In psychiatric nursing, the most important tool the nurse brings to the relationship is

Q: What is the main tool of the nurse in the practice of psychiatric nursing?

The nurses major tool in psychiatric nursing is the therapeutic use of self. Psychiatric nurses must learn to identify their own feelings and understand who they affect the situation.

Q: What is the nurses most important role in caring for a client with a mental health disorder?

A nurses duty is to administer holistic care and that may include addressing a patients mental state. Not all registered nurses are prepared in psychiatric nursing, but they still have a responsibility to provide care for mentally ill patients and help them obtain treatment for psychological distress.

“Every day that you bring your skills, your knowledge, your empathy, and an open mind, you will make a difference in a patient’s life.”
– Kristen Kichefski, MSN, MBA, RN-BC

Psychiatric-Mental Health (PMH) registered nurses (RN) and advanced practice registered nurses (APRN) represent the second largest group of behavioral health professionals in the U.S. They work in a variety of settings and provide comprehensive care to individuals, families, groups, and communities. PMH nurses form strong therapeutic relationships with individuals across the lifespan – becoming familiar with their stories and challenges – to transform lives in a positive way.

Inhaltsverzeichnis Show

At The Forefront of Mental Health Care
Psychiatric-Mental Health Advanced Practice Nurses
What Makes a Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse?
What is the main tool of the nurse in the practice of psychiatric nursing?
What is most important for the nurse to do to assist a couple to cope with their feelings about the husband's terminal illness?
What is the nurse's most important role in caring for a client with a mental health disorder?
Which are the most important assessment data for a nurse to gather from the client in crisis?

Psychiatric-mental health nursing requires a wide range of nursing, psychosocial, and neurobiological expertise. PMH nurses promote well-being through prevention and education, in addition to the assessment, diagnosis, care, and treatment of mental health and substance use disorders.

PMH Registered Nurses (RN) and Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN) are well-educated and practice according to high quality licensing and credentialing standards. They enjoy strong compensation and career flexibility due to high demand for their services.

Nurses in psychiatric-mental health:

Partner with individuals to achieve their recovery goals
Provide health promotion and maintenance
Conduct intake screening, evaluation, and triage
Provide Case management
Teach self-care activities
Administer and monitor psychobiological treatment regimens
Practice crisis intervention and stabilization
Engage in psychiatric rehabilitation and intervention
Educate patients, families, and communities
Coordinate care
Work within interdisciplinary teams

**PMH advanced practice nurses also*:**

Provide individual, group, couples, and/or family psychotherapy
Prescribe medication for acute and chronic illnesses
Conduct comprehensive assessments
Provide clinical supervision
Diagnose, treat, and manage chronic or acute illness
Provide integrative therapy interventions
Order, perform, and interpret lab tests and other diagnostic studies
Provide preventative care including screening and immunizations
Develop policies for programs and systems
Make referrals for health problems outside your scope of practice
Perform procedures

At The Forefront of Mental Health Care

Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses promote mental health in a variety of ways, including:

Helping children exposed to traumatic and adverse events.
Working with soldiers returning from combat operations.
Helping older adults with Alzheimer’s Disease or dementia.
Supporting teens and adults living with serious mental illness.
Treating and counseling those working to recover from opioid, alcohol, and other substance use disorders.
Creating and researching new interventions for persons experiencing suicidal thoughts

Psychiatric-Mental Health Advanced Practice Nurses

PMH-APRNs are licensed as Nurse Practitioners (NP) or Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNSs). They provide the full range of psychiatric-mental health care across the lifespan and can prescribe and administer psychotherapy. PMH-APRNs work in urban and rural settings across the country, such as private practices, hospitals, community mental health centers, primary care offices, state and federal facilities.

PMH-APRNs make a proven difference in mental health and wellness with:

Excellent patient outcomes
High consumer satisfaction
Cost-effective care

Find out more about how you can become a PMH-APRN and what the role entails: Learn about PMH-APRNs

What Makes a Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse?

Being a Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse requires compassion, sensitivity, and exceptional communication and relationship-building skills. It requires someone who can see the human being in everyone and know that a person isn’t defined by their mental health condition.

Those who are passionate about working in behavioral science or nursing and find inspiration in helping patients access healing and recovery will thrive in a psychiatric-mental health nursing career.

Learn more about how to become a psychiatric-mental health nurse

What is the main tool of the nurse in the practice of psychiatric nursing?

The nurse's major tool in psychiatric nursing is the therapeutic use of self. Psychiatric nurses must learn to identify their own feelings and understand who they affect the situation.

What is most important for the nurse to do to assist a couple to cope with their feelings about the husband's terminal illness?

What is most important for the nurse to do to assist a couple to cope with their feelings about the husband's terminal illness? It is important for the couple to discuss their feelings to maintain open communication and support each other.

What is the nurse's most important role in caring for a client with a mental health disorder?

A nurse's duty is to administer holistic care and that may include addressing a patient's mental state. Not all registered nurses are prepared in psychiatric nursing, but they still have a responsibility to provide care for mentally ill patients and help them obtain treatment for psychological distress.

Which are the most important assessment data for a nurse to gather from the client in crisis?

Which are the most important assessment data for a nurse to gather from the client in crisis? Knowing the client's perception of the circumstances surrounding the crisis helps the nurse determine what the situation means to the client.