What is Mental Health Nursing?

Have you ever wondered what mental health nursing is about? Is it really as "crazy" as they say? Honestly, it depends on who you talk to. As a mental health nurse and mental health clinical instructor, I break down the main three components of mental health nursing and hopefully this gives you a better insight or helps guide you in determining if being a mental health nurse is for you. Side note, I hope it is!

Often seen as the baby brother of nursing, mental health nursing, like the patient population we serve, is often stigmatized. It is not considered as primary patient care and not counted towards medical experience. They will often say "you will lose your skills" and mental health nurses are sometimes looked down upon. Yet it is the fastest growing field of nursing here in America.