Psychiatric Nursing Questions

[jujucna]

Hello to ALL! I am a nursing student who has taken an interest in the field of Psychiatric Nursing, and our professor has asked that we create a report based on our area of interest, complete with interviews from real nurses. As part of the assignment, I need the nurses name and how many years he/she has been a nurse in general and then how many years they have worked as a Psychiatric Nurse.

My questions are as follows:

1. How would you personally describe the "culture" of a Psychiatric Mental-Health Nurse?

2. In your opinion, what are some communication problems you see on a daily basis?

3. What do you think are the causes of these communication issues?

4. What do you think would improve/resolve these communication problems?

5. Would you say that the job of a Psychiatric Nurse is "highly stressful"? Why or Why not?

6. Would you say that this job leads to extreme exhaustion or "burn-out"? Why or Why not?

7. Do you personally think that these states lead to medical errors or mistakes?

8. Have you ever considered leaving this position to get away from the difficult nature of the job?

Thank you

[rachelgeorgina]

3. What do you think are the causes of these communication issues?

Time - lack of, poor management.

Empathy - lack of.

Understanding - lack of.

Disillusionment - failing to see patients as individuals, not cases or patients.

[Orca, ADN, ASN, RN]

There is a lot here to digest. I will try to answer your questions as best as I can.

1. How would you personally describe the “culture” of a Psychiatric Mental-Health Nurse?

If you work in a general hospital, there will be those who tell you that you are not a “real” nurse. You don’t perform a lot of medical procedures, and on many psychiatric units nurses don’t wear uniforms. I used to tell my staff that we save lives all the time, we just don’t always know it. You don't get the immediate feedback that a life-saving procedure can provide, but you may be saving a life just the same. Something you said or did along the way might cause a patient to pause before engaging in a self-destructive act, or to respond differently than he or she did on the past. It is also a specialty in which you give more of yourself than most other specialties. In psychiatry you can’t hide behind medical procedures and never have a meaningful interaction with your patients.

2. In your opinion, what are some communication problems you see on a daily basis?

In psychiatry communication is paramount. Many people don’t realize that communication also involves listening, and sometimes it involves using silence for a period of time as you allow the patient time to reflect on the discussion. If you just talk, you can overload the patient with information, or you may give the impression that what the patient has to say is not important – and this makes you less effective.

3. What do you think are the causes of these communication issues?

Some people believe that just because they can talk, they are good communicators. As I mentioned, communication is far more than just talking.

4. What do you think would improve/resolve these communication problems?

Training and experience.

5. Would you say that the job of a Psychiatric Nurse is “highly stressful”? Why or Why not?

This depends upon a lot of things – like the kind of unit you are working, the size of the unit and the staffing levels. It also makes a big difference whether or not your administration supports the nursing staff. If you are overloaded with work with too few resources and you have no support, you can burn out quickly. If you are in a supportive work environment, you can tolerate a lot of things without burning out.

6. Would you say that this job leads to extreme exhaustion or “burn-out”? Why or Why not?

Any nurse in any specialty can experience burnout. Job pressures, too many tasks, too many work hours and stress can lead to burnout. It is important to have activities outside the job that you enjoy, and to take time for yourself.

7. Do you personally think that these states lead to medical errors or mistakes?

Absolutely. Pressure and stress are the enemies of accurate care.

8. Have you ever considered leaving this position to get away from the difficult nature of the job?

I left mental health, but not because of the nature of the job. I left for an advancement opportunity. I use the skills I learned in mental health every day, even in dealing with employees.

If you send me a PM, I will provide you with the other information you need.

[jujucna]

Thank you for taking the time to respond to my questions. I know you must be busy and I appreciate the opportunity to gain some of the wealth of knowledge you have to give. Your answers have been most helpful ! Just one thing, would it be possible to have your name, so that I can prove the authenticity of the work? Again, thank you for your help!

[Orca, ADN, ASN, RN]

Check your visitor messages in your profile.

[aloevera]

sorry but am too tired to answer this one.........