Rae Ellen Douglas of Kaye/Bassman Quoted in Healthcallings.com Article

Whether you’re just beginning your nursing career or you’re a seasoned pro, a veteran psychiatric nurse advises that all nurses should be prepared to encounter more psych patients as the Affordable Care Act fully kicks in next year.

“There will be a large influx of people with mental-health challenges who do not currently have health coverage or health coverage for mental illness,” says Marlene Nadler-Moodie, MSN, APRN, PMHCNS-BC, a consultant to hospitals about psychiatric care and nursing issues, and a clinical nurse specialist for the Scripps Health Behavioral Health Care Line [CQ] in San Diego, Calif.

That will affect more nurses than just those on the psych floor as increasing numbers of psych patients are “mainstreamed” into other units, such as medical-surgical and emergency departments, says Nadler-Moodie, immediate past president of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association.

Mention your patient experiences
If you’re in the job market and already experienced with these patients or their growing presence in nonpsych units, “it would be highly beneficial to note it as an area of exposure if not expertise,” says recruiter Rae Ellen Douglas, nursing practice leader at Kaye/Bassman International in Dallas.

Ask about the hospital’s policies
You’d do well to ask how a hospital is handling the mainstreaming of psych patients and how a facility provides for them, she adds. Nadler-Moodie suggests asking what special training is provided to nurses who haven’t had much exposure to psych patients. “Hospital leadership needs to ensure that their nurses are adequately trained and educated to care for all of their patients,” she says.

Continuing education important
Inhouse training seminars, stipends for outside education programs or consultation sessions with a hospital’s psychiatric APRN or psychiatrist are ways to provide coaching to nonpsych nurses.

Even if your specialty is outside of mental-health nursing, you’ll still need to sharpen these skills. Psyche patients may not act any different from other patients on your floor. When they do, they’d likely exhibit psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions, Nadler-Moodie says. But those symptoms can be the same for other conditions, such as delirium. In an article about psych patients on med-surg units, Nadler-Moodie cautions that early assessment is key so that the patient receives the proper treatment.