Students
Mental health and adult nursing, plus the pace of emergency care – this role has it all
What it takes to be a mental health nurse
On the front line with a paramedic
Advice and development
The Hot Potato project: tackling mental health issues in young people
Zoe Butler’s innovative project to address the 'hot potato' of mental health issues in young people saw her crowned winner of Andrew Parker Student Nurse Award at the 2017 RCNi Awards.
Using CBT to improve self-awareness and resilience
After a placement with a team of cognitive behavioural therapists, nursing student Lauren Ferrier relays the techniques she learned to improve self-awareness and resilience
CBT strategies can help you handle stress
On placement with a team of cognitive behavioural therapists, nursing student Lauren Ferrier learned some useful CBT techniques students can use to improve their sense of well-being and resilience.
Nursing studies
What it takes to be a mental health nurse
A complex mix of skills is needed to put people in control of their situation
Mental health charity creates fast track into nursing
Mental health charity creates fast track into nursing
Using acronyms as revision tools
Acronyms are a great way to retain complex information, say mental health nursing students Mark Weetman and Jo Parker, who developed an acronym to help them remember the key principles of recovery and well-being.
Clinical placements
On the front line with a paramedic
A day spent shadowing a paramedic showed the complex range of skills this role requires, and the emotional side of the work
What to do when words fail
Communication problems are not uncommon when people with complex needs are admitted to hospital, and one nursing student is creating a toolkit that will include tips from specialists and signposting to additional support
Going outside your comfort zone can help connect with patients
By learning more about football, mental health nursing student Felicity Allman was able to build up a therapeutic relationship with a patient with paranoid schizophrenia.
Mental health nurses need training to treat physical ailments
Physical and mental health are linked, and giving mental health nurses more training would enable them to manage the physical health of patients better, says third-year nursing student Amy Baker.
Don't judge patients with personality disorders
When mental health nursing student Nicola Mattocks heard staff making derogatory comments about patients with borderline personality disorder she used her personal experience of the condition to help educate staff and improve patient care.
A fresh take on medicines management for patients with a learning disability
Mental health nursing student Kirsty Killiard implemented a system for monitoring the use of ‘as required’ medication for patients on a forensic learning disability ward, earning her a place as a finalist in the RCNi Nurse Awards.
Newly qualified nurses
Mental health and adult nursing, plus the pace of emergency care – this role has it all
A dual-registration newly qualified nurse reflects on what she has learned in her first year
Mental health nursing: ‘The accumulation of marginal gains’
Results in mental health care can be slow but the rewards are vast, especially for nurses with the right qualities, says Ian Hulatt.