According to the National Institute of Mental Health, nearly one in five U.S. adults live with a mental illness. While that statistic is shocking to hear, what is more frightening is that there are simply not enough mental health resources to go around. What this means is that those who need help are often unable to receive it.
If you have been looking for a nursing path that is high in demand and will allow you the opportunity to spend your days making a real difference, then becoming a mental health nurse is a wonderful option. Let’s dive deeper into what a mental health nurse career looks like.
What type of patients do mental health nurses work with?
Most mental health professionals are driven by their desire to support individuals who are struggling. Mental Health nurses are a part of a team that includes psychologists, social workers, psychiatrists, occupational therapists, and other healthcare assistants. Mental Health nurses assess patients’ medical needs, develop a nursing diagnosis, and create a plan of care for their patients. They also implement the nursing process and evaluate how effective their process is for the patient.
Who do mental health nurses work with?
Many mental health nurses have a specialty. They spend their time working with conditions such as anxiety, depression, addiction, substance abuse, and dementia.
- Children and Adolescents – There are many different reasons children and adolescents need mental health services such as family difficulty or bullying.
- Current or Recovering Addicts – Almost 20 million people battle substance abuse disorders last year alone. Whether individuals have mental health issues that lead to alcohol or substance abuse, or mental health issues that derived from alcohol or substance abuse.
- People with Serious Mental Illness – Serious mental illness is defined as a mental, behavioral or emotional disorder that results in functional impairment.
Where do mental health nurses work?
Mental health nurses work in different settings, but the common settings are:
- Hospitals
- Psychiatric hospitals
- Home healthcare organizations
- Prisons
- Outpatient mental health organizations
- Schools that cater to individuals with emotional and mental issues.
What skills should mental health nurses have?
Though mental health patients seek treatment from psychologists, psychiatrists, or mental health counselors, nurses play a vital role in the treatment process. In turn, several skills are necessary for nurses to be successful in this line of work.
- Interpersonal Communication and Collaboration skills – mental health nurses should be able to communicate effectively and be capable of educating clients and their families on therapies and medications that they are being given.
- Problem – Solving skills – Mental health nurses need to be able to use psychiatric classification systems as they observe and examine patients’ behaviors.
- Attention to Detail – It is important for mental health nurses to demonstrate care and monitor all psychopharmacologic drugs as well.
Make a difference in one of these mental health careers!
At Total Medical, we help fill mental health nurse positions all over the state of Oklahoma. A career in Psychiatric nursing is extremely demanding but very rewarding. We understand our communities need for mental health professionals and if you want to become a light for someone who is battling the darkness of mental illness fill out our application online and search our job board for open positions.