Mental health nursing as a career choice – Ben Hannigan & Nicola Evans – Mental Health / Iechyd Meddwl

Mental health nursing

29 April 2019

How to describe what mental health nurses do? That’s a
challenging question, and one that underpinned a recent review of the work of
graduate and registered mental health nurses, Playing
Our Part. This made the case for the person-centred work of nurses, involving
the skilled provision of face-to-face care. More recently, here in Wales a ten
year Framework
for Mental Health Nursing was published on the first-ever Mental
Health Nurses Day, 21 February 2019. Included in this document is a series of
good practice examples showcasing the innovative work of nurses in practice,
education and research.

One common feature of the work of all practising mental
health nurses is that what they do involves providing support to people
experiencing psychological distress. This can be to adults or children, and can
involve direct help to people experiencing unhelpful or unwanted thoughts or
feelings and support to their family or carers. Mental health nurses can be
found in a range of settings, including hospitals, health centres, people’s own
homes, schools, prisons, and in outreach services for people who are homeless.
They may work independently or (more usually) in teams with other mental health
professionals such as psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers and
occupational therapists as well as with peer support workers. Mental health
nurses may find themselves liaising with people in a range of other agencies
such as the police, the charitable or third sector, and with teachers and other
professionals in the education system. In addition to their work as providers
of direct support to people living with mental health difficulties and their
carers, mental health nurses are often found as coordinators
of care. This involves helping people who use services to navigate
their journeys through the health and social care system, making sure that
plans are kept up-to-date and are regularly reviewed by members of the
interprofessional team.

For those wanting to know more about mental health nursing
as a career the Royal College of Nursing has produced a helpful short video, Keep
It in Mind, which offers insights into mental health nursing from a number
of different perspectives. The organisation Mental Health Nurse Academics UK
has also produced this guide
on becoming a mental health nurse. Here in Cardiff University, the School
of Healthcare Sciences offers a three year undergraduate BN
Hons degree in Mental Health Nursing, completion of which leads to
registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Research in the School of Healthcare Sciences is organised
through three themes,
and has a strong focus on generating new knowledge to inform improvements in
health care practice and services across the age range. Examples of ongoing mental
health research projects led by or otherwise involving Cardiff mental health
nurse academics include a new study, funded by the National Institute of Health
Research, which is developing
services for children and young people with common mental health problems
(Nicola Evans)
and a project synthesising
the evidence in the area of end of life care for people with severe mental
illness (Ben Hannigan,
Deborah
Edwards, Paul Gill,
Sally Anstey).

Dean Whybrow
is completing a doctorate on the health and wellbeing of military veterans, and
with Ben Hannigan
is part of a team investigating a novel therapy for
veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. Ongoing postgraduate
research degrees in the mental health field, involving supervision provided by Cardiff
mental health nurse academics, include: Alicia
Stringfellow’s investigation into the experiences of mothers who
live with and care for an adult son or daughter with schizophrenia; Nicola
Savory’s study into perinatal mental health experiences and care; Gavin
John’s examination of the risks to education, family and friends for
young people admitted to inpatient mental health services; Bethan
Edwards’ creation of an occupational therapy intervention for people
with early dementia; and Fortune
Mhlanga’s study of recovery in practice.

Related

Comments