How Psychiatric Nursing Differs from Other Medical Care

Many people assume that the different types of nursing are more or less the same, but in reality there are significant distinctions between them. One of the branches of nursing where this is the most evident is psychiatric and mental health nursing. Psychiatric nursing deals with patients that are undergoing psychiatric treatment for mental illness and disease. To give you a better idea of exactly what is expected of nurses who enter the psychiatric field, below are some ways in which psychiatric nursing differs from other forms of medical nursing.

The most obvious difference between psychiatric nursing and other forms of nursing is the type of patients a psychiatric nurse works with.  These patients are often significantly different than patients being treated for typical illnesses and injuries and thus require the nurses who tend to them to be different as well.  Patients suffering from mental problems and psychiatric disorders are in general much more difficult and complex to treat than an average hospital patient. They are often much more unpredictable than patients with non mental illnesses. Also, the amount of time that they require care and treatment can be significantly longer. The course of treatment for psychiatric patients is generally longer and the patients are much more of a danger to themselves than typical a medical patient, which is why psychiatric nurses need to spend more time with them.

Another way in which psychiatric nursing differs from other forms of medical nursing is that it can be much harder for nurses to relate to patients and vice versa. Nurses are without a doubt the unsung heroes of the medical profession. They often possess extraordinary people skills and use these skills to both gather useful information from patients and set them at ease, thus allowing the doctors and the rest of the medical staff to much easier diagnose illnesses and administer the best treatment possible.  Unfortunately, nurses who deal with psychiatric patients are often unable to perform these tasks effectively because of the nature of their patients’ disorders. 

Attempts to calm a patient down may possibly lead him or her to become even more agitated, and attempting to gather useful information for diagnosis and/or treatment is often extremely difficult because the patient may believe the information is true when it is in fact not.

Psychiatric nursing can also at times be much more physically, mentally, and emotionally demanding than other forms of nursing and medical care.  Patients are unpredictable at the best of times, but under stress become even more unpredictable, so a psychiatric nurse’s typical workday will require flexibility and adaptability. Patients may need to be restrained, and their reactions to the nurses and doctors who are attempting to treat them can make the job very stressful at times. 

Having to remain constantly on guard against sudden outbursts and flare-ups from psychiatric patients can seriously wear nurses down emotionally, causing the stress of the job to affect them even more. The compassion and empathy that psychiatric nurses have for the patients they treat is compounded with the difficulty that they often have in relating to these patients. This dynamic can increase the emotional effect of this stress, making the job seem more difficult than it already is. Psychiatric nursing is extremely physically demanding as well. Nurses are on their feet for ten to sixteen hours a day with breaks coming far and between so they must have good physical endurance to succeed in field of mental illness.

One other difference between psychiatric nursing and other forms of nursing is the job opportunities that are available to the former.  In addition to standard employment opportunities like hospitals, clinics, and private practices, psychiatric nurses also have the ability to be work in mental institutions and state hospitals that focus specifically on the mentally disabled and handicapped. Even when working in hospitals or in private practices, psychiatric nurses will be dealing exclusively with patients in the mental ward or with those that suffer from mental problems. Though security is an issue with almost any nursing specialization, it is especially important when dealing with patients with mental disorders simply because of the potential danger that they could pose to themselves or others in the hospital or clinic.

Being a psychiatric nurse is often a never ending and thankless job. Long hours, the strain of working with mentally ill patients, and other aforementioned differences between psychiatric nursing and other fields of nursing can make the job a very difficult challenge. However, given the right personality, you might find as many others have that the profession is an extremely rewarding and fulfilling career.  If you are a caring nurse interested in helping patients to improve their mental health then this is a great opportunity to help those who are in dire need of assistance

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