Nurse - Mental Health
Care for people with mental health problems. Help them recover from illness or adapt to their condition and get the support they need.
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About the job
Salary
Source: National Careers Service
Weekly
£538
Entry level
£827
Experienced
Monthly
£2,333
Entry level
£3,583
Experienced
Yearly
£28,000
Entry level
£43,000
Experienced
64,200
people are currently employed
High growth
3,500 more jobs in 5 years
These figures refer to this job and similar ones with comparable skills and qualifications. They only apply to Scotland. Source: Oxford Economics
What it's like
You would care for people with mental health problems. You’d help them recover from their illness or adapt to their condition. You’d help them get the support they need.
Patients and their families could be struggling with very difficult and distressing emotions and situations. You’d build up a trusting relationship with the person and their family to support their recovery.
You would support people with a range of mental health issues such as:
anxiety
depression
stress-related illnesses
personality disorders
eating disorders
drug and alcohol addiction
You could work in hospitals or in the community. You might help a variety of patients, or work with a particular group like teenagers. You might work with offenders in a secure unit or special hospital.
You would:
assess each person and their situation
listen to them sympathetically and non-judgementally
support your patient and encourage them to follow treatment plans
encourage them to take part in role play, art, drama and discussion as therapies
provide physical care, if a person is too old or ill to look after themselves
give medication
You could also help a patient deal with social workers, the police, relevant charities, local government and housing officials.
You would work closely with support workers, psychiatrists, clinical psychologists and health visitors.
You can see more about this role in the National Health Service on the mental health nurse page on the NHS Careers website.
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Hours
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Environment
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Travel
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Top skills
Skills are things you're good at. Whether you know what yours are or not, everyone has them!
It's useful to learn which ones are important in a job so you know the areas you need to brush up on. It can also help you work out if you're suited to a career.
Here are some of the skills you'll need to do this job:
- taking responsibility
- making decisions
- developing a plan
- social conscience
- empathising
- researching
- verbal communication
- listening
- resilience
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Your skills are important
Our unique skillsets are what make us stand out from the crowd. Learn about each skill in depth and discover what employers look for in your applications and interviews.
Getting in
Explore the sections shown for more information about getting into this career.
You might have qualifications which are not shown here but will allow you access to a course. You can compare your qualifications by looking at their SCQF Level. For more information about this, check out the SCQF website.
Always contact the college, university or training provider to check exactly what you'll need.
Colleges and universities will list subjects you'll need for entry to a course. Some useful subjects include:
Biology
Care
Chemistry
Childcare and Development
Human Biology
Skills for Work: Health Sector
Foundation Apprenticeship: Social Services and Healthcare
You can get a head start in this career by doing a Foundation Apprenticeship in S5 and S6.
You'll get an SCQF level 6 qualification which is the same level as a Higher. You'll also learn new skills and gain valuable experience in a work environment.
Discover what's on offer at your school on Apprenticeships.scot.
You need a nursing degree or a degree course specialising in mental health nursing (SCQF Level 9/10).
To enter a nursing degree (SCQF Level 9/10) requires National 4/5 qualifications and a minimum of three Highers at C or equivalent qualifications such as a relevant HNC/HND or Scottish Vocational Qualification in Healthcare Support (SVQ Level 2/3).
It is possible to enter a shortened graduate nursing programme with a relevant degree in another subject.
Qualifications that demonstrate understanding of health and wellbeing such as:
Skills for Work Health Sector (SCQF Level 6)
Health and Social Care (SCQF Level 4/5)
SQA Wellbeing Award (SCQF Level 3-5)
Once qualified you will need to:
register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)
be approved for membership of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme run by Disclosure Scotland
complete a medical examination to ensure you are physically fit
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