Pros
State gig, so all the alleged perks (pensions, benefits, vacation, holidays, training). Good money, depending on position. A lot of very nice people doing very important and often dangerous and stressful work.
Cons
Constant worry of being attacked by patients, basically because of poor ratios of mental health professionals to patients on any unit. No real effective safety protocols (mostly lip service and questionably effective alarm system) and a generally bizarre lack of adequate, confidential, and safe treatment spaces. A change-averse culture with seemingly decades-long feuds and unresolved problems. Adversarial relationships between departments and between management and staff. Inefficient and ineffective policies regarding roles and responsibilities. Lack of support for any real autonomous decision-making of team leads and line staff by management. Further exacerbated by purposely vague policies and treatment goals. Questionable ethical standards. Unsafe levels of mandatory overtime. Rampant nepotism. An overall ethos of risk aversion and unwillingness to own decisions, which actually results in patients and staff being put at greater risk.
