NURS20163 Mental Health Nurse – Personal Reflection Assignment Solution

Introduction

The following assignment is a personal reflection taking a position of a mental health nurse. The purpose of this assignment is to evaluate and reflect on the contemporary models of healthcare used in Australia. During my nursing practice, I worked as an internee mental health nurse at ABC hospital in Australia. During the period of my internship, I had experienced the real-life nursing practices, standard rules and regulations observed by the professional nurses and exposure to the practical registered nursing profession. In the following reflective account, using Graham Gibbs (1988) reflective cycle, I will discuss what I learned during the internship and how I find it useful for my professional development. The question I will base my reflection in this assignment is on how mental health nurses are different from the other roles in the mental health setting. 

Nursing Experience

In 2018, during my last year in nursing, I joined ABC hospital as an internee mental health nurse. ABC hospital was a psychiatric hospital where the mentally challenged patients were trained towards recreational activities that help in their mental growth and maturity. Since I was a medical and nursing student, I found this internship opportunity to enhance my knowledge and exposure to real-life nursing practices. I followed my influence towards becoming a psychiatrist, I accepted the internship offer. During my nursing courses, I had studied the “Standard of Practices” (SOPs) of the nurses followed in Australia. Thereof, I had a fair idea regarding the SOPs, but I was looking forward to implementing those SOPs practically. To my knowledge, I was familiar with the responsibilities and standards followed by registered nurses, like to think critically, engaging in professional relationships, develop plans, and evaluate outcomes. 

Description

For the first few days, I was assigned to work under the senior registered nurses. It took me a little longer to familiarized about the role and duties of a registered psychiatrist nurse. While working under the registered mental health nurses, I realized that mental health nurses require more direct interactions with the patients than any other nursing discipline. The mental health nurses are responsible to take care for patients all day long. Prior to my internship, I was aware of how responsible a nurse needs to be and how readily they need to manage the tough schedule. But during the internship, I realized it was much tougher than it seems. Mental health nurses needed to remain calm and patient throughout their duty hours. Even though they deal with the psychologically challenged patients, they need to handle their emotions aside while performing the duty. 

Feelings

Mental health nurses are trained in a way that makes them good at handling the conflicts arises from the patients’ behaviour. In fact, conflict management skills are seen as the basic nursing skills but I found conflict management as a most valued skill. Soon after two weeks, I was transferred to a locked admission ward (acute psychiatric ward) of the hospital. All the while, I confronted the most frightening experience with the acutely challenged patients. One of my nursing supervisors expounded that this is what real nursing is. He further challenged me to get involved in the conflicts so I can resolve my discomforts in an even better way. During that time, I found myself inwardly questioning if I have that much patience and tolerance to become a mental health nurse; and if I have required conflict management skills for this responsible profession. For some time, I feared direct interaction with the patients so I used to request my supervisor to come along.