mental health nurse.

The typical tasks of a mental health nurse include:

• assessment and diagnosis: as a mental health nurse, you assess patients by asking questions, reading their medical files and making notes. When you discuss a patient's condition, you help them identify their problems and develop ways to provide the best care.
• building relationships with patients: as a mental health nurse, you encourage open and honest relationships with your patients to promote trust. You must be an excellent listener and communicator to interpret patients' needs and understand their concerns. Talking with patients and building trust fosters recovery.
• ensuring administration of medicine: as a mental health nurse, you make sure patients stick to their treatment plans. That means you supervise attendance with the psychiatrist and check they take medication on time. You also administer injections and monitor the progress of treatment. Some patients with mental health conditions are reluctant to take medication, so supervision is a significant part of your role.
• responding to distressed patients: you need to respond to patients in a friendly manner and understand their source of discomfort. You should also teach your patients effective de-escalation techniques for controlling their symptoms and distress.
• preparing group therapy sessions: as a mental health nurse, you organise group sessions for patients and ensure everyone participates. You also provide one-to-one therapy sessions like cognitive behaviour therapy for managing anxiety and depression.
• organising social events and working with patients' families: as a mental health nurse, you organise social events for patients to help them improve their social skills and reduce feelings of isolation. You also work with the patients' parents and carers, advising them on managing mental health conditions.

Most mental health nurses work in communities, providing services to GPs, community health centres, rehabilitation facilities, and residential care homes. Some mental health nurses also provide in-house care in people's homes. You are based in a hospital or dedicated healthcare clinic and primarily work indoors with various patients. You can also work in psychiatric hospitals, in mental health units within public hospitals, acute and emergency care such as Psychiatric Emergency Care Centres (PECC) and nursing homes. Sometimes, you conduct group sessions outdoors or work in stressful and emotional work settings. There is potential for danger, as some patients can display violent behaviour.

Depending on your employer and where you are based, your colleagues might include general nurses, psychologists and paediatricians. You might also be working in close proximity to support workers, community nurses and paediatric nurses, as well as other specialists that could include, but not be limited to, care home managers, pharmacists, doctors, radiographers and social workers.

The work schedule of a mental health nurse on a full-time schedule is 37.5 hours a week. However, you may work additional hours, including evenings and weekends. Since you provide round-the-clock care, you also work during public holidays. Shift work is typical when you work in hospitals, but you have a flexible schedule in dedicated mental health centres. When you work in community health centres, you have a traditional business workweek, but you are always on call for emergencies. Remote work is possible when the patient has not been admitted to the hospital, and you can conduct your therapy sessions online.

As a mental health nurse, you have a clear career path since you can move from registered nurse to psychiatrist or counsellor. When you have a wealth of experience, you can become a mental health consultant or social worker. Alternatively, explore a career in managerial roles like running a rehabilitation centre. Mental health nursing also has promising career prospects, with projected job growth of 15.6% in five years.

Finding your mental health nurse job through Randstad provides important advantages such as:

• a wide variety of training and development opportunities
• an experienced contact person to provide help if needed
• a range of opportunities in your area
• get paid weekly or monthly, depending on the job
• temporary and permanent contracts

Want a permanent contract? A temporary job as a mental health nurse is often a stepping stone to an attractive permanent job. Every year, thousands of people earn a permanent contract with great employers thanks to a temporary job found through Randstad. What's more, many companies recruit their permanent employees through Randstad too.

A mental health nurse works with patients to help them improve their mental and emotional wellbeing and promote psychological and physical wellbeing. They assist patients in dealing with their symptoms and find ways to minimise the effects of a mental health condition on their physical wellbeing.

A mental health nurse receives an average salary of $90,000 per year. The remuneration package fluctuates depending on experience and educational qualifications. Some mental health nurses take home over $100,000 annually due to their specialised skills and experience.

You can become a mental health nurse within two years if you are already a registered nurse. You need to complete a conversion course in mental health nursing to receive specialist mental health training. Some mental health nurses take a further postgraduate qualification to become specialist nurses.

Mental health nursing is a challenging role. Listening to people's experiences can be emotional. Working within this role requires the right set of skills, a lot of resilience and being comfortable working in a high pressure environment.

Mental health nurses are registered nurses and are qualified to give injections and ensure the correct administration of medication. Sometimes, they also prescribe medications to help patients manage their condition. 

Applying for a mental health nurse job is easy: create a Randstad profile and search our mental health nurse job offers. Then simply send us your CV and cover letter. Need help with your application? Check out all our job search tips here.