Your role is to promote and support a person’s recovery, helping them live independent and fulfilling lives.
Why choose mental health nursing
There are many reasons why you should consider a career as a mental health nurse. It offers you the chance to make a difference, a high degree of flexibility and a career with excellent employment prospects.
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Working life
Your role is to build effective relationships with people who use mental health services, and also with their relatives and carers. You might help one person to take their medication correctly while advising another about relevant therapies or social activities.
Success comes from being able to establish trusting relationships quickly and to help individuals understand their situation and get the best possible outcome.You'll be trained about the legal context of your work and also be able to identify whether and when someone may be at risk of harming themselves or someone else.
You'll usually based in hospitals, for example on a psychiatric ward or specialist unit, or in the community where you could work in a community health centre or in someone's home. If you work in a residential setting, you may do shifts and provide 24-hour care.
You'll work as part of a team which includes GPs, psychologists, social workers, psychiatrists, occupational therapists, arts therapists and healthcare assistants.
Cherie Lawrence
Mental health nurse and clinical team leader
I also love that I have a guaranteed job for life, which I enjoy – a lot of my friends are jealous!
Entry requirements
To become a mental health nurse the main route is through a degree course at university. Entry requirements for these courses can vary depending on where and how you’d like to study so it's important to check with universities. You can find a mental health nursing courses at the bottom of this page.
Typically you'll need a minimum of five GCSEs at grade 4/C or above, possibly in English language or literature and a science subject, plus two A levels or equivalent level 3 qualifications, such as a T level or BTEC for an undergraduate degree. Some universities may ask for three A levels or equivalent.If you already have a degree, you might be able to study for a postgraduate qualification.
There are other routes into mental health nursing such asnurse degree apprenticeships and nursing associate apprenticeships.
Annual payments
If you're eligible, you'll receive at least £6,000 a year towards your studies while at university. Your personal circ*mstances may mean you could receive more. And the good news? You'll never have to pay it back. Find out more.
Other routes into mental health nursing
Nursing degree apprenticeships are available with some employers and numbers are expected to continue to grow.Increasing opportunities to apply fornursing associate apprenticeshipsare also expected. Thiscan lead to nursing degrees or nurse degreeapprenticeships.
Must have skills
Don’t forget - academic qualifications aren’t everything. Communication and interpersonal skills are crucial, as well as strong judgement, be able to teach advise and manage people.
If you're applying for a role either directly in the NHS or a university course, you'll be asked to show how you think the values of the NHS Constitution apply in your everyday work.
Training and career development
Once you have qualified as a mental health nurse, there are a wide range of opportunities.You could specialise in working with children and adolescents, as a primary mental health worker; or women or in a field such as transcultural psychiatry, looking at how mental disorders and their treatment can be influenced by cultural and ethnic factors.You may want to work or move intomanagement, teaching orclinical research.
Pay and benefits
Your standard working week will be around 37.5 hours on shift pattern which can include nights, early starts, evenings, weekends and bank holidays. As a mental health nurse, you’ll be paid on theAgenda for Change (AFC) pay system, typically starting at band 5.
You’ll also have access to our generous pension scheme and health service discounts, as well as 27 days of annual leave plus bank holidays.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 190 matches
Nursing (Adult and Mental Health)
Edge Hill University
View courseOpens in a new window
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- Qualification
- Master of Science (with Honours) - Msci (Hon)
- Study mode
- Full-time
- Duration of the course
- 4 Years
- Leading to a career in
- Nursing (Adult), Nursing (Mental Health)
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- Contact details
- [emailprotected]
- +44 (0)1695 657000
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- Region
- North West
- Admissions address
- St Helens Road
Ormskirk
L39 4QP
United Kingdom
Nursing (Adult and Mental Health)
Robert Gordon University
View courseOpens in a new window
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- Qualification
- Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
- Study mode
- Full-time
- Duration of the course
- 4 Years
- Leading to a career in
- Nursing (Adult), Nursing (Mental Health)
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- Contact details
- [emailprotected]
- 01224 262728
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- Region
- Scotland
- Admissions address
- Garthdee House
Garthdee Road
Aberdeen
AB10 7QB
United Kingdom
Nursing Adult and Mental Health
University of Southampton
View courseOpens in a new window
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- Qualification
- Master of Nursing - MN
- Study mode
- Full-time
- Duration of the course
- 4 Years
- Leading to a career in
- Nursing (Adult), Nursing (Mental Health)
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- Contact details
- [emailprotected]
- 023 8059 5500
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- Region
- South East
- Admissions address
- Highfield
Southampton
SO17 1BJ
United Kingdom
Nursing - Adult and Mental Health (Dual Award
Birmingham City University
View courseOpens in a new window
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- Qualification
- Master in Science (with Honours) – MSci (Hon)
- Study mode
- Full-time
- Duration of the course
- 4 Years
- Leading to a career in
- Nursing (Adult), Nursing (Mental Health)
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- Contact details
- [emailprotected]
- 0121 331 6295
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- Region
- West Midlands
- Admissions address
- Westbourne Road
Birmingham
B15 3TN
United Kingdom
Adult and Mental Health Nursing (pre-registration) MSc
City, University of London
View courseOpens in a new window
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- Qualification
- Master of Science - MSc (PG)
- Study mode
- Full-time
- Duration of the course
- 3 Years
- Leading to a career in
- Nursing (Adult), Nursing (Mental Health)
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- Contact details
- 020 7040 8716
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- Region
- London
- Admissions address
- The Admissions Office
Northampton Square
London
EC1V 0HB
United Kingdom
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