Psychiatric Nursing in Ireland: A Phenomenological Study of the Attitudes, Values, and Beliefs of Irish Trained Psychiatric Nurses

The purpose of this research was to investigate whether there currently exists among Irish psychiatric nurses a collective set of attitudes, values, and beliefs that underpin their lived experience as individual Irish psychiatric nurses. The study supports findings of a multifaceted role (Cowman, Farrelly, & Gilheaney, 1997) and suggestions that time spent with clients, accessibility and approachability, and the quality of nurse-client relationships as perceived by clients are valued by psychiatric nurses (Rogers, Pilgrim, & Lacy, 1993). The study also supports some aspects of study (Gijbels, & Burnard, 1995), in particular, the coordinating/“dogsbody” aspect of the psychiatric nursing role, the hindrance experienced in developing therapeutic roles, and the ad hoc and reactive nature of the role. In addition, the study supports the emphasis that these nurses put on the caring aspect of their role through the development of discrete interpersonal relationships with their clients; however, there was limited evidence of a formalized philosophy to support this practice, suggesting that Irish psychiatric nursing is in a pre-paradigm state.