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Did you know that there is a branch of nursing that is concerned particularly for people of all ages who are suffering from mental illness or mental distress? This branch of nursing is known as psychiatric nursing or mental health nursing. It is this branch of nursing that pays attention to such mental ailments as psychosis, depression and dementia.

Psychiatric or mental health nurses are specifically trained to support other mental health professionals with their problems with patients. There are key differences between the scope of work of psychiatric mental health nurses and other branches of nursing.

For example, the clinical practice of nurses in this field usually comprises two levels: basic and advanced. If you are a nurse at the basic level, you are concerned with assessing the mental health needs of individuals, families, groups and communities, as well as developing a nursing diagnosis and a plan of how to take care of these patients. Furthermore, it is within your scope to see this plan through, after which you have to evaluate the level of nursing care that your patient received.

When working with patients, basic level nurses are concerned with a patient’s’ self care and they administer and monitor the required psychobiologic treatment. They also teach individuals and groups about mental health issues. They are trained to assist in crisis counseling and intervention.

On the other hand, advanced practice registered nurses possess a Master’s degree in psychiatric-mental health nursing. Their role is that of a clinical nurse specialist or nurse practitioner. These advanced nurses perform many of the same duties of nurses at the basic level and they also diagnose and treat individuals and groups with psychiatric disorders. Moreover, advanced nurses provide a full range of primary mental health care services and oftentimes serve as psychotherapists, educators, consultants, advanced case managers, and administrators. There are many states in the US that grant advanced nurses the authority to prescribe medications. These nurses are also qualified to practice independently and offer direct care services to patients. Among the setting they are most prominent in are homes, offices, mental health centers, and community mental health programs.

By: Kadence Buchanan -

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Kadence Buchanan writes articles on many topics including Nursing, Alternative Health, and Womens Health

by : Wasis Budiarto

Pendayagunaan SDM kesehatan oleh pemerintah diselenggarakan melalui pendelegasian wewenang yang proporsional antara pusat dan daerah. Kenyataan menunjukkan bahwa pendayagunaan sumber daya manusia kesehatan masih kurang. Di lain pihak, masalah rekruitmen tenaga keperawatan (perawat & bidan) merupakan hal yang perlu mendapat perhatian. Berdasarkan Kep Menkes No. 836/Menkes/ SK/IV/2005 telah dilaksanakan Pengembangan Manajemen Kinerja (PMK) yang merupakan suatu model peningkatan kinerja perawat dan bidan di puskesmas dan rumah sakit. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengembangkan model rekruitmen dan pendayagunaan tenaga keperawatan di rumah sakit dan puskesmas di daerah terpencil.

Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian deskriptif eksploratif, yang dilakukan di Kab. Sumenep provinsi Jawa Timur yang mewakili daerah terpencil kepulauan dan Kab. Timor Tengah Selatan (TTS) provinsi NTT yang mewakili daerah terpencil pegunungan. Puskesmas terpencil kepulauan di Sumenep sebanyak 8 puskesmas dan sampel dalam penelitian ini sebanyak 6 puskesmas (2 puskesmas di kepulauan Masalembu tidak termasuk dalam penelitian ini) dan di TTS terdapat 11 puskesmas terpencil pegunungan dan semua puskesmas dipilih sebagai sampel penelitian Pengumpulan data dilakukan dengan FGD, depth interview, kuesioner /angket dan observasi yang menggunakan check list. Analisis dilakukan secara deskriptif.

Hasil penelitian menunjukkan kesempatan melanjutkan studi lanjut untuk tenaga keperawatan di daerah terpencil sangat terbatas mengingat dana yang tersedia sangat kecil, dan informasi yang masuk sering terlambat. Sosialisasi Kep. Menkes No. 1212/2002 dan No. 1540/2002 tentang masa bakti dan penempatan tidak pernah dilakukan. Kompetensi tenaga keperawatan di daerah masih kurang, dan dukungan dari Pemprov/Kab/Kota terhadap kebijakan tenaga keperawatan masih belum tegas dan nyata, sehingga upaya untuk melakukan pemerataan menjadi tidak optimal. Pengadaan tenaga kesehatan pusat melalui PTT belum dikoordinasikan dengan Badan Kepegawaian Daerah. Pola rekruitmen tenaga keperawatan di daerah terpencil sama dengan di daerah biasa (tidak terpencil) khususnya pengangkatan melalui CPNS. Rekruitmen juga dilakukan melalui pengangkatan tenaga keperawatan sebagai tenaga kontrak daerah (Pegawai Harian Lepas = PHL) dengan persyaratan minimal DIII, dan ‘turn over’ tenaga keperawatan di daerah terpencil cukup tinggi. Kebijakan reward bagi tenaga kesehatan di daerah terpencil belum mampu mendukung upaya pemerataan tenaga kesehatan, dan motivasi tenaga keperawatan cukup, kurang ‘ committed ‘, dan kompensasi yang sangat terbatas ditambah lagi kondisi lingkungan yang kurang mendukung, mengakibatkan kepuasan kerjanya menurun

Untuk itu model rekruitmen tenaga keperawatan daerah terpencil sebaiknya memprioritaskan putra daerah untuk menghindari ‘turn over’ yang tinggi, dengan memberikan pelatihan yang berkelanjutan (continuing education) dan memberikan prioritas untuk diangkat sebagai CPNS dengan kontrak untuk kembali ke lokasi kerja asalnya di daerah terpencil dengan masa kontrak 10-15 tahun bekerja di lokasi terpenci setelah diangkat sebagai PNS.

Nursing is a highly regarded profession with high standards of honesty and ethics amongst various other professions. Nursing has emerged as the largest health care occupation with over 2.7 million jobs. With over 100,000 vacant positions and a ever-growing need for health care workers, the career outlook is excellent for the nursing field. National Center for Workforce Analysis, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services predicts a shortage of 808,416 nurses by the year 2020. Such an analysis and prediction is backed by very strong reasoning and findings. Advancement in technology and medical field has resulted in an increased life span. Elderly population is now living longer and more of them will require care and nursing. With more elderly people in need of such care, demands rise for nursing force that can meet such needs. Also, the need for more skilled nurses is growing. With insurance companies stepping into the medical field to reduce the cost of health care expenditure, demand for nurses, outside the hospital setting has also risen. Not to forget that the current nursing workforce is aging and many are expected to retire over next 10-15 years only to create a void, adding to the shortage further. So, nurses with a BSN degree can expect a securer career and better job prospects.
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