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Mental Health Nurse Career
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Mental Health Nurse Job Description
A Mental Health Nurse is a trained nurse that works specifically with people of all ages affected with various types of mental ailments and mental health conditions. A Mental Health Nurse helps patients recover from their illness and maximizes the potential in life. A Mental Health Nurse works in conjunction to psychiatrists, occupational therapist, General Practitioners, Psychologists and social workers to provide a multi-disciplinary patient centric care.
The job of a Mental Health Nurse entails management of patients with acute mental distress, discuss the problems with their relatives or friends, design an appropriate plan to deliver care, monitor the progress of treatment, administer drugs and medications, help them in improving their behavior, maintain patient records, interact regularly with friends and family to support the recovery process and build self confidence and promote healing.
One of the most important part of the job profile of a Mental Health Nurse, is to evaluate a patients condition and identify if he/she is at the risk of harming self or others.
Mental Health Nurse Skills/Duties
A Mental Health Nurse provides care and treats patients suffering from mental illness or stress. The patients can be affected with wide range of problems including bipolar disorders, schizophrenia or even depression.
He / she may have to work with all age groups. It is important that a Mental Health Nurse have a caring and patient centric attitude, in order to hasten cure in patients suffering with mental illness.
Strong and convincing communication skills are essential as counseling is an integral part of the job profile.
Skills like self organizing are essential in for a Mental Health Nurse to design and develop specific treatment therapy for patients.
One of the most critical skills required is the ability to cope with stress. Constantly interacting and working with people who have been mental illnesses can be a stressful job which may require considerable amount of mental stamina and patience along with the willingness to work for long hours.
Mental Health Nurse Education and Training
• As per the mandate by most employers, in order to practice as a Mental Health Nurse, a bachelor’s degree in nursing is essential.
• Further, after the degree a candidate must clear the National Council Licensure Examination to become a registered nurse. Though no specific educational qualification is required, there are various one year programs available to become a specialized Mental Health Nurse.
• Alternatively, a nurse may be trained in a hospital, under the supervision of a psychiatrist, to gain in-depth knowledge about the job profile.
Mental Health Nurse Job Outlook
There is an impending shortage of Nurses in the United States as per the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The shortage of specialized and trained Mental health Nurses is even greater. A Mental Health Nurse may have to work with patients in their homes, in out patient settings, along with specialists or in community healthcare centers.
This profession has a very good job outlook and considerable potential for growth. However, the inherent nature of the job requires a candidate to have patience and ability to cope up with stress.
Mental Health Nurse Salary
The salary of a Mental Health Nurse, depends upon a host of parameters which include the level of education, the setting in which they function, the geographical location within United States, level of experience and the levels of expertise. The American Psychiatric Nurses Association has estimated that the starting salary of a Mental Health Nurse ranges from $35,000 to $40,000, and increases significantly with experience. The average annual salary of a Mental Health Nurse is about $60,000.
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