nursingforsocialjustice

Sometimes I think we sell ourselves short in our role as a mental health nurse. Below are three education programs: Counselling Psychology at UBC Bachelor of Science in Psychiatric Nursing at Brandon University Bachelor of Science in Nursing at UBC    Counselling Psychology Prerequisites (in addition to fulfilling the requirements…

“I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.” Maya Angelou I think this is more often not a passive process. In those moments when we have that feeling in the pit of our stomach that something is not right, sometimes (often?)…

When I reflect on situations that I have been that involve patient violence I cannot help but think about the different actions that I would take if I was in the same situation today, knowing what I know now. There is more and more talk about violence that is experienced…

Advance care planning for times when someone who is involved in the mental health system is in acute crisis is not a new idea in mental health care. Psychiatric advance directives can decrease the perceived coercion of the patient and increase their feelings of empowerment (Khazaal, Manghi, Delahaye, Machado, Penzenstadler,…

Is it weird when a diagnosis is not explained to someone because, as the health care professional, we perceive that in the long run it may be better for them not to know? Is it too overwhelming for someone to learn that they are living with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder…

I feel my spirit die a little when I hear a co-worker talk about the “PD in bed 35-B”. People living with personality disorders, especially (in my experience) people living with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). I have a special place in my heart for people living with the BPD label,…

Lately I have felt really disappointed when listening to CBC radio. It seems like much of what is offered in popular media is driven by the election, or fear that society is going to hell in a handbasket, or public opinion that is not always the best informed; the rhetoric,…

I think that one of the challenges in achieving continuity of care and a harmonious balance between inpatient care and care delivered in the community is that there seems to be so much adversarial sentiment that exists between people working on inpatient settings and those that work in the community. I have worked in both settings.…

Is something always better than nothing? Is something ever better than nothing? And, how do we judge this in a meaningful way? I have been thinking about this more and more since I attended an education session about 6 months ago on traditional views of addiction treatment. The speaker discussed…

Have you ever been sitting in a staff meeting, painfully trying to sit still, constantly looking at the clock, thinking about all the work that you have to do and now you are stuck sitting in another staff meeting. Have you ever come out of a painfully long staff meeting…