Nursing (Mental Health)

Our innovative Nursing (Mental Health) degree will enable you to develop the knowledge and skills needed for this rewarding career where each day gives you the opportunity to make a difference to people’s health and wellbeing. As a mental health nurse you'll work with people experiencing a range of different mental health problems which may be acute, complex or long-term, helping them to understand their situation, promoting recovery and helping them live independent lives.

Good mental health is as important as good physical health, however one in four people will experience mental ill health at some point in their life. Working with people, their relatives and carers at what can be the most challenging and vulnerable times, mental health nurses use their communication, interpersonal and therapeutic skills to build trusting, positive and person-centred relationships.

On this course, you'll develop the knowledge and skills to deliver compassionate and culturally informed mental health care in a diverse range of settings, including hospitals, people’s homes, schools, the community and secure services, working in partnership with other professionals to positively influence the mental health outcomes of the people you care for.

You’ll build your knowledge and skills of therapeutic interventions and the pharmacological management of disease, including the safe administration of medication. You’ll learn and practise your clinical skills in a safe and controlled environment through teaching sessions in dedicated facilities, including clinical suites and replicated community settings, supported by digital health technologies.

Through shared learning opportunities and collaboration with students from related disciplines, you’ll develop your ability to appreciate the contribution other healthcare professionals make to people’s care and health outcomes. Service users and carers will also contribute to your learning through their lived experience of health and social care services.

Placements In each year of the programme, you will spend 50% of the time on campus studying theory and clinical skills in the safe environment of our simulation suites and 50% in real-world practice, on placement in healthcare settings with local NHS trusts or in private or voluntary organisations. Practice placement blocks are 37.5 hours per week and there are two 11-week blocks in each year of the programme. During this time, you’ll be supported by experienced practice supervisors and assessors who will provide tailored feedback and you’ll complete an online portfolio to monitor your progress and achievements while on placement.

Graduate opportunities On successful completion of the Nursing (Mental Health) degree, you will be eligible to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) to practise as a nurse (on the relevant part of the register) in the UK. The vocational nature of this degree means most graduates progress quickly into employment within their chosen field of Nursing.

Mental health nursing careers exist within NHS Trusts on a variety of wards, including acute care, forensic, Accident and Emergency liaison, child and adolescent mental health services, and within community teams and primary care as a mental health specialist practitioner. You could also consider a career within local authority, private hospitals, the voluntary and independent sector, charitable organisations, the pharmaceutical industry, the armed forces, the prison service, research and education or specialist practice, many of which offer opportunities to work either in the UK or overseas.