Mental health nursing OR Psychiatric nursing

NURSING MADE EASY

Mental health nursing OR Psychiatric nursing:-

 Psychiatric nursing, also known as Mental health nursing  is a specialized field of nursing practice that involves the care of individuals with a mental health disorder to help them recover and improve their quality of life.

Mental health nurses have advanced knowledge of the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of psychiatric disorders that helps them provide specialized care. They typically work alongside other health professionals in a medical team with the aim of providing the optimal clinical outcomes for the patient.

The important role that mental health nurses, play spans especially far in today’s competitive and success-driven society that has made it difficult for many individuals to cope mentally and emotionally. As a mental health professional, you will be playing a key part in helping individuals gain back their confidence, self-reliance, and independence to rejoin society. In more severe mental cases, you will be responsible, along with a team of allied workers, for the ongoing care of patients who may no longer be able to fully rejoin society but need help in coping from day to day, nonetheless.

Mental care and support may be quite challenging, given the nature of the role. You will often be required to handle patients with unstable thinking processes or who tend to make sudden emotional outbursts. Understanding that people who suffer from mental illnesses have little to no control over their own thinking processes due to their illness is a big part of being a mental health worker. Yet the benefits of contributing to the health and well-being of these patients can be very rewarding indeed. Mental illness can affect individuals of any age, ethnic origin, or socioeconomic status. For this reason, a mental health nurse may need to work with many different individuals from various backgrounds.

Nursing Role :-

         A mental health nurse is responsible for the

• Assessment and evaluation of the patient’s mental health.
• Development of treatment care plan.
• Giving medication and assessing the results of specific medication.
• Consultation with other health professionals about treatment plan.
• Maintenance of medical records.
• Helping patients take part in activities.
• Observation and assessment of patients.
• Provision of care and treatment psychotherapy.
• Support and education to the patients and their family.

This primary role of a mental health nurse is to provide care to patients with a psychiatric disorder, mental health issue, or behavioral problems. Many of the tasks performed by a mental health nurse are similar to that of a psychiatrist and include diagnosis, psychotherapy, and prescription of medications.

Some mental health nurses also choose to specialize further, such as in the management of individuals with a psychiatric disorder of a certain age or association. These may include pediatrics, adolescents, geriatrics, substance abuse, and eating disorders.

Training & Education for Nurses:-

There are several training education pathways that can lead to a career mental health nurse practitioner. As it is a specialization of nursing, an individual must first complete a Bachelor degree in Nursing and pass the board examination in order to become a Registered Nurse (RN).

Following graduation and registration, they may then go on to complete a master’s degree or doctorate in advanced practice nursing, with a specialization in mental health. This degree includes extensive clinical experience as a core part of the curriculum and, upon graduation, the nurse may also choose to complete a one-year residency to develop their skills further

Career as a Mental Health Nurse:-

An individual well suited to a career as a mental health nurse may have the following qualities:

• Interest in mental illness and behavioral disorders.
• Compassionate, empathetic, and non-judgmental.
• Exemplary communication skills.
• Emotionally stable with strong self-awareness.
• Problem-solving and critical thinking skills.
• Attentive to detail.

Mental health nurses may work in a range of environments, depending on the position and the role that they play. This includes hospitals, psychiatric practices, substance abuse programs, in-home care services, and community agencies.

The work schedule of the nurse will depend greatly on the setting in which they work. For those working in hospitals or practices with round-the-clock care, it may include shifts at nighttime, on weekends, and holidays. However, those in community agencies or private practices tend to work regular daytime hours.