Mental Health (Psychiatric) Nurse
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Mental health nurses play an important role in providing mental health care to patients suffering from mental illness all over the UK.
The mental health nurse’s role is to build effective relationships with people who use mental health services, and also with their relatives and carers. They may advise patients on suitable therapies, activities or groups, help them with their medication and identify any potential risks. They plan and provide care and encourage the patient to get more involved with their condition to gain control over it.
Mental health nurses can specialise in working with certain groups, such as children or older adults, or in specific areas such as eating disorders, psychosis, personality disorders, drugs and alcohol, depression and anxiety, or obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Their work is often carried out in multidisciplinary teams, liaising with psychiatrists, psychologists, occupational therapists, GPs, social workers, healthcare assistants and other health professionals. They may work with patients in a variety of settings including:
- their own homes
- community healthcare centres
- hospital psychiatric wards or specialist units
- hospital outpatients departments
- specialist units
- secure residential units
Becoming a successful mental health nurse requires dedication on many fronts! If this sounds like something up your alley then why not take some time today to research what kind of qualifications are needed for this field?
My Responsibilities#
Mental health nurses are responsible for:
- helping individuals with a wide range of mental illnesses and disorders
- working with people of all ages who may be dealing with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, eating disorders, and more
- assessing their patient’s condition and developing an individualized treatment plan that addresses their specific needs. This includes monitoring their symptoms and helping them manage their condition through medication management or other treatments.
- providing emotional support to help their patients cope with their condition
Required Skills#
In order to become a successful mental health nurse in the UK, you need several skills both related directly to nursing and related to soft skills like communication and problem-solving. On the technical side of things, you should have:
- expertise on how to assess medical conditions and administer treatments (including medications)
- experience working with computers since most hospitals use electronic medical records (EMRs) for patient data storage
- strong communication skills so that you can effectively talk to patients about their condition as well as other healthcare professionals about treatment plans
- problem-solving is an essential skill so that you can identify potential issues before they arise and take appropriate action when necessary.
