Responsibilities Undertaken By A Mental Health And Disability Care Nurse

There are several crucial roles in the healthcare industry, nurses being among the most vital ones. A lot of people opt to make their career in nursing owing to the increasing job prospects in this domain. Today nurses are not only needed in hospitals and clinics, but also at residential environments, old age homes, rehabilitation centers and so on. Many new specialty domains for nurses have also cropped up over the years, mental health and disability care nursing being a highly prominent one. Nurses working in this domain aim at promoting and supporting the lifestyle and recovery of the patients, while helping them to live independent and fulfilling lives. While many of these nurses work in the psychiatric ward or specialist unit of the hospital, they may even be employed in a community health centre or in someone's home. In case they work in a residential setting, then these burses may have to do shifts and provide 24-hour care.

There are several vital responsibilities undertaken by a disability and mental health care nurse, such as:

• Assessing and planning nursing care requirements
• Organizing workloads
• Visiting patients at home
• Developing relationships with patients and compassionately listening to their concerns
• Combating stigma and helping patients and their families manage it
• Administering medication
• Managing and reviewing care plans and monitoring progress
• Providing advice and arranging support for patients, relatives and caregivers

There are certain disability and mental health care nurses who provide home or community care as well. In this situation, they help the patients with feeding, grooming, bathing and other such activities.