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 Caring
3 domains of psych nursing
 Direct
care
 Communication
 Management overlapped with teaching,
delegating, and collaborating
Competent Caring
cont.
 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.