THE call out has gone out for recent Bachelor of Nursing graduates to join Bendigo Health\u2019s mental health team.<\/p>\n
As part of the recruitment drive 21 positions are open for nursing degree graduates.<\/p>\n
Mental health clinician Steven Carrington has been working at Bendigo Health for several years after graduating as a mature age student.<\/p>\n
He said working in the space has taught him about the \u201cintricacies of the human condition,\u201d and said he was pleased with the support offered through Bendigo Health\u2019s mental health program.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s quite positive, really good actually,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s quite well structured, well supported. It offers a lot of variety, being a mental health specific program.<\/p>\n
\u201cI guess there\u2019s got to be that intrinsic want or curiosity to explore and find out more and I would say it\u2019s a great way to do that. I\u2019d highly recommend it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Carrington said he finds it rewarding to see a patient\u2019s transformation.<\/p>\n
\u201cMeeting 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t get to do blood tests or take readings, you\u2019re forever the detective and it relies on a thorough assessment and history taking.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s multiple factors combined to form a clinical opinion on how someone is presenting and why they may be presenting that way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Director of mental health nursing Tim Lenten said changes in the health system due to findings from the Royal Commission into Mental Health<\/em> have open up employment opportunities, including pathways for current healthcare professionals in other areas to move into mental health.<\/p>\n \u201cYou get to develop therapeutic nursing skills and treatment interventions for a broad range of mental health conditions,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Taylah Newman is a registered nurse at Bendigo Health who works in the secure extended care unit.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s capacity for treating mental health.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the moment we haven\u2019t seen much change, definitely we\u2019ve got more funding in mental health, we\u2019ve got more positions for grads which is great as we do need the numbers, but hopefully overtime we\u2019ll see some more,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe first day I walked out there and I\u2019m like I want to be a mental health nurse, I absolutely loved it, I was so supported, and it\u2019s just a different type of nursing that I took so much away from everyday compared to my medical placements.<\/p>\n I think everyone has a different journey that they\u2019re on, and I think it\u2019s incredible to be a part of that and to know that you\u2019re a part of that.<\/p>\n \u201cNo 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.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" THE call out has gone out for recent Bachelor of Nursing graduates to join Bendigo Health\u2019s 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 […]<\/p>\n