patients admitted on the inpatient unit, chart all behaviors and issues regarding patients I am assigned to, restrain patients whom are a danger to themselves or others, provide 1:1 theraputic interaction with patients, admit and orient patients to our unit, discuss pt. progress with nurses, doctors, and social workers. Generally I work very close with the nurses and patients. I work generally 3p-11p with two other nurses and one other counselor and a secretary, when we are lucky, for 8-12 patients. Just remember, I work on a locked psych unit, if this doesn't bother you then give it a shot. Psych patients display their pathology in many different ways, sometimes they do get violent and sometimes they are just annoying. Make sure you get a good feel for the unit you are applying toand what your role will be. I would also advise you to ask about what type of support from staff you will receive, because working with psych patients can be emotionally draining if you don't have someone supporting you.

 

[NapeSpikes]

I also work at a mental health facility, but not exactly a psych hospital, i.e. it is not a lock-down. It's a residential setting for developmentally disabled and emotionally disturbed individuals. My job duties sound identical to jgarlovsky, down to the 3-11pm shifts, but also include administering meds (we don't have nurses to do that). I get paid less, too!

It has been very rewarding, though I agree that it can be very taxing, and you definitely need a support network. I'm surprised I survived three years!

But definitely it has given me insight into medicine--especially the human side, the problems and people we are trying to help. The job is actually a big reason I've decided to pursue medicine.

Good luck.

 

[jgarlovsky]

Hello NapeSpikes,

Wow! three years in a residential facility. I always wonder what happens to those kids we send there. Our unit is a crisis facility and we usually stabilize kids in a week. The ones that are chronic or cannot be stabilized in a 1-2 week period go to you. So my question is, you must get the most ill patients, Is your relapse rate very low and are the facilities effective? And I think its bogus that you get paid less than me and pass meds. Also, where are you going to school?

 

[NapeSpikes]

Hi jgarlovsky,

Good to hear from you! I work mainly with the adolescents, too! Yep, we often get the toughies, but I think that's more to do with the dual diagnoses, that is, teens with psych disorders combined with developmental disorders. So we have the psychotic teens who have the mental capacities of, on average, grade-schoolers.

I'm not exactly sure what you mean by "relapse" rate, but sometimes we do send them back to you guys for emergency treatment if there is a sharp(dangerous) change in behavior. I think the the tough cases are the ones that we can't handle and get sent to residential placements THAT ARE lockdown.

Being there for so long, I've seen the kids literally become adults (age 15 when I started, 18 now) and some of them make it out of the system okay, move away and get jobs. It's nice when they call and say Hi. It's really amazing what the right meds, some compassion and support, and a whole lotta patience can do. But you're right, the pay sucks, but I get by (barely).

I graduated from undergrad at a UC. You can PM me for more specifics.

 

[Fusion]

Pyra-

I am currently a mental health worker/couselor/tech in an inpatient adolescent psychiatry unit. I work at Highland Park Hospital in Highland Park Illinois. The hospital is part of the Evanston Northwestern Healthcare network. My pay rate is $15/hour which is about the norm in the chicagoland area for psych techs. My job has definately given me insight into the pathology of adolescent psychiatry. If you are considering psychiatry, being a mental health worker will give you great experience in understanding the pathology of people with mental health disorders as well as their treatment. I have also worked with adults, but being in an adolescent unit is much more interactive. I am ready to leave after a year so I can pursue my medical degree and I will have taken with me a great experience. the people I have gotten to work with are amazing. There is definately something to say about people who have worked in psychiatry. I have also worked as an ER Tech which was also very rewarding but did not pay as much.

Jon, what was your job like as an ER tech (job description, etc)? I worked f/t as an anesthesia tech for about a year before I went to grad school and it was a great experience. Now that I'm finished w/ my graduate program and looking for work, I am looking to spread my wings a little and gain experience in another dept.

 

[cellfinder]

I also worked in this setting for some time. Is this good clinical experience that can be used in the application process for med sckool?

 

[jgarlovsky]

Hello there Fusion-

Sorry I wasn't able to reply sooner. I worked as a tech in the ER at Evanston Hospital in Illinois. I think to type of work that techs do there now is a little different from what I did one year ago, only because there are less techs now and they are more busy. Mainly my job was to assist the nurses. My duties include but were not limited to; drawing blood, administering ECGs, transporting patients to the floors, cleaning rooms and changing bed sheets, stocking rooms, applying bandages, applying splints, take vital signs, and assist the healthcare staff in certain procedures. I was able to see and learn alot. However, after a certain point, like in a few months the job became horibly monotenous and unsatisfying. You basically are there to do the jobs that the nurses and doctors can't waste there valuble time doing. I wiped alot of butts, cleaned a lot of wounds, and pushed a lot of patients to the bathroom. I got to work with some great people and they were very willing to show me things. In the end however i couldn't wait to leave and earn a little more money and have some more responsibility before med school. Good luck.