CHARACTERISTICS and ROLE OF A PSYCHIATRIC NURSE

SARENO, PHOEBE JOY D.
BSN3-A
I. CHARACTERISTICS OF A PSYCHIATRIC NURSE
It is common that Psychiatric Nurse practitioners Characteristics must be ‘highly skilled in

assessment’, and can often judge a situation right off the bat. Because mentally ill patients
can become violent with absolutely no trigger. They can suffer from distorted thinking and
believe the nurse is there to harm them, and as a result act out to protect themselves.
I wanted to generally pick four characteristics of a Psychiatric Nurse.
One is empathy, A Registered Psychiatric Nurse can never forget that they are treating a
person’s mind, personality and emotions. In order to employ empathy with patients, a
Psychiatric Nurse needs to have excellent interpersonal skills. They also need to be a great
listener and know where the patient is coming from, drawing on personal experiences if they
have not been in a similar situation themselves. Second is Reliability, A Psychiatric Nurse
is someone patients and co-workers rely on for support. As such, it is clear that a successful
Psychiatric Nurse needs to be an extremely reliable person. Their demeanor on a day-to-
day basis must also be consistent. When treating patients with mental illness, it is important
that a nurse’s attitude or quality of care does not waver from person to person, or from day
to day. Reliability also encompasses a wide range of other qualities, including
professionalism and accountability. Third is with sincere interest, Psychiatric Nurses need
to be able to put a patient at ease and instill confidence in them. For a Psychiatric Nurse to
impart this confidence, they not only need to be confident but also be genuinely interested in
what they are doing. Working as a Psychiatric Nurse is a career that requires a passion to
help others, a deep understanding of the brain and how mental illness affects patients, and
a desire to invoke change. And last but not the least is Critical Thinking. As no two patients
have the same psychological needs, it is imperative that a Psychiatric Nurse doesn’t employ
the exact same treatment methods or approaches for every patient. Each patient needs a
personalized approach to care, and this can be implemented through critical thinking
techniques. A Psychiatric Nurse will often make an assessment of the patient based on
notes from the doctor or from other nurses tending to the patient. Psychiatric nurses will
compile their course of action from known psychiatric nursing techniques, but their ability to
analyze and think critically is what will help make their treatment personal and more
effective.
SARENO, PHOEBE JOY D. BSN3-A
II. ROLE OF A PSYCHIATRIC NURSE
A psychiatric nurse plays a vital role in the administration of psychiatric treatment and
care. It is a role of a Nurse to always treat and care each patient holistically. Their role is
basically to provide care. But deductively, specific care is given to the patients
interdependent and independently. Nurses in this profession work alongside psychiatrists,
who are medical doctors specializing in mental disorders. Nurses engaged in this
profession help develop a treatment plan and use their therapeutic skills to offer a range of
options to patients and their families. Because mental health nurses play an essential role
in treatment planning and provision of care together with other medical professionals to
provide a total health care to a mentally ill patient. Like other types of nurses, mental health
nurses assess and monitor patients. And most importantly, their role to successfully have
their patients’ be better.
Emotional support and reassurance are also vital roles that a mental health nurse needs to
fill in. Nurses attitude is very crucial for they are the ones who spent most of the time the
patient. Building a foundation of trust and respect is important. Talking and listening to the
patient in a nonjudgmental way is a significant step in caring for a mentally ill patient.
Another important role of a mental health nurse is educating the patients and their families
about the illness and on how to handle and manage their situation. This is important since
families have a crucial role in the development of the patient’s condition. They need the
skills to teach the families to become active carers and leave the mentality of being the
passive victims behind.
A nurse should become or at least show a patient and approachable attitude. This is for the
patient to feel comfortable to share whatever feelings and burden he or she is keeping. The
nurse should show that he or she is willing to listen and understand.
SARENO, PHOEBE JOY D. BSN3-A
REFERENCES
Nursejournal.org
www.stenbergcollege .com

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SARENO, PHOEBE JOY D.

I. CHARACTERISTICS OF A PSYCHIATRIC NURSE

It is common that Psychiatric Nurse practitioners Characteristics must be ‘highly skilled in

I wanted to generally pick four characteristics of a Psychiatric Nurse.

II. ROLE OF A PSYCHIATRIC NURSE

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