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Becoming a Mental Health Nurse

Jobs … DaD … Good Bye Older Adults, hello A&E …

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New milestone …  Last Monday I put in my first application for a job!  Well not exactly my first application ever but my first for my future role as a RMN!  I’ve been looking at jobs advertised across London and the one I’ve put in for is for what’s known as a ‘rotational programme’.  This enables you to spend time across different mental health areas in your first 18 months of your career before you settle down and begin specialising in a specific area.

The application process is similar to your UCAS application – you have to write a ‘personal’ type statement but it is focused around you demonstrating that you meet the core requirements for the job.  Best advice I have received about how to do this, is to remember to put patients at the centre of the application and show how you have demonstrated exceptional care to them during your placements.  So fingers crossed, if my application is successful I’ll be invited to an assessment day.  The assessment day is very similar to what your University selection day is like – maths and English tests; patient care planning test; group interviews and individual interview.  The good thing is they will tell you on the day if you are successful.  My second application will be to the Trust where I currently train.  I’ll try to keep you in the loop as to how these applications fair and any lessons learned through the process.

I can’t do an entry without throwing in an acronym – this week’s is DaD!  DaD stands for Dementia and Delirium (team) which are small specialist teams at Bart’s Trust hospitals – the Royal London; Newham; Barts and Whipp’s Cross. In my current placement I have been able to do some shifts with the DaD team which has allowed me to view another perspective on care offered to the elderly. The teams are drawn from staff with a mixture of general and mental health nursing experience and as their name implies they focus specifically on Dementia and Delirium.  The DaD team works with the wards to tailor care plans to help staff, patients and families deal with these conditions during a hospital stay.

On Friday I reach the half way point of my placement with the RAID team and will say good bye to the Older Adults group.  It has been a massive learning experience especially in the area of cognition and how we measure it … ACE III, MOCA, BAMSE (sorry couldn’t help but through a few more acronyms your way!) … Overwhelmingly, this placement has been quite humbling as I have worked with people who have made this area their vocation and are responsible for the care of some of the most vulnerable people in our society.  So good bye and thank you as I have learnt a lot that will influence my future practice positively

Roll on A&E on Monday …

 

 

 

About Raymond

I'm one of those "mature" students who is giving this education "thing" another go through the medium of Mental Health Nursing. It's been a roller-coaster ride but well worth it! Read and enjoy ... View all posts by Raymond →

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