The department of Psychiatric Nursing was started in the year 1998 for enhancing professional training and thereby augment manpower resources in the field of Psychiatric Nursing. The department is presently running three courses, i.e. Diploma in Psychiatric Nursing, M. Sc. Nursing (Psychiatric Nursing) and Ph. D. in Psychiatric Nursing. The courses are recognized by the Indian Nursing Council and Assam Nurses’, Midwives and Health Visitors’ Council. One year Diploma in Psychiatric Nursing (DPN) course was started in the year 2001. Currently the DPN course is running with 30 seats for trainees deputed from all of the eight North Eastern States. The M. Sc Nursing (Psychiatric Nursing) is a two year full time course with yearly intake of 12 students, started in the year 2007. Three years full time Ph. D. in Psychiatric Nursing was started in the year 2017 with intake of 2 students. The department has the distinction of introducing the all these courses in the North East region for the first time. Besides the regular courses, short term training is provided to the nursing students of more than 20 institutes of various parts of the country.
Patient care service is another core function of the department. The department renders quality services for the clients in the Indoor, OPD and Community. Various clinical activities of the Department include individual and group psycho-education; admission, pre-discharge, individual and family counselling; self-care management, skill training, motivational enhancement therapy, behavioural nursing interventions, nursing care review, nursing audit etc. The staff and students also provide services in the regular outreach camps of the Institute. Beside theses, home visits for case finding and referral, mental health awareness meetings and camps are organized in the community. Department organizes and conducts school mental health programmes as part of community mental health nursing activity. The department also undertake counselling and consultative services both within and outside the Institute.
The Psychiatric Nursing Departments conducts high quality researches related to the field with the aim for capacity building and to make advancement in the psychiatric nursing services.
