NHS Opportunity: Mental Health Nurse

Mental health nurse Current Vacancies

2006-11-27:

Mental health nurses, also known as psychiatric nurses, work in hospitals or in the community helping people who suffer from a range of conditions such as anxiety and stress-related illnesses, to more severe problems including personality disorders, eating disorders, and drug and alcohol abuse.

Mental health nurses can work with a variety of different patients or specialise in a particular group such as adolescents or offenders.

Mental health nurses work closely with a patients family, friends and carers.

They work as part of a team that includes psychiatrists, clinical psychologists and health visitors.

Nurses in the NHS work 37.5 hours a week, which can include evening, weekend and night shifts.

Many hospitals offer flexible hours of work. Some nurses work extra hours, either as overtime or for nursing agencies that supply staff to the private sector.

Mental health nurses work in hospitals, residential hostels, day centres, patients homes, and special units, for example, for drug dependency.

Community mental health nurses may work alone.

Mental health nurses may also train for another branch of nursing - adult, child, learning disability, or train for other roles such as sister or charge nurse.

Newly qualified nurses working in the NHS earn between 17,600 and 19,500 a year.
Sisters and charge nurses can earn between 24,000 and 29,000.
Nurse specialists are paid from 27,500 to 32,000.
A small number of nurse consultants earn between 37,000 and 51,000. (Permalink)