Call out for graduate mental health nurses

THE call out has gone out for recent Bachelor of Nursing graduates to join Bendigo Health’s mental health team.

As part of the recruitment drive 21 positions are open for nursing degree graduates.

Mental health clinician Steven Carrington has been working at Bendigo Health for several years after graduating as a mature age student.

He said working in the space has taught him about the “intricacies of the human condition,” and said he was pleased with the support offered through Bendigo Health’s mental health program.

“It’s quite positive, really good actually,” he said. “It’s quite well structured, well supported. It offers a lot of variety, being a mental health specific program.

“I guess there’s got to be that intrinsic want or curiosity to explore and find out more and I would say it’s a great way to do that. I’d highly recommend it.”

Mr Carrington said he finds it rewarding to see a patient’s transformation.

“Meeting someone when they might be at their most vulnerable, earning their trust and respect, and then facilitating their entry into service and therefore their path to recovery, and also supporting families, loved ones, friends, providing that reassurance and education,” he said.

“We don’t get to do blood tests or take readings, you’re forever the detective and it relies on a thorough assessment and history taking.

“It’s multiple factors combined to form a clinical opinion on how someone is presenting and why they may be presenting that way.”

Director of mental health nursing Tim Lenten said changes in the health system due to findings from the Royal Commission into Mental Health have open up employment opportunities, including pathways for current healthcare professionals in other areas to move into mental health.

“You get to develop therapeutic nursing skills and treatment interventions for a broad range of mental health conditions,” he said.

Taylah Newman is a registered nurse at Bendigo Health who works in the secure extended care unit.

She said she knew it was the job for her from the first day she walked through the door, and that she is glad to see positive changes in the hospital’s capacity for treating mental health.

“At the moment we haven’t seen much change, definitely we’ve got more funding in mental health, we’ve got more positions for grads which is great as we do need the numbers, but hopefully overtime we’ll see some more,” she said.

“The first day I walked out there and I’m like I want to be a mental health nurse, I absolutely loved it, I was so supported, and it’s just a different type of nursing that I took so much away from everyday compared to my medical placements.

I think everyone has a different journey that they’re on, and I think it’s incredible to be a part of that and to know that you’re a part of that.

“No matter where you are in mental health services, at one point you do see that journey and you can see patients come in very unwell and you get to watch them go home a completely different person, and I think that probably drives most to show up every day.”