Undergraduate College Students’ Perceptions of Psychiatric Nurses

Abstract

We surveyed undergraduate students’ perceptions of psychiatric nurses’ effectiveness and analyzed other sources of data. Students reported that psychiatric nurses’ strengths include helping in situations that involve psychiatric symptoms, mental health evaluation, and drug abuse. Psychiatric nurses also were said to be effective when helping an individual with psychiatric symptoms, such as delusions and hallucinations. Friends or associates, common knowledge, school and education, and movies are some sources by which students learn about psychiatric nurses. Sources that provided less influential information include insurance carriers, newspapers, and personal experience.