Issues in mental health nursing
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Issues Ment Health Nurs · Oct 2008
Self-reports of recovery-oriented practices of mental health nurses in state mental health institutes: development of a measure.
The focus of this study was to modify a measure of recovery practice for mental health nurses and explore nurses' self reports of recovery practices. Findings support the soundness of the Recovery Self Assessment-Registered Nurse Version (RSA-RN) as a self-assessment instrument designed to evaluate recovery-oriented nursing practice. More favorable perceptions of recovery practices were noted amongst older and more experienced nurses, those who had previous formal training or education in mental health recovery or psychiatric rehabilitation, and those who considered their facilities to be recovery-oriented. The RSA-RN can be use to identify nurses' and nursing departments' strengths in the provision of recovery-oriented interventions and lead to focused performance improvement.
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Issues Ment Health Nurs · Oct 2008
Valuing autonomy, struggling for an identity and a collective voice, and seeking role recognition: community mental health nurses' perceptions of their roles.
Leaders in this community mental health system approached the problem of job frustration, morale issues, and turnover concerns of their Community Mental Health Nurses (CMHNs) by designing a qualitative study using Participant Action Research (PAR) methodology based on the philosophy of Habermas. Six focus groups were conducted to address the nurses' concerns. The themes of Valuing Autonomy, Struggling for an Identity and Collective Voice, and Seeking Role Recognition best explained the participants' concerns. The study concluded with an action plan, the implementation of the plan, and a discussion of the plan's final outcomes.