Psycology in Nursing Practice

[-Midget-]

Hi everyone! I'm doing some extra credit in my Developmental Psycology class, and need to know how (if) you use/integrate psycology, counseling, etc, into your nursing. Also, I am open to knowing any other sugestions you think should go into such a paper. It needs to be about 1-2 pages. :) Thanks!

[TazziRN, RN]

I use it everyday. I counsel my pts about personal safety when they are domestic violence victims, child safety issues, mental health when they come in as suicide attempts. Sometimes when a pt refuses to do something I have to figure out from silent clues if he's refusing because he just doesn't want to, or because he's frightened of that something.

[-Midget-]

Great! Thanks for the information! The thought I had while in class, is I wonder if there's any way to tie patient advocacy into the paper, since that seems to be a main pillar of nursing. What do you guys think?

[GrnHonu99, RN]

Great! Thanks for the information! The thought I had while in class, is I wonder if there's any way to tie patient advocacy into the paper, since that seems to be a main pillar of nursing. What do you guys think?

Psychology is absolutely the cornerstone of nursing. I don't actually do therapy with my patients but I am therapeutic in my relationships and that is one of the most important things to master in nursing.

[-Midget-]

Thanks for bringing that up! Theraputic relationships will definently be a part of the paper...

[-Midget-]

Okay, here's what I've written so far...I would like your input about anytihng you see that needs to be changed, reworded, or edited in any manner. I also need to most likely develop my conclusion some more, and any input on how to do so would be super. So, let me know what you guys think!

Psychology in the Practice of Nursing

Many people, especially of older generations, tend to think of a nurse as only a doctor's assistant, a waitress, or a butt wiper. However, now nurses are doctor's colleagues, their eyes and ears, and their primary goal is patient advocacy. But in order to care for someone, nurses must have knowledge of not only procedures, diagnoses, and treatment, but they must also understand what is going on with the patient on mental level, which, without an understanding of psychology, would not be possible.

Medical issues may trigger or aggravate psychological issues, such as depression in patients or family members who are scared of what they are going through. It is important for nurses to be able to spot such conditions, so doctors can be alerted, and interventions can be planned. With knowledge of psychology, nurses are also more prepared to deal with patients who may seem "difficult." Knowing what to look for, nurses are able to look past that obscure label, and make figure out if patients are just don't want to take medication or be treated, or if there is some unexpressed emotion, such as fear, anger, or frustration. Once the reason for resistance is determined, the nurse is able to do education and counseling to help the patient work through their emotions or resistance, and hopefully persuade them to following the proposed plan of treatment. Equally important to patient care, is the development of therapeutic relationships.

Nurses who want to integrate more psychology into their practice might choose to work as a psychiatric nurse, which may include taking care of suicidal patients, bipolar patients, or patients with other forms of mental illness. In this field, an understanding of psychology is very important, as well as a solid medical background, since amongst psychiatrists and psychologists, the psychiatric nurse may be the only one with a general medical background. Nurses who want to focus on using even more psychology into their practice would have to pursue a Masters degree, and become a Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, who would be able to diagnose illness and prescribe medication, and other treatments.

No matter what specialty a nurse chooses to work in, be it hospice, with the focus counseling and comforting dying patients and scared families, or the opposite end of the lifespan in pediatrics, nurses will always find rewarding jobs, and make a difference in the lives of their patients. No matter where a nurse is working, they will always have the opportunity to employ some part of psychology in their practice.

D yall think it's OK that it's not 5 paragraphs? Everyone drills that into your head as the "standard essay" and I just realized I only had four! But she did say 1-2 pages...so...

Well, what do yall think?

[CoffeeRTC, BSN, RN]

Years ago as a new nurse I said I would never do psych. 10 yrs later working in LTC, I laugh when I think of that. So many psych issues in LTC.

[EricJRN, MSN, RN]

I would try really hard to avoid the phrase 'butt wiper' in a formal paper. I'd also tweak the part about nurses being the only ones with a general medical background. Psychiatrists have four years of medical school and often at least one year of internship prior to taking on the psychiatry residency.

I like the way you mentioned the nurse practitioner as an opportunity for advancement.

[GilbertDaddy]

Agree with what was said, I'd imagine that especially in nursing (where care is provided rather than prescribed), it would make a difference.

A good nurse needs to be able to empathize on the patient's level. When ya have to put a cath in after a birth and the woman is in dire pain, you need to be able to truly understand how she feels. We were lucky to have great nurses during our births :)

[-Midget-]

Thanks for the input! Okay, I took out butt wiper...lol. I read that in the Psych forum, that the nurse might be the onyl one with a general medical background, from med/surg and other experiences...but maybe I misinterpeted what was meant. Nonetheless, I reworked that sentence...so if y'all could take another look, that would be SUPER!

Psychology in the Practice of Nursing

Many people, especially of older generations, tend to think of a nurse as only a doctor's assistant, or a waitress. However, now nurses are doctor's colleagues, their eyes and ears, and their primary goal is patient advocacy. But in order to care for someone, nurses must have knowledge of not only procedures, diagnoses, and treatment, but they must also understand what is going on with the patient on mental level, which, without an understanding of psychology, would not be possible.

Medical issues may trigger or aggravate psychological issues, such as depression in patients or family members who are scared of what they are going through. It is important for nurses to be able to spot such conditions, so doctors can be alerted, and interventions can be planned. With knowledge of psychology, nurses are also more prepared to deal with patients who may seem "difficult." Knowing what to look for, nurses are able to look past that obscure label, and make figure out if patients are just don't want to take medication or be treated, or if there is some unexpressed emotion, such as fear, anger, or frustration. Once the reason for resistance is determined, the nurse is able to do education and counseling to help the patient work through their emotions or resistance, and hopefully persuade them to following the proposed plan of treatment. Equally important to patient care, is the development of therapeutic relationships.

Nurses who want to integrate more psychology into their practice might choose to work as a psychiatric nurse, which may include taking care of suicidal patients, bipolar patients, or patients with other forms of mental illness. To be able to competently take care of such patients, not only does the nurse need to understand the medical treatment the patient is undergoing, but with such diagnosis, there will also be psychological problems needing to be addressed. Nurses who want to focus on using even more psychology into their practice would have to pursue a Masters degree, and become a Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, who would be able to diagnose illness and prescribe medication, and other treatments.

No matter what specialty a nurse chooses to work in, be it hospice, with the focus counseling and comforting dying patients and scared families, or the opposite end of the lifespan in pediatrics, nurses will always find rewarding jobs, and make a difference in the lives of their patients. No matter where a nurse is working, they will always have the opportunity to employ some part of psychology in their practice.