Qualities
of a psychiatric nurse
Related Content- Click the Picture Exercise, to Remember the Qualities of a psychiatric Nurse
Related Content- Click the Picture Exercise, to Remember the Qualities of a psychiatric Nurse
Certain attitudes are necessary for
a psychiatric nurse to deal with psychiatric patients. These include:
Self- awareness: a
psychiatric nurse should have a realistic self -concept and should be able to
recognize her own feelings, fantasies and fears. She should analyze her own
professional strengths and limitations. Her ability to be aware and to accept
her own strengths and limitations should help her see the strengths and
limitations in other people.
Self-acceptance: the nurse
should not only be aware, but also accept her strengths as well as her
limitations. Self - understanding helps her to be assenive in life situations
without being aggressive and feeling guilty.
Accepting the patient:
accepting means, being non- judgmental. Acceptance conveys the feeling of being
loved and cared. The nurse should accept the patient as he is, as a sick
person, regardless of caste, color, race or behavior.
Being sincerely interested in
patient care: Being sincerely interested in patient care means considering
the patients interest. This can be demonstrated by Studying the patient's behavior pattern
·
Allowing him to make his own choice and
decisions as far as possible
·
Being aware of his likes and dislikes
·
Being honest with him
·
Active listening
Being available: means the
nurse should always be approachable to the patient. She should convey to the
patient that she is available not only to meet his physical care requirements,
but also to assist him in dealing with his psychological needs.
Empathizing with the patient: empathy
is an important tool in understanding other's feelings. It is process where a
person gets into another person's situation and experiences what the other
person feels and then is able to step back and analyze the situation.
Reliability: The nurse must
demonstrate honestly, truthfulness, resourcefulness and competence in her
dealings with the patients and their families. She must prove herself to be
trustworthy and as a person who can be relied upon in any situation.
Professionalism: developing
the professional skills of a psychiatric nurse is dependent upon learning as
much as possible about the patient, his illness and the helping role of the
nurse as it specifically applies to the patient.
Accountability: according to
Peplau (1980), the need for personal accountability and professional integrity
as greater in psychiatric practice than in any other typed of health care.
Mental health nurses are accountable for the nature of the effort they make on
behalf of patients and answerable to patients for the quality of their efforts.
The ability to think critically:
It is crucial for mental health nurse, a critical thinker analyzes information
before drawing conclusions about it. It is purposeful, reasonable. reflective
thinking that drives problem solving and decis making and aims to make
judgements based on evidence.
Genuineness: means that the
nurse is an open, honest, sincere person who is actively involved in the
relationship. Genuineness means that the nurse's response is sincere, that the
nurse is not thinking and feeling one thing and saying something different.
Respect: also called nonposessive
warmth or unconditional positive regard The patient is regarded as a person
of worth and is respected as such.
Concreteness: involves using
specific terminology rather than abstractions when discussing the patient's
feelings, experiences, and behavior. It avoids vagueness and ambiguity and is
the opposite of generalizing, labeling and making assumptions about the
patient's experiences.
References
l . Stuart CW, Sundeen SJ.
Principles and Practice of Psychiatric Nursing. Philadelphia; Mosby;1997.
2. Boyd MN. Psychiatry nursing
contemporary practice. Philadelphia: Lippincott; 2002.
3. Kaplan HI, Sadock BJ. Synopsis of
Psychiatry. New Delhi: Blwaverly Pvt Ltd; 1998.
4. Sreevani R. A Guide to Mental
Health and Psychiatric Nursing.3 rd ed. Jaypee brothers; New Delhi: 2010.
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