UK people (or just anyone who knows...)

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What's a "mental health nurse"?

A nurse who specialises in mental health.

In the UK nurses can be Learning Disability, Adult, Children's, or Mental Health.

I have a mental health nurse, who specialises in the Community - she is a CPN (Community Psychiatric Nurse), and she comes out to see me, organises occupational therapy, makes sure I'm not about to kill myself. That sort of thing.

RNMH Registered Nurse Mental Health.

They are trainned in the mental health field. Work in mental health settings, community, prisons, hospitals, care homes/nursing homes (particularly dementia/Alzheimers) Drug and alcohol abuse,

I am an RNLD (Registered Nurse Learning Disabilities) I believe it may still be the case that the equivilant of my profession in the US would be described as mental retardation nurse

We can work in mental health settings (particularly settings with "dual diagnosis" which is learning disabled people with mental health problems) Prisons, Special need Schools, Hospitals (As Liason nurses for people with learning disabilities) Spinal injury, supported living schemes, residential homes (management level) care homes, community. A lot of us don't actually work as nurses the qualification is very diverse and far reaching. I don't technically work in the capacity of a nurse but I make use of the skills and trainning I have in my role.

Our clinical skills are based around communication, inclusion and building independence in people. Less on the traditional medical/clinical skills of traditional nurses or my US equivilant.

CPN's like the one Henbane was referring to are still RNMH's but work in a community role.

RNLD's can work in RNMH jobs but they don't transfer as easily into our kind of jobs