Mental health nurses are expected to be skilled at taking care of others, not necessarily themselves. “That expectation needs to change.”
So argues Assistant Professor Tamar Rodney, PhD, MSN, PMHNP-BC, FAAN (with Johns Hopkins School of Nursing DNP student Maureen Ndzi) in “Emotional Safety in PMHNP Practice: Remaining Emotionally Engaged and Avoiding Burnout” (Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, October 2024).
While managing difficult situations is often seen as an inherent aspect of mental health nursing, what is often unseen is the emotional toll such crisis intervention can take on providers who love their jobs but are at a significant risk of burnout. “Emotional Safety in PMHNP Practice” offers notes on what makes a healthy workplace and suggests positive steps for keeping nurses safe.
“The irony of mental health nurses providing psychosocial well-being without receiving adequate support for their own remains a glaring oversight, almost a comedic paradox. Yet, it presents an opportunity for … transformation.”