A mental health nurse provides emotional support and guidance to patients, often spending more one-on-one time with patients than doctors. They work in mental health facilities and may deal with unpredictable or aggressive behaviors. Mental health nurses need advanced degrees and training, but can earn high salaries, with advanced nurses averaging $95,000 annually. New technologies allow nursing students to practice through simulated patient situations to improve skills. The author finds mental health nursing very appealing and is considering it as a career.

1. Mental Health Nursing
By: Morgan Delaney

2. I chose Mental Health Nursing because i am very passionate in helping and
caring for others. I would love to be the person that makes them laugh & smile
again through their troubled times. I want to be that person my patients look
forward to visiting because they know i would understand.
Why Mental Health Nursing?

3. A mental health nurse is a professional nurse with added training to work in the mental
health field. He or she is responsible for not only the physical well-being of patients,
but their emotional and mental health as well. Mental health nurses may work in mental
hospitals, clinics, and public hospitals which offer counseling or mental health services.
One of the main roles of a mental health nurse is to help patients by providing
emotional support and guidance. They are often the first point of contact for new
patients and may spend more one-on-one time with patients than the doctor. In some
cases the mental health nurse will be trained as a counselor as well, while other times
she may learn the specifics of caring for the mentally ill on the job. The training
obtained by each individual will dictate the responsibilities she is allowed to do,
although most nurses work with patients in a variety of ways regardless of training.
What a Mental Health Nurse Does

4. Mental health nurses work in
mental health clinics, hospitals and
other health care facilities. They
may be required to do shift work
including weekends and public
holidays, and their working times
may be irregular. They may be
required to work with people who
are suffering from emotionally
debilitating conditions who are
unpredictable in their behaviour
and may be aggressive. They may
be exposed to bodily fluids.
Mental health nurses may also be
expected to travel to visit clients in
their homes.
Working Conditions

5. Advanced practice registered nurses
(APRN) earn master’s or doctoral
degrees in psychiatric-mental health
nursing. APRNs apply the nursing
process to assess, diagnose, and
treat individuals or families with
psychiatric disorders and identify
risk factors for such disorders.
Minimum schooling of 6 years.
Schooling

6. Registered Nursing is to be the number one project job by 2020.

7. ● An Advanced Mental Health Nurse/Psychiatric Nurse make around
$95,000 a year
● Roughly between $25-$47 an hour plus bonuses
● Health, dental, and life insurance are included
Earnings

8. Technology allows nursing students to practice on make-believe patients to
learn, sharpen and improve skills. Many nursing schools use high-tech
mannequins to simulate real-life patient situations. The mannequins can be
used to teach nurses simple techniques, such as how to bathe patients and
more complicated techniques, as well as how to react in emergency situations.
The mannequins are programmed to act and react like humans. They breathe,
talk and make other sounds.
Use of Technology in Career

9. This career is very appealing me, it is something i'm considering as a career
when i start college next fall. Mental health nursing is often complex,
demanding and very rewarding. As many as one in three people are thought to
suffer some form of mental health problem. However, dealing with the human
mind and behaviour is not an exact science.
Summary

10. http://www.apna.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3292#sthash.KxBQNsZl.dpbs
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2686/
http://www.careercentre.dtwd.wa.gov.au/occupations/Pages/registered-nurse-mental-health.aspx#workingconditions
http://www.apna.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3292#sthash.ssd3ylrb.dpbs
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/most-new-jobs.htm
http://scrubsmag.com/top-ten-highest-paying-nursing-specialties/
Works Cited