Liaison nursing.

In reviewing my efforts to clarify the role of the nurse clinician as a psychiatric consultant in a hospital setting, I came away with many impressions. Inherent in my search was a desire to experiment with various means of providing nursing service and much of my time was spent examining the collaborative aspects of the nursing role that would add greater depth to patient care. This involved role experimentation and allowed me the opportunity to develop my role within the context of the guidelines of community organization and consultation in a hospital setting. Although much of the time I found that the liaison role has been aimed at the supportive level, I have also discovered that as I developed security in the role wherein I could function in new and more independent ways--the parameters of the role expanded. Whereas initially I envisioned working only with nursing staff, I have found myself collaborating with many disciplines and many levels of care givers and I have also been able to function collaboratively with other psychiatric liaison team members. Thus, at this time I see the liaison nurse functioning basically as a coordinator, who, at any time, may assume one or more of the following roles: 1) Integrator; 2) Provider of direct services; 3) Educator and consultant; 4) Change agent.