Role Expectations for United States Air Force Psychiatric Clinical Nurse Specialists

摘要

The purpose of this thesis was to describe and analyze role expectations for United States Air force (USAF) psychiatric clinical nurse specialists (PCNSs) held by the PCNSs and their mental health and nursing colleagues, specifically: clinical psychologists, clinical social workers, generalist mental health nurses, nurse administrators, and psychiatrists. A purposive sample was drawn from USAF medical facilities at which all groups were represented. Data were collected by mailed questionnaire. Respondents perceived the actual USAF PCNS role to include 5 of 40 role enactment behaviors, but identified the ideal/expected role to include 39 of the same 40 behaviors. A weak, positive correlation was found between perceptions of and expectations for the USAF PCNS role. The USAF PCNS role was found to be subject to conflicting expectations. These conflicting expectations may limit the PCNs' effectiveness.