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According to the
American Nursing Association, the Psychiatric-Mental Health
Nursing is defined as follows:
A specialized area of nursing
practice employing theories of human behavior as its science and
purposeful use of self as its art. It is directed toward both
preventative and corrective impacts upon mental disorders and
their sequelae and is concerned with the promotion of optimal
mental health for society, the community, and those individuals
who live within it. (Stewart and Sundeen, 1991, p.3).
 This
area of nursing requires effective communication skills, as well
as listening skills. Individuals in this specialty work with a
wide variety of mental-health patients: depression, violent
behavior, substance abuse, schizophrenic, anxiety, and many more
disorders. The functions of a Psychiatric Nurse are patient care
(i.e. administer medications, fulfill patient self care needs,
etc.), consultation with patient and family, supervision, and
patient education about specific mental illnesses. The nurse will
also be involved in psychotherapy sessions (group counseling).
Providing available resources for patients preparing for discharge
is of utmost importance (Beck, Rawlins and Williams, 1984). The option of teaching in the community
is also available. The community mental health nurse will
intervene in communities in order to decrease the incidence of
certain mental illnesses. The nurse in this role is highly
autonomous; however, more experience is necessary in order to be
knowledgeable about the mental disorders and the community,
itself.
| Requirements |
LEVEL
1
Associate Degree |
LEVEL
2
Bachelor's Degree |
LEVEL
3
Master's Degree |
| Education |
Current state licensure |
Baccalaureate degree in
nursing |
Master's degree in
psychiatric nursing |
| Experience |
Minimum of 1year experience
in acute psychiatric nursing care |
Minimum of 2 years
experience in acute psychiatric care settings |
Advanced knowledge and
expertise in psychiatric care and principles of
supervision and consultation |
| Nature of Practice |
Supportive treatment |
Supportive treatment |
Insight treatment |
| Functions |
Communicating
with other professionals and agencies relative to patient
care, assisting in assessment, familiarize patient with
environmental resources, assisting in community primary
prevention programs. |
Primary
responsibility for supportive therapy, assessment of
patient functioning, initiation and attendance at all
conferences regarding patients, assignment to
interdisciplinary teams responsible for delivery of
primary mental health care in ambulatory units |
Responsibility
for insight-oriented psychotherapy, responsibility for
patient cared for by nurses in levels 1 and 2 of practice,
assessment of patient pathology, supervision of other team
members, participation in primary community prevention
programs, responsibility for obtaining supervision
consultation, responsible for assumption of nursing
leadership |
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(Stewart and Sundeen, 1991, p. 6,
7)
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The Psychiatric-Mental Health
Nurse Manager
The manager in this
area is responsible for overseeing the nurse supervisor and floor
nurses. The manager ensures the flow of care of the patients
through conducting staff meetings and supervision on the unit. The
nurse manager also provides intervention sessions to the patient
and family to better the outcome of their mental illness. Serving
on committees of the hospital is another responsibility of the
nurse manager; the committees are geared toward meeting patient
needs and to ensure the patient has a positive hospital experience
(C. Bowling, personal communication, 9/25/01).
Helpful websites:
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