topic. How nurses can meet the priority needs of the acute care clients during inpatient psychiatric hospitalizations that average five dayspurpose. To assist acute care nursing staff in reorganizing their caregiving to maximize therapeutic gains of clients in a minimum period of timesource. Personal experienceconclusion. Success in the short‐term unit depends not only on the ability of nurses to stabilize clients in crisis, but also on their ability to provide linkage with aftercare services so the therapeutic process can be continue