Having worked in the nursing profession as an RN, I have witnessed a need and developed an interest in psychiatric nursing. According to the Psychiatric Nursing Careers & Salary Outlook (2016), the outlook for psychiatric nursing shows an expected 26% growth rate by 2020 with an average salary of $77,094 annually. As in all areas of the medical profession, collaborative efforts are key to the wellbeing of the patient. Hojat, et al. (2001) explains that the collaborative efforts between mental health professionals and medical health professionals has not always been at the forefront of the medical field but notes that this has changed as the recognition of the benefits of holistic treatments has become a part of the healthcare industry.
According to the American Psychiatric Nursing Association (2016), this newfound collaborative effort has led to an increase in the number of psychiatric nurses. These nurses are responsible for assessing the mental health needs of the patients and coordinating the ability to fulfill these needs while still ensuring that other medical needs are being met. By communicating with the other health care professions, the psychiatric nurse is able to determine the ability of the patient to participate in intervention methods as well as assess the overall wellbeing of the patient.
Use your promo and get a custom paper on
"Psychiatric Nursing".
The higher the education level achieved in psychiatric nursing, the more autonomy the nurse will have in their practice and the more expertise the nurse will be able to bring to the collaborative efforts. The specialty can be achieved through clinical specialization hours, a master’s degree, or a doctoral degree (American Psychiatric Nursing Association, 2016). It is of a personal interest to excel in this field and to be able to reach the highest level of education in psychiatric nursing in order to provide the most comprehensive care to the patients.
- American Psychiatric Nursing Association. (2016). Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses. [Data
file]. American Psychiatric Nurses Association. Available at: http://www.apna.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3292#1 - Hojat, M., Nasca, T. J., Cohen, M. J., Fields, S. K., Rattner, S. L., Griffiths, M., … & Garcia, A. (2001). Attitudes toward physician-nurse collaboration: A cross-cultural study of male
and female physicians and nurses in the United States and Mexico. Nursing Research, 50(2), 123-128. - Psychiatric Nursing Careers & Salary Outlook. (2016). Nurse Journal. Available at:
http://nursejournal.org/psychiatric-nursing/psychiatric-nursing-careers-salary-outlook/
