Reconceptualizing the psychiatric head nurse role

The increasing complexity and specialization of psychiatric services mandate changes in the management of people and the delivery of health care. These changes have occurred simultaneous with significant progress in the discipline of psychiatric nursing and its evolvement into expanding areas of clinical expertise, higher levels of education, and growing sophistication in research. Such significant changes require that the role of the psychiatric head nurse be reexamined and reformulated to facilitate its alignment with the current realities of the health care environment. Important considerations in redesigning the psychiatric head nurse role are identified, and an actualization of the new role in one inpatient setting is described.