the

Mad Hatter

Douglas College Newsletter.

 

 

  

DOUGLAS COLLEGE
ARCHIVES

 

 

RU
April 22, 1986

 

 

The Right Kind of Person When the Wrong Things Happen:

THE PSYCHIATRIC NURSE

Different people have different images of mental illness, unfortunately most are derived from movies
or novels where psychiatric patients are typecast as dangerous, hostile people locked away for the
betterment of society.

 

 

 

The same is true of the psychiatric nurse - remember "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"? For the
2,700 Register Psychiatric Nurses in British Columbia, some clarification is in order.

The work is challenging, but rewarding. In any number of settings, psychiatric nurses meet the needs
of people of all ages, whether seriously or slightly ill. To accomplish this, the psychiatric nurse must
be a good communicator.

"The relationships these nurses develop with patients is their greatest attribute," says Noreen Reynolds,
BSN and a regular faculty member in the only Psychiatric Nursing program in the province, at
Douglas College,

"Being non-judgemental is an important part," she says. "This means relating ina helpful way towards
people who may be confused, withdrawn, suicidal, depressed, aggressive or highly anxious."

"It also means assisting a disabled person to gain greater independence or helping the elderly, confused
person become more involved in everyday activities."

"In other words," Reynolds says, "being a psychiatric nurse means being the right kind of person when
the wrong things happen.”

As part of the total health care team, these professionals have a variety of duties including patient
counselling, interacting with families, assessment interviewing, group therapy, life skill teaching,
administering medication and providing physical nursing care.

These attributes do not come easily, but people involved in this unique form of care-giving agree,
the work is more than rewarding.

continued on Page 2...

 

In The Hat:

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TAC RLORE .cacsdevnnccderasdicovavcncarvonsedeud¥enendedeeays 4 A Special Thank YOu........:ssssssseeeseseeeeeeeseeee 13
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Office of the Future is a New Challenge... 11 Group Advising Sessions .........ssseccsessesereees 17
Antal Retirement do.sscccoscaséssssccersanisennns 11 Kwantlen College Technology Centre

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