Behavioral Health Self-Efficacy of Nurses in a Rural Emergency Department

This project aims to provide a resource manual for the Waseca area which will be utilized by the emergency department‟s nursing staff. As described above, the need for nursing staff to know how to work with, handle, and appropriately refer behavioral health patients is an essential piece of emergency department nursing. After receiving an orientation on the composition of the new resource manual, emergency department nursing staff will have a better understanding of what to do when the social worker is not present as well as feel more comfortable with their knowledge related to behavioral health patients. This project has the potential to improve services for individuals with mental or behavioral health issues that come into the Waseca Medical Center Emergency Department. In a rural setting, a social worker is often not available for mental health patients who come to the emergency room. Patients who present with behavioral health disorders often “elicit negative emotions [from nurses] such as fear, which may lead to segregation of the client” (Frances, 2000, p. 36). By providing the education and resources necessary to competently and responsibly treat these individuals the social worker has the opportunity to improve care for patients