Working as a Community Psychiatric Nurse

If you’re an empathetic person with exceptional listening skills, who can build trusting relationships with all sorts of people, then you could find becoming a Community Psychiatric Nurse, a Community Mental Health Nurse or a CAMHS Practitioner at Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (MPFT) a rewarding and fulfilling career path.

Roles like Community Psychiatric Nurses support patients with mental health problems in their communities, homes or healthcare centres to help those individuals lead happier, healthier lives.

As a Community Psychiatric Nurse, you’ll engage with a range of patients and mental health conditions including anxiety, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, depression, OCD, PTSD, schizophrenia and substance abuse. There are opportunities for you to specialise in many areas at MPFT within mental health, such as working with children and young people, those with drug and alcohol addiction, or offenders who are in prison.

What does the role of a Community Psychiatric Nurse at MPFT entail?

The job of a Community Psychiatric Nurse involves reviewing and developing patients’ clinical care needs, working alongside other healthcare professionals to implement care programmes and help patients during recovery. You will assist people in taking medications correctly, and advise on social activities and available therapies to help their wellbeing. Often you will be a shoulder to cry on and an ear to listen.

You’ll manage the caseload for the entire community and are the contact person for people who need mental health care, where you’ll refer patients with acute mental health conditions to psychiatrists and psychotherapists. You would have a good understanding of the full range of mental health disorders so that you can treat patients with differing needs accordingly.

Applying for a Community Psychiatric Nurse role

Essential requirements:

• You are a Registered Nurse
• You have six months’ recent NHS experience within the last three years
• You are able to pass an enhanced background check

Other key skills required for this role include:

• A good understanding of mental health conditions, symptoms and treatments
• First-class communication skills
• The ability to establish trusting relationships quickly
• Strong judgement
• The ability to make important, life-changing (and potentially lifesaving) decisions
• Persuasiveness
• Empathy and understanding
• Excellent listening skills, organisation and time management skills
• Stamina and good under pressure
• Resilience, the ability to instil some emotional distance and switch off outside of work
• The ability to work as part of a wider team
• A genuine passion for improving people’s lives and wellbeing

Flexible shifts enable you to achieve a work-life balance that’s right for you

Medacs Healthcare is looking for nursing professionals who specialise in mental health and have at least six months’ experience working in the NHS to work at MPFT in a community-based setting. There are a variety of temporary, flexible shifts available both during the week and on weekends to enable you to fit work around your other commitments.