Mental Health Nurses

Job responsibilities

Assess patients

• Assess patients' mental, physical and psychosocial conditions.

• Identify mental-health needs, risk factors and changes in patients' behaviour or condition.

• Monitor patients in both outpatient and inpatient settings.

Provide mental-health nursing care

• Develop and implement individualized nursing-care plans.

• Provide care to patients with acute and chronic mental-health disorders.

• Provide basic medical and nursing care alongside specialized mental-health care.

• Manage and respond to psychiatric emergencies.

Medication management

• Administer prescribed psychotropic medication according to professional standards and protocols.

• Monitor patients for therapeutic effects, adverse effects and changes in condition.

• Document medication and patient responses appropriately.

Psychological and therapeutic support

• Conduct therapeutic/psychotherapeutic interviews within the nurse's scope of practice.

• Facilitate group therapy and therapeutic activities.

• Provide emotional, psychological and psychosocial support.

• Promote patients' participation in activities that improve mental wellbeing and independence.

Patient and family education

• Provide psychoeducation to patients and their families about mental illness, treatment, relapse prevention and rehabilitation.

• Involve families and community health workers in supporting patients.

• Help reduce stigma surrounding mental illness.

Psychosocial rehabilitation

• Participate in rehabilitation programmes.

• Help patients develop social and vocational skills.

• Support social reintegration and community participation.

• Participate in home visits and follow-up where appropriate.

Multidisciplinary teamwork

• Work closely with psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, physicians and other healthcare professionals.

• Present and discuss clinical cases with the multidisciplinary team.

• Participate in ward rounds, case conferences and referrals.

Documentation and reporting

• Maintain accurate and confidential patient records.

• Record assessments, interventions, medication, patient progress and outcomes.

• Prepare and submit required clinical and departmental reports.

Discharge and referral

• Prepare patients and families for discharge.

• Develop appropriate follow-up and rehabilitation plans.

• Refer patients requiring specialized intervention and receive referred patients as appropriate.

Health promotion and prevention

• Participate in mental-health awareness and health-education activities.

• Identify risk factors for mental illness.

• Participate in preventive mental-health programmes and community education.

Professional and managerial responsibilities

• Maintain patient safety and confidentiality.

• Participate in continuing professional development.

• Follow nursing ethics, CHUK policies and national professional standards.

Qualifications

• Advanced Diploma in Mental Health Nursing with 5 Years of relevant experience

Required certificates

• Valid License to practice issued professional council in Rwanda

Required competencies and key technical skills

• Resource management skills

• Time management skills

• Risk management skills

• Results oriented

• Fluency in Kinyarwanda, English and/ or French. Knowledge of Swahili is an added advantage

• Advanced ability to convey ideas clearly and concisely

• Knowledge of clinical services Policy and procedure

• Strong analytical skills