Help! Changing from Children's Nursing to Mental Health Nursing?

Hi,

I need some advice please... I'm currently in my first year of a children's nursing degree and I'm having a few doubts about whether it's quite right for me. Basically, I want to eventually work for CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) and I'm wondering now if I should have chosen mental health nursing over children's?

I've enjoyed my first placement on a children's ward, but the thing I enjoyed most was sitting down and talking with the teenagers who seemed distressed (a lot of them had learning disabilities or additional problems alongside their reason for admittance) and being a support to them. However, I didn't have much time to do this as I was always called away to do something else. I haven't enjoyed working with the young children as much as they always have a parent there and I feel like the parents like to do as much care as they can for their child rather the nurses.

Does anyone know if it is possible to switch to mental health nursing after the first year? I'm under the impression that this is just a common foundation year so all branches of nursing basically do the same.

I think I'd be happy working with most ages but to be honest I want to work with adolescents primarily, or people who are relatively young. Can anyone who is studying mental health nursing please give me an insight into how your placements have been?

I have previously studied for a degree in psychology so I have a keen interest in the mind, which is why I think mental health nursing may be more suited for me. I have also considered getting into counselling so this could be good experience too.

Sorry for the long post! I've just got a lot of things whirring around in my head at the moment and I don't have long to make my decision.

Jessica

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 1

Cherriesxo

From the official camhs website it states that all of their nurses are registered obviously but most of them are mental health nurses. http://www.camhscares.nhs.uk/v/greenwich_who_nurse So you may still be able to get into camhs by being a children's nurse, especially because you have a psychology degree too

Reply 2

angel_delight

Hi im a 3rd year mh student, who wants to work with children aswell although CAMHS jobs are few and far bewtween up here so im hoping to convert to childrens.

The first year is common foundation for all students, at the end my uni offered people the chance to swap offer, so maybe your uni offers this?

Mh placements will vary depending on where your placement allocation is. Ive had elderly rehab, health visitors, dementia admissions and assessment, nursing home, rehab, cpns, psych liaison. There was only one CAMHS placement available and unfortunately I didnt get it.

I think you would need to see if you would like to have placements with elderly and adults rather than just children. Is there anyway you could spoke out to an mh ward for a week just to see how you liked it?

Good luck :smile:

Reply 3

jessica.kay

Original post by angel_delight

Thanks for the info :smile:

Unfortunately I've just found out that I'm unable to change and this is due to changes in the curriculum which some universities began to follow in 2011. This year has felt like a common foundation programme year to me as we have to insight placements in adult and LD but apparently it has been child branch specific?! :confused:

Oh well.

So now I've been told that I should stick with children's nursing and then in my third year I can request a placement in a young person's eating disorders unit as this is of particular interest to me.

I'm hoping that I will get a taste of a MH placement before the third year though but I'm not sure if this will happen with children's nursing. I'll perhaps come across something when I get a community placement but I'm not banking on it.

Good luck with eventually working for CAHMS! :biggrin:

So after you've finished your third year will you go back and study children's nursing?

Reply 4

angel_delight

Awh thats not soo good. I forgot that the course changed, although not sure how that would work for people who are taking a leave of absence.

If its children that you want to work with in the long run, you are probably better in that branch just now. If you were able to swap you could go your whole training doing elderly and adult in mh.

I know on all my placement they always ask if there are any areas that you are interested in and allow you to spoke out a day or a week. On my last placement in psych liaison I got to go to a mums and baby unit cause I was interested in perinatal health. You could always ask to spend a day going to different places to get a feel for it and then if you have an elective opt for eating disorders, inpatient unit or community cahms.

Im hoping to do the conversion got my heart set on it lol :smile:

Help! Changing from Children's Nursing to Mental Health Nursing?

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