Publish date: 10 May 2024
I started my first mental health nursing job about nine months ago, in the Cherry Inpatient Unit at Callington Road Hospital in Bristol.
The best thing about the role is that in every single shift, I get the opportunity to bond with my service users. As a registered mental health nurse, I sit down and listen to them and hear all their problems. They open themselves up and share their stories, good and bad.
These service users feel I am trustworthy enough for them to share their personal story with me, so I can give the best care. I’m given the opportunity sit with them and chat and just be there and listen to them. That’s what I love the most.
There are some days where I would say it’s really unpredictable being in mental health nursing. But all of us do our level best to make our service users - and our colleagues - feel safe on the ward.
I was born and raised in the state of Delhi in India. Back in India, mental health nursing is not much of a clear career option, as in this era there is still some stigma around mental health.
Psychiatry was a specialism we could study and I was always interested to know more and explore more about mental health. So when I discovered that the UK gives an opportunity for nurses to become mental health nurses, I just wanted to grab that first opportunity and fly in.
If someone is thinking of nursing as a career, I would say that the job fills you up to become a very good human being, so you can be a caring and compassionate person for everyone.
You might have a different ideology before you come into nursing. You might be someone who’s self-centred, but once you become a nurse, it teaches you how to love others and nurture others. It definitely makes you a great person from inside and that’s what everyone needs.
