Posted on March 21, 2010.
A career in psychiatric nursing What is a psychiatric nurse?
Psychiatric nursing is a profession flexible, which involves the application of know-how that evolves on a wide range of knowledge and addresses many concerns. Patients are not all mentally receive adequate medical care and support of family and friends to help spread the disease effectively in the medical facility. These patients have impaired the ability to process information.
Registered Psychiatric Nurse is ideal for helping to reorganize relations and nursing responses. The nurse must be committed and self-directed in the on-going professional development. It is the responsibility of the nurse to exercise leadership in the paradigms of the profession and the wider community.
Levels of education in psychiatric nursing
clinical practice of psychiatric nursing takes place at two levels.
-Base: At this level, nurses work with families, individuals, communities and groups. They diagnose the mental capacity and define the nursing care plan. They are also responsible for putting the plan into practice and evaluation of nursing care.
-Advanced: Advanced level, nurses in psychiatric nursing required to possess a master's degree in psychiatric nursing. They take the role of the nurse practitioner or clinical nurse specialist. They assess, diagnose and treat families and individuals suffering from psychiatric disorders and problems. These nurses work as researchers, professors with private agencies and programs and hospital administrators.
There are a number of programs available to pursue a career in psychiatric nursing. A two-year program for an associate degree in nursing, hospital based three-year diploma in nursing and a four-year university degree in psychiatric nursing are few options available. All graduates are eligible for nursing license.
A degree in advanced practice nursing makes a person eligible to specialize in legal issues and addiction, Gero-Psychiatric Nursing and Child-Adolescent Mental Health Nursing. Few are those who specialize in conjunction consolation, they can advise people who suffer from physical illnesses or suffer from psychiatric problems.
Many debates have been triggered in the relationship between the patient and the psychiatric nurse. In addition to medicine and education degree, a psychiatric nurse must have compassion and understanding, to create a trust relationship with the patient. A patient usually appreciates the efforts of a nurse who is an attempt to understand his situation and is working diligently to improve it. The nurse is also expected to handle ethical dilemmas. This job requires the patience to deal with all sorts of mental and emotional upheavals.
Wage
Like most other professions, the salary of a nurse in psychiatry depends on the experience and the size and location of the hospital or agency. Psychiatric nurses in mental health generally earn $ 35,000 to $ 40,000 per year. advanced practice nurses earn $ 60,000 or more. nursing managers earn $ 100,000 or more. The teachers and faculty members to earn approximately $ 65,000 and above.
Future of psychiatric nursing
Demand for psychiatric nurses is expected to increase in coming years. Currently, there is an increase in the number of students pursuing a career in psychiatric nursing. You can access a wealth of information from books and journals, easily accessible online.
