Being a nurse working in a psychiatric department: A qualitative study

Özet

Objectives: This study was designed to investigate the thoughts and experiences of nurses working in a psychiatric department. Methods: Qualitative research methods and case study techniques were used. Individual interviews were conducted with 10 nurses working in the psychiatric department of 3 public hospitals. A personal information form and a semi-structured interview guide were used as data collection tools. Descriptive analysis methods were used to report the findings. Results: Of the study participants, 9/10 were women, 5/10 were aged 41–50, and 6/10 had a university degree. The most prominent theme related to the meaning of being a nurse in a psychiatric department was "awareness of mental illness" (4/10). The most common factor cited that make it difficult to be a nurse in a psychiatric department was "institutional factors" (7/10), and factors facilitating their work were as "support from the department" (6/10) and "team dynamics" (6/10). A notable difference in psychiatric nursing compared with general nursing was the emphasis on "holistic care" (5/10). Conclusion: There are many factors that make it difficult to be a psychiatric nurse. Improvements such as additional training will contribute to the field of psychiatric nursing and increase the quality of nursing care.