School of Nursing Scrapbook 1979

Nurs·ng School Expands Program

The San Diego nurse wishing to obtain a degree in Advanced Psychiatric. Nursing has been frustrated because the nearest nur– sing school offering such a degree is at the University of California, Los Angeles. Commuting or mov– ing to Los Angeles entails a hard– ship to the nurse who has employ-. ment or family commitments in the San Diego area. This program in the School of Nursing has been developed in response to the urgent needs of the mentally ill in this area . Dean Irene S . Palmer found ·strong support when she first inquired about com– munity interest in a graduate pro– gram in Psychiatric Nursing. The San Diego community of psy– chologists , psychiatrists, social workers and nurses realized the urgent need for such a program and supported Dean Palmer in the early planning stages.

The graduate of a program in Advanced Psychiatric· Nursing is prepared to work with the mentally ill in many modalities. The nurse– therapist can be a patient advocate, conduct one-to-one therapy, eon - "Until recently men– tal hospitals provid– ed a refuge from responsibilities and tended to arrest the growth of the in– dividual.,, duct group therapy, conduct family therapy , serve as a psychiatric nur– sing consultant and provide clinical superv1s1on for staff nurses , students, and paraprofessionals.

lotin Gulino Staff Writer

ed funding for this cause in the Senate . Because of Mrs. Carter's efforts, new mental health legisla– tion has been passed and mental health budgets have been in– creased . Professor Blenner described the dimensions of the problem of the mentally ill in the country today. An estimated twenty million Americans are suffering from some form of mental illness; three million people, adults and children , are treated in mental hospitals, clinics, or by private physicians each year. In the 15 to 25 age group , which includes school and college students, three of the first five causes of death are essentially psychogenic - accidents. suicides, and murder. The traditional treatment for the mentally ill has been to isolate them from society in mental hospitals . During the last decade, there has been a movement out of fong term facilities and an effort to use com– munity clinics and day care centers. The movement into the community brings about an im– provement in the patient's ability to function in the family and in society and a decrease in the cost of care and treatment. "Until ·recently," Professor Blen– ner said, • mental hospitals provid – ed a refuge from responsibilities in– volved in living in a complex socie– ty, but unfortunately , it also tended to arrest growth of the individual. The institution encouraged chron– icity through dependence on the system. This program in psychiatric nursing is focused on the chronical– ly ill client who previously endured a lifetime of institutionalization or who experience the 'revolving door ' syndrome where he sporadically re-entered the com– munity but functioned poorly as he was not able to cope with activities of daily living. This kind of client requires long-term treatment out of the hospital in the. mainstream of society ."

first program in psychlatric

T

nurs ng in the S ·ego area will be instituted in t}dhilip Y. Hahn School of N hg in January 1980. The- Na onal In titute of Mental Health has awaYded the school a grant of .o"tte million dollars to begin a program in Ad– vanced Psychiatric Nursing. The monies cover a period of five years and are allocated for the salaries of two faculty memebers, tuition and living stipends for the students, and necessary support services . The Graduate Program in Advanced Psychiatric Nursing is a two year program and results in a master's degree in Psychiatric Nursing. Mental illness is one of the most challeng– ing health problems today . . . in terms of human suffering and staggering costs... Professor Janet Blenner, (Ph.D. Candidate, New York University) , is Project-Director of the program and will also teach in it. Professor Blenner has a broad background in the field of mental health ; she has worked as an individual nurse– therapist, group and family therapist, and as a psychiatric liaison nurse. Mental illness is one of the (T'lost challenging health problems today, both in terms of human suffering and the staggering cost of effective treatment. First Lady , Rosalynn Carter, is activel9 involved in promoting the prevention and treatment of mental illne~. She is honorary chairpersrm. of~ new na– tional commission for mental health and has lobbied for increas-