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The Nature of Nursing in Behavioral Health
Or Every Week is Nurses Week!
Channeling Florence
Susan Corkran, BS, RN, Director of Nurses, has a deep appreciation of the qualities that embody nurses, starting with Florence, the nurse everyone knows. She writes, “Nurse’s week ends with the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth. Florence was the OG (Original Gangster) rebel nurse. She left a comfortable upper class English home to study nursing and became known as ‘The Lady with the Lamp’ when she and nurses she recruited went to care for soldiers in an under-resourced, mosquito-infested hospital in a Turkish swamp during the Crimean War. Rather than retreating to a clean bed at an orderly barracks, she rounded through the nights to support the fragile and despairing. Nurses do amazing things every day. It’s nice to have that acknowledged, and to frame it with Florence’s radical commitment is to recognize how truly unusual nurses are.”
When you think of the field of nursing, 9 times out of 10 you immediately think about emergency rooms, hospitals, urgent care, doctor’s offices, or even nursing homes. But what about nursing in behavioral health? You may be surprised to learn that Psychiatric Nurses and Advance Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) are the second largest cohort of mental health providers in the country (Nurse Journal). Community Care Alliance employees 62 nurses in over 17 programs with years serving here from 1 all the way to 42 years. Nurses are here in force!
For clients who are struggling with everyday living situations, addressing health concerns can require that professional bridge—the professional who will say, “you need to take care of your physical self, and I will help you do that.”
From Head to Heart—The Mind Body Connection
Our nurses are an integral part of the treatment team, ensuring that the connection between mental health and physical health is being addressed. Susan Corkran describes how nursing in behavioral health has changed. “When I first started in community mental health nursing, we had a “from the neck up” philosophy. We were discouraged from getting involved in people’s medical care, but back then there was nobody responsible for understanding people’s bodies and minds as one whole being. Now we know nurses are the people who connect all the parts. We listen when people describe how their bodies affect their minds and vice versa.”
RNs in community-based programs provide holistic person-centered nursing services including physical and psychiatric assessment, medication management, education, coordination and administration, side effect education, medical care coordination and support (including attending appointments for clients learning about complex medical conditions), family education and support. Nurses reinforce and provide information about medication adherence, nutrition, movement, substance use, meaningful activity, client rights, and lifelong health and wellbeing.
Susan describes the act of nursing in behavioral health as a collaboration between the nurse and the client. “We are here to help people get the life they want. So, everything we do is in service to that, and if the client feels it, they are sometimes more able to tolerate the tough stuff, like trying a lot of meds to find one that works, or taking an injection, or tolerating (safe) withdrawal from a substance, or focusing on a medical condition that is painful or requires significant behavior change. We can’t cure the condition, but we can help with the change-part.”
It Takes a Team
“In CSP and AGOP we work in teams, and clients get what they need from their team. For some people that’s prescribing, case management and talk therapy (what we may think of as a clinician). For some people, it’s vocational support, substance use treatment, and nursing. Maybe the client needs housing help or wants to work with a peer to learn how the bus system works.”
“The team of specialists might have a reason to consult with a nurse. Maybe the peer notices a person has trouble climbing the bus steps, and the nurse can coordinate with the PCP to find out whether the person has a musculoskeletal, neurologic, or orthopedic issue. The housing specialist may need to know if a person can safely cook in an independent apartment, so the nurse might look into whether they have any cognitive decline or a fine motor concern. The talk therapist may notice speech changes, so the nurse might work with the PCP for a speech-language assessment. The caseworker needs a reliable, observant colleague who can figure out if someone is having med side effects, or to just help shoulder the heavy load of contact and service provision, and the prescriber counts on the nurse to administer meds, interpret client complaints, and communicate with the pharmacy.”
It’s the Best
Susan Corkran, who has worked for CCA for almost 20 years, describes the work. “Nursing is difficult, and the healthcare system changes continuously, making it unpredictable and sometimes downright harrowing. But when you are a mental health nurse, you find people (including other nurses) saying, ‘I could never do what you do.’ And they’re right—they couldn’t. This kind of nursing calls on every bit of your intelligence, your creativity, your compassion, your diplomacy, your determination. It’s a recognition of shared humanity, an opportunity to be somebody’s light. It’s the best.”
Shortages
In Rhode Island, the shortage of medical professionals, including nurses, is particularly problematic for behavioral health organizations, and each year advocates approach the legislature to move policy forward to ensure the workforce is strengthened. In Rhode Island, part of the Senate’s HEALTH Initiative is a step in the right direction to alleviate the shortage of nurses with bills passed in 2024 that allow graduating nurses to practice sooner under the right supervision before taking their national licensing exam.
The changing trends in psychiatric nursing are moving in the right direction. The whole-person approach raises the role nurses have in treating mental health and behavioral health. That means the need for nurses here is growing. We need to convey that opportunities in this field are great!
Opportunity to Experience “THE BEST”
Join a team where your expertise makes a real difference. We’re hiring nurses across all programs—offering competitive benefits, a supportive culture, growth opportunities, and a sign-on bonus for full time candidates. Make an impact. Apply today.
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