A nursing career in the UK is a challenging yet highly rewarding and enriching one. In case you have been thinking about applying for a nursing job in the NHS, UK then there are many nursing paths that you could choose. Out of the many paths that an aspiring nurse could pick up, a career in mental health nursing is one of the most beneficial and preferred ones because of the multiple benefits that it provides.
In the UK, the demand for mental health nurses is very high since an increasing number of patients are becoming a target of mental and emotional problems. A mental health nurse is actually in charge of helping the patients recover from or accept the conditions that can improve their quality of life. It is the responsibility of a mental health nurse to offer compassion and care to the patients in a way that they get encouraged to become involved and gain control over their situations.
The ever increasing shortage of mental health nurses is leading to an even higher demand for jobs in mental health nursing. Students who aspire to make a successful career in the nursing profession have a high chance of getting selected in the mental health nursing jobs in the UK. Since the NHS is struggling to cope up with a lack of nursing professionals, more job opportunities and better salary packages will be released in the future.
Additionally, becoming a mental health nurse entails massive learning opportunities. The nature of work is such that it is carried out in multidisciplinary teams while liaising with psychologists, occupational therapists, social workers, health professionals, GPs, etc. The nurses may also get an opportunity to work in multiple work settings such as community healthcare centres, their own homes, special units, secure residential units, hospital departments, etc.
As listed above in brief, mental health nursing jobs in the UK are a preferred career option. In this blog, we will validate the benefits of the profession in complete detail by listing five reasons to apply for mental health nursing jobs in the UK. Let’s begin!
1.DYNAMIC PROFESSION:
Out of all the nursing jobs in the UK, the role played by a mental health nursing profession is highly dynamic in nature. This is because a mental health nurse is required to work in a variety of settings and meet people from all age groups. Where children might be suffering a certain type of disease, the old people can be troubled by something else.
Common illnesses like depression, bipolar disorders, psychosis, anxiety, can affect almost any part of a patient’s life so it is the duty of the mental health nurse to really understand the patient from a perspective that no one can.
Mental health nurses have a distinctive character of understanding what might be causing the problem while supporting the patients through the recovery process. There is a choice to work in diverse work settings such as hospitals, community centres, care homes, schools along with many other services. A mental health nurse gets an opportunity to understand life from the perspective of a variety of people while helping them overcome their illnesses in a remarkable way.
2.LEADING A COMPASSIONATE LIFE:
There is a common misconception amongst people that mental health patients are dangerous, violent, or a threat in one way or another. This notion comes from stories blown out of proportion that create a belief that dealing with mental health patients can be dangerous. However, this is completely untrue and a mental health nurse understands this better than anyone else.
Mostly the patients are balanced and the occurrence of extremely ill patients is really less. Even when there is a situation that demands to treat a patient that reflects extreme behaviour, there is always a reason and often a very tragic one that explains the cause of that patient’s behaviour. Mental health nurses come into the picture as compassionate support that discovers a way forward in treating these patients.
The profession teaches the mental health nurses to lead their lives in a compassionate, empathetic, and mature way. These professionals become those people whose support can always be counted on, both professionally and personally. Choosing to do a mental health nursing job in the UK enables a nursing professional to help their patients, families, colleagues, and friends with an optimistic way of dealing with things and rising above the challenges.
3.WIDE CAREER PROSPECTS:
There are multiple career prospects that a mental health nurse can take in terms of career development. Right from becoming a specialist nurse, working with a specific client group like children or youth to working within a particular area like treating patients suffering from alcohol or substance abuse or psychological issues, the options are many. These options lead to diverse professional paths.
Some career opportunities develop into posts like that of advanced nursing practitioners, consultants and managers that enable the nurses to work in specialist roles. Although some of the posts demand a master’s qualification and relevant experience, gaining those credentials eventually takes the nursing professionals in the direction of career elevation.
The nurses can move into roles such as being a mentor, lecturer, researcher, policymaker, etc. Furthermore, it is also possible to join a unit or trust management team that works as an advisory in an executive capacity while taking decisions that directly affect patient welfare including staffing and financial matters. Applying for a nursing job in the NHS, UK is one of the most proven ways to experience career development in a way that suits your interest, comfort, and time.
4.JOB SECURITY:
The mental health nurses are always in high demand because unfortunately the stressful lifestyle prevalent in these times is forcing many people to become patients of mental problems. All the mental health nurses applying for a nursing job in the NHS, UK must be aware that once they make it successfully through the acceptance, they can rely on a high level of job security for the rest of their life.
The mental health nursing profession is often known as a profession for life since many mental health job placements are done keeping long-term care in mind. The patients that need consistent support are taken care of in the supervision of those mental health nurses who can commit themselves for the long term. Therefore the jobs of mental health nurses are always secure with a lesser risk of pay cuts, job cuts, or anything else that threatens their employment.
After a nurse is successful in getting hired for the mental health nursing job, the road after that becomes pretty wide in terms of career and personal development. With a reasonable and optimal professional performance, nurses can enjoy a satisfactory, rewarding, and meaningful career. In addition to job security, the nurses also get many other benefits such as an attractive salary, holiday entitlements, study leaves, etc.
5.SATISFACTION OF HELPING OTHERS:
At a point when a nurse comes to know the right process to deal with patients, it becomes manageable and easy to get through the patients. Mental health nursing jobs are structured in a way that they only revolve around helping patients lead a higher quality of life. When they achieve that goal, the feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment that mental health nurses experience is second to none.
A big challenge that is increasingly associated with being a mental health nurse is treating those patients who are going through intense mental pressure, trauma, or troubles. This is something that requires a high level of compassion and empathy in an individual. Even though it is a big challenge, mental health nurses are trained to manage all kinds of patient behaviours.
More often than not, the patients are easy to deal with because they are only looking for someone to take care of them and support them in overcoming a mentally difficult time. A well educated and trained mental health nurse offers mental health patients with the right mental and emotional reliance needed to enhance their lives. Watching a patient get better by rising above the challenges and knowing that it is you who played a significant role in bringing about that change is something that makes mental health nursing extremely rewarding.
CONCLUSION:
It is the responsibility of the mental health nurse to assess the patient’s needs efficiently while discussing the best plans to deliver care. A big part of the mental health nursing jobs in the UK will be to build reliable relationships with patients while at the same time listening and interpreting their needs.
Promoting and supporting the recovery of a person who is mentally struggling is a job that can bring unimaginable satisfaction. The people who are sensitive and empathetic by nature can make an extremely successful career as a mental health nurse.
Although a demanding one but a mental health nursing career is also very rewarding. Mental health nurses have a great chance to make a difference while experiencing a high level of flexibility along with a career that can bring excellent employment prospects in the UK. The points mentioned above are a clear explanation of the fact that there are many beneficial reasons for choosing mental health nursing.
