Psychiatric Observation Report

My first psychiatric rotation started around 7:15am on 08/27/2016 in the adolescent unit. I was not able to listen to the entire report in the huddle since they had already started when I got there. Around 7:40 the patients started to get up to start their daily routines. I was able to assist in taking blood pressures as they were coming to the station. It was a different experience to do it outside the room with ambulatory patients. When patients came to the front desk to get their towels to take a bath they were asked a couple of questions about seeing, hearing or having any suicidal thoughts. Most of the kids had finished their hygiene routine and vital sings by 8:00am. Then the med nurse prepared am meds and the patients came to the med
They expressed their feelings, some felt happy while others felt depress, angry and suicidal. The community meeting ended at 11:00 after each of them had shared their feelings. I felt that some of the kids were able to feel better after they expressed their feelings.
Around 11:15 I went to the intake unit. I was able to see how the intake specialist with a friendly manner and depth knowledge in psych spoke directly with patients and their families. She identified their needs, their medical history, physical and mental state. Before admitting a patient, the intake specialist review the patient medical history with a close eye in order not to miss any detail that might be of importance for the best medical care.
I was able to review some of the cases; it was interesting to see how mental illness can take many forms, just as physical illness do. After reviewing some of the cases, I was able to see how mental illness can affect people at any age.
For clinical, I prepared by learning the different types of voluntary and involuntary intakes and the psych meds. These came helpful when I was reviewing the cases and see how they are prescribed for the different mental