The Role of Nurses in Psychiatry

The Role of Nurses in Psychiatry

By the turn of the 19th century, psychiatrists realized the need of nurses in caring for mentally-ill patients. Eventually, nurses started appearing in psychiatric facilities and mental institutions, with their roles expanding from time to time. Their roles can differ from basic to the advanced level of providing mental health care services in collaboration with psychiatrists. Here are some of the important roles of a nurse in a psychiatric facility:

Basic

According to www.nursesource.org, registered nurses who work hand in hand with psychiatrists assess the mental health needs of patients and plan out a nursing care program for them, including their families. They assist clients in coping with novel situations, ensure safety, and assess their development in terms of health. They educate their patients with how various treatments can help them and lift up their spirits when they are feeling hopeless. They also remind patients of their medications and therapies.

Advanced

If a nurse wants to specialize in this field, he/she must seek additional education and gain a masters’ or doctorate degree specializing in psychiatric health care. That way, a nurse can deal with patients of specific age groups (children, adolescents, adults, elderly). They can now provide a wider range of mental healthcare services. In some cases, they can prescribe medications. Because a nurse who has accelerated his/her education already has a broad background in biology, pharmacology, sociology, and psychology, he/she can be of great use to mental health facilities.

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