MAD HATTER 2° Psychiatric Nurse... Janet Wood, a Delta resident, is a working psychiatric nurse. Employed at a 25 bed community based Acute Psychiatric Unit, she is in direct liaison with a "multi-disciplinary team" comprised of other health care profession- als such as registered nurses, counsellors, administrators, doctors and social workers. People Profession She takes responsibility for patients in her primary care. "I feel psychiatric nursing is a truly people profession," Wood says. “Communication is our greatest tool, and I want to continue working where my knowledge and skills can contribute to the promotion, restoration and maintenance of health for people in my care." Besides full-time employment, Wood has been active in organizing and teaching workshops for professionals and patients on topics as varied as burnout, alcoholism and effective parenting - just some of the areas of expertise for psychiatric nurses. Another perspective to the field is provided by a Coquitlam resident Barbara Hooker. Providing care for mentally and physically handi- capped patients, Hooker helps residents develop living skills on either an individual or group basis. “Even the smallest things can be exciting for both myself and the residents," she says. "We all become very closeknit and really enjoy our times together." Wide Variety of People Attracted to Profession It is this aspect of helping others through rough times which attracts a wide variety of people into the profession. Some psychiatric nurses start their career education directly after high school while others may have entered or com- pleted another post-secondary degree program. Other people even have experience in different areas of the nursing profession. Robert Lopez of Vancouver, one of the growing number of men entering the field, has found his own special niche as a psychiatric nurse. In the first year of a two-year -Psychiatric Nursing diploma program, Lopez has experience in classroom learning and on-site practicum at various nursing settings. Currently, Lopez is training in psycho-geriatrics caring for elderly patients With emotional and physical problems requiring hospitalization. "] find my work special because I've become a significant person to my assigned patients," he says. It's a very unique feeling to be so impor- tant to someone with no family or regular visitors." "Nursingat the bedside feels very natural to me, especially in the psycho-geriatric setting." The career is relatively well paid and students can expect to find employment within a few months of graduation whether in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan or Manitoba. Some recent Douglas College graduates have even found employment overseas. The Registered Psychiatric Nurses' Association of B.C. (RPNABC) currently has 100 agencies on their employment list and starting salaries range upwards from $2,000 a month. To ensure success, a person hoping to enter the profession must first meet the entrance require- ments for the 24 month Psychiatric Nursing program at the New Westminster campus of Douglas College. These pre-requisites include testing in basic reading, writing and mathematic skills; certifi- cation in CPR Basic I (available at Douglas College), and basic first aid or industrial first aid certification are required upon entry. Classes run continuously for the full two years and students have the choice between two annual entrance dates in January and September. Early applications have the best options of finding a preferred entry date. cont. on page 3 SCRE. as AA A RA REA i PAGED HS FEEL SP BOWS SET i LARTER EIN MT A th