The Future of the Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing Workforce: Using Our Skill Set to Address Incongruities in Mental Health Care Delivery.

The USA is dealing with well-documented issues around mental health and its treatment. The Psychiatric Mental Health (PMH) workforce is growing and practicing in a variety of roles within the mental health system. How will PMH nurses address instances when the structure of services does not meet the mental health needs of the population? In this piece, I argue that to some degree the future of the PMH workforce will be determined by how well we use our capacity and capabilities to address incongruities in service structure and population needs. Five areas of concern with mental health services are outlined; they all involve factors that can be addressed with innovative approaches and optimum utilization of the PMH workforce. Included are suggestions on how PMH nurses might direct efforts toward these service issues, particularly by using their skill set and presence in the mental health system. Strategies include forging a tighter connection between the work of advanced practice and registered nurses in delivering care. Broadly, these efforts should be directed at building models of patient-centered care that address the needs of populations, reducing disparities, and demonstrating how engagement is a critical lever of effective inpatient and community-based care.