Chapter 1: Roles and Functions of
Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses:
Competent Caring
1. In 1952, Hildegard Peplau defined the psychiatric nurses role as a:
a. professional who helps patients with attitude adjustment.
b. nurse who is extensively trained to care for psychiatric patients.
c. resource person, a teacher, a leader, and a counselor to patients.
d. professional who is certified to conduct psychosocial therapy sessions. - ANS-c. resource
person, a teacher, a leader, and a counselor to patients.
ANS: C
Nurses were trained as resource persons, teachers, leaders, and counselors who cared for
psychiatric patients. The remaining options are incorrect. Ms. Peplau made no mention of the
need for extensive training, or special certifications, nursing leadership, or attitude adjustment
when defining the role of a psychiatric nurse.
\1. When considering psychiatric nursing roles and functions, in order to delegate effectively the
nurse must have knowledge of the domains of: (Select all that apply.)
a. management.
b. communication.
c. direct care.
d. teaching.
e. collaboration. - ANS-a. management.
c. direct care.
ANS: A, C
Delegation includes the domains of management and direct care. Collaboration includes
management and communication; teaching includes direct care and communication; and
coordination includes direct care, communication, and management. Teaching and collaboration
are not specific to psychiatric nursing delegation.
\10. The primary opportunity provided by psychiatric clinical rotations for nursing students is an
opportunity to:
a. become familiar with patients who have chronic psychiatric mental health issues.
b. work with patients who have psychiatric as well as physical health issues.
c. learn to work with patients with various psychiatric mental health issues.
, d. learn to care for patients who have emotional disorders. - ANS-c. learn to work with patients
with various psychiatric mental health issues.
ANS: C
Students who have the opportunity to work in a psychiatric-mental health setting benefit
because of the opportunities to work directly with a specific population of patients with
psychiatric-mental health illnesses. In acute care, medical-surgical units, general outpatient
clinical settings, or long-term care settings, students can only care for the patients served in the
setting and hope that they will acquire some knowledge about the psychiatric disorder process
and how it affects patients. Unfortunately, in these settings, the chances for learning about
advances in the field of psychiatry or behavioral health would not be available.
\11. Case supervision is a psychiatric nursing activity that falls within the nursing practice
domain of:
a. community education.
b. communication.
c. management.
d. direct care. - ANS-d. direct care.
ANS: D
Management is a direct care activity.
\12. When one considers the roles and functions of psychiatric nursing, the overlap of
communication and management roles is seen in the function of:
a. teaching.
b. delegation.
c. direct care.
d. collaboration. - ANS-d. collaboration.
ANS: D
Collaboration is defined as the shared planning, decision making, problem solving, goal setting,
and assumption of responsibilities by people who work together cooperatively and with open
communication. Figure 1-3 depicts this graphically.
\13. The major determinants of the roles in which a psychiatric nurse engages are:
a. personal preference and age.
b. local custom and physician support.
c. state law and personal qualifications.
d. work setting and personal preference. - ANS-c. state law and personal qualifications.
ANS: C
While the other options may be contributors to role identification, state law is the primary
determinant of the roles nurses may assume in any state.
Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses:
Competent Caring
1. In 1952, Hildegard Peplau defined the psychiatric nurses role as a:
a. professional who helps patients with attitude adjustment.
b. nurse who is extensively trained to care for psychiatric patients.
c. resource person, a teacher, a leader, and a counselor to patients.
d. professional who is certified to conduct psychosocial therapy sessions. - ANS-c. resource
person, a teacher, a leader, and a counselor to patients.
ANS: C
Nurses were trained as resource persons, teachers, leaders, and counselors who cared for
psychiatric patients. The remaining options are incorrect. Ms. Peplau made no mention of the
need for extensive training, or special certifications, nursing leadership, or attitude adjustment
when defining the role of a psychiatric nurse.
\1. When considering psychiatric nursing roles and functions, in order to delegate effectively the
nurse must have knowledge of the domains of: (Select all that apply.)
a. management.
b. communication.
c. direct care.
d. teaching.
e. collaboration. - ANS-a. management.
c. direct care.
ANS: A, C
Delegation includes the domains of management and direct care. Collaboration includes
management and communication; teaching includes direct care and communication; and
coordination includes direct care, communication, and management. Teaching and collaboration
are not specific to psychiatric nursing delegation.
\10. The primary opportunity provided by psychiatric clinical rotations for nursing students is an
opportunity to:
a. become familiar with patients who have chronic psychiatric mental health issues.
b. work with patients who have psychiatric as well as physical health issues.
c. learn to work with patients with various psychiatric mental health issues.
, d. learn to care for patients who have emotional disorders. - ANS-c. learn to work with patients
with various psychiatric mental health issues.
ANS: C
Students who have the opportunity to work in a psychiatric-mental health setting benefit
because of the opportunities to work directly with a specific population of patients with
psychiatric-mental health illnesses. In acute care, medical-surgical units, general outpatient
clinical settings, or long-term care settings, students can only care for the patients served in the
setting and hope that they will acquire some knowledge about the psychiatric disorder process
and how it affects patients. Unfortunately, in these settings, the chances for learning about
advances in the field of psychiatry or behavioral health would not be available.
\11. Case supervision is a psychiatric nursing activity that falls within the nursing practice
domain of:
a. community education.
b. communication.
c. management.
d. direct care. - ANS-d. direct care.
ANS: D
Management is a direct care activity.
\12. When one considers the roles and functions of psychiatric nursing, the overlap of
communication and management roles is seen in the function of:
a. teaching.
b. delegation.
c. direct care.
d. collaboration. - ANS-d. collaboration.
ANS: D
Collaboration is defined as the shared planning, decision making, problem solving, goal setting,
and assumption of responsibilities by people who work together cooperatively and with open
communication. Figure 1-3 depicts this graphically.
\13. The major determinants of the roles in which a psychiatric nurse engages are:
a. personal preference and age.
b. local custom and physician support.
c. state law and personal qualifications.
d. work setting and personal preference. - ANS-c. state law and personal qualifications.
ANS: C
While the other options may be contributors to role identification, state law is the primary
determinant of the roles nurses may assume in any state.
