Nursing is without a doubt one of the fastest-growing careers in Canada. One of the advantages of working in the booming nursing field is that there are so many directions in which you can proceed. The specialties in this field are almost endless.
One nursing specialty that is seeing growing demand for professionals is psychology and mental health. While many people with mental health issues seek the treatment of a psychologist or psychiatrist, there are many times when a nurse plays a vital role in the psychiatric care process.
In Canada, nursing programs have two common types of nurses in this specialty – psychiatric nurses and mental health nurses. Let’s learn more about what a mental health care specialist does.
Mental Health Nurse:
Apparently, mental health nurses work closely with patients who have mental health issues. They are experts in assessing, diagnosing and treating people with psychiatric problems. Mental health nurses work as part of a team to provide total medical care for the patient. Some of the common duties of a mental health nurse include:
- Evaluating the mental health needs of patients
- Coming up with treatment plans for the patients
- Offering psychotherapy services
- Offering personal care to the patients
- Providing care in coordination with families, doctors and other healthcare professionals
- Giving medications
Your responsibilities in this field will grow as your education and experience increases. As an LPN with a two year degree, you will mostly provide personal care for patients and give them medications. But when you earn your BSN and become a full RN, you will have the training to offer an assessment of the patient. You also will counsel the patient and his/her family.
If you become a mental health nurse practitioner with a master’s degree in nursing, you will often do many of the same tasks as psychiatrists. Some of the duties of these highly trained professionals include diagnosing complex mental health problems, conducting intense psychotherapy sessions and prescribing psychiatric drugs.
Where they Work:
A mental health nurse may work in:
- General hospitals
- Psychiatric hospitals
- Home healthcare organizations
- Community health organizations
- Private medical practices, clinics, medical centers
- Community agencies, rehab centers, long term care and senior centers and more
How to become a mental health nurse:
You can join our 1 year nursing course in Ontario’s best college and earn Graduate Certificate in Community Mental Health from Niagara College, Welland campus, Niagara. This course will ensure you become a catalyst in playing a vital role in improving the overall health of your patients.