Nursing 305
The Role of the Psychiatric Nurse
Pre-requisites for the Role:
Self awareness is a key part of the psychiatric nursing experience.
You must be able to examine personal feelings, actions, and reactions.
Questions to ask yourself
“Why do I want to help others?”
“Who am I?”
“What do I value?”
“Am I open to my feelings and can I express them?”
Role cont.
“What is the key therapeutic tool of the psychiatric nurse?”
Role cont.
Answer: “use of oneself”
Some indicators of mental health
Positive attitudes toward self, growth, and development
Self-actualized Integrated self Autonomous Reality-perception Environmental mastery
Indicators cont.
Can a person adapt to changing needs throughout the life cycle?
How much resilience does a person have? How does a person handle stress and adapt? What kind of coping mechanisms are used?”
Mental health as a process
Mental health is ….a lifetime process that includes a sense of harmony and balance for the individual, friends, family, and community; it is more than the mere absence of a mental disorder
FACT
Nearly 50% of all people ages 15 to 54 have had a psychiatric or substance abuse disorder in their lifetime.
Historical perspectives
1800’s-The mentally ill were no longer treated as “less than human.” Treatment was provided in asylums.
1880- Linda Richards, the first American psychiatric nurse. Director of first school of psychiatric nursing; McLean Hospital in Massachusetts.
Historical perspectives cont.
1935- emergence of somatic therapies 1937- ECT After WWII major growth in psych nursing 1950’s –emergence of the role of the psych nurse
& use of psychotropic drugs 1952- Hildegard Peplau defined nursing as an
interpersonal process, nurse role as counselor
History cont.
1960- 1980 - Deinstitutionalization Movement
Community Mental Health Centers Act
Founding of the American Psychiatric Nurses Assoc and the ANA published standards of mental health & nursing practice.
1980 to present -significant changes in mental health treatment; focus on mental illness prevention
Contemporary psychiatric nursing practice
Reflects an interpersonal process Is a specialized area of nursing practice utilizing
theories of human behavior and the purposeful use of self.
The nurse-pt. partnership expands the nursing role to include: pt-family advocacy, clinical competence, collaboration , fiscal responsibility, and legal-ethical parameters.
Competent Caring3 domains of psych nursing
Direct care Communication Management overlapped with teaching,
delegating, and collaborating
Competent Caringcont.
Additional activities:
Make culturally sensitive health assessments
Engage in case management services
Provide a health care map for families to guide them to community services
Provide teaching and counseling
Levels of Performance
Laws: each state has its own nursing practice act, which regulates entry into the profession.
Qualifications include education, work experience, and certification.
2 levels: Basic-Psychiatric Mental Health RN Advanced- Advanced Practice RN Psych Mental
Health Nurse
Practice Settings
Vary widely for the psych nurse. The role depends on the philosophy, mission,
values of the setting, needs of the consumers, # of clinical staff available, resources, and presence of strong nursing leadership.
Focus for the future Psych nurses focus on :-outcomes of care quality and cost-leadership skills-acting as change agents to advocate
for the mental health needs of pts and families. Join organizations such as the American Psych. Nurses Assoc. (APNA) located in Washington DC
-political action-increase political awareness to bring about changes in the MH delivery system.