What are mental health nurses doing?

In the analysis of a select set of questions from a questionnaire designed to survey the major roles of the MHN in a large metropolitan DHR, a number of trends were suggested: 1. A majority of the nurses surveyed functioned highest in the nurse-clinician area, with the majority being able to participate in planning and evaluating of their roles. 2. The role of nurse-therapist appears to still be the least practiced function. 3. It appears that, overall, the outpatient nurse is able to function more independently than is the inpatient nurse. The impression from this sample of MHNs is that they are being asked to participate in areas which have been traditionally considered the territory of other disciplines, such as: therapy, policy-making, and family contacts. Hopefully, nursing will continue to expand its role as a team member of the multidisciplinary community mental health center.