Professional Stereotypes In Nursing

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According to the article, “A Risk to Himself: Attitudes Toward Psychiatric Patients and Choice of Psychosocial Strategies Among Nurses in Medical-Surgical Units”, Nurses professional attitudes towards stereotyped psychiatric patients have a major effect on the psychosocial interventions chosen for that patient.” In the article, stereotype is defined as a cognitive element of a strongly held attitude toward a particular social group (Nelson, 2006). Nurses working in different units outside of the psych unit in the hospital are expected to know how to care for psychiatric patients ( Zolneirek, 2009). These nurses base there nursing implications on past personal experience with dealing with other psychiatric patients (MacNeela, Scott, Treacy, & Hyde, 2010). The article elaborates on a research study done by 13 nurses that watch a video of a psychiatric patient with anxiety that was admitted to a med-surgical unit. Research in Nursing and Health, discovered that “Nurses professional attitudes play a key factor in the psychosocial strategies chosen for psychiatric patients”. The two attitudes chosen amongst the nurses in the research study for the psychiatric patient were risk, vulnerability, or both. Depending on the attitude towards the patient, the nurses recommended three psychosocial interventions: Reassurance, encouragement, and structured engagement.
According to the article, nine out of twelve nurses watching the video of the psychiatric patient with anxiety chose reassurance as a psychosocial intervention. The nurses with vulnerable attitudes and risk attitudes thought, “This strategy would give the patient a chance to express his feeling and needs”. As a result, this would decrease the patient’s anxiety, provide emoti...

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... The focus of the psychosocial interventions should be aimed at doing what is beneficial for the client’s physical health, mental health, and safety all at once.

Cited Page
MacNeela, P., Scott, P., Treacy, M., Hyde, A., & O'Mahony, R. (2012). A risk to himself: Attitudes toward psychiatric patients and choice of psychosocial strategies among nurses in medical-surgical units. Research In Nursing & Health, 35(2), 200-213. doi:10.1002/nur.21466
MacNeela, P., Scott, A., Treacy, P., & Hyde, A. (2010). In the know: Cognitive and social factors in mental health nursing assessment. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 19, 1298–1306.
Nelson, T. D. (2006). The psychology of prejudice (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson
Zolnierek, C.D. (2009). Non- psychiatric hospitalization of people with mental illness: Systematic review. Journal of Advanced nursing, 65, 1570-1583

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