what is a community psychiatric nurse?
As a community psychiatric nurse, you are part of the interdisciplinary mental health team working in communities. You carry out various recovery and support activities for people experiencing continuing mental illness. Unlike other mental health nurses, you visit patients in their homes or work from a community-based mental health facility.
The job of a community psychiatric nurse involves reviewing and developing a patient's clinical care needs. You work alongside other healthcare professionals to implement the care programme and help the patient during recovery. You can refer patients with acute mental health conditions to psychiatrists and psychotherapists. You manage the caseload for the entire community and are the contact person for people who need mental health care.
As a community psychiatric nurse, you deal with a range of patients and mental health conditions. For instance, your help children, adults and teens deal with anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression and substance abuse.
Your job also involves educating the community on mental health issues. You help parents and families understand a patient's conditions and how to support them. You actively work to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness and encourage people to seek treatment or help from medical professionals. Becoming a community psychiatric nurse requires patience and emotional intelligence to build trusting relationships and create effective care plans.
Would working in health as a community psychiatric nurse suit your empathy and listening skills? Then read on to find out what competencies and qualifications you need to thrive in a community psychiatric nurse role.
community psychiatric nurse salary
According to ONS, a community psychiatric nurse earns a median salary of £44,811 per year. You have minimal skills and work experience when starting, so your earnings start from £34,628 per year. As you build your skills and improve your experience and educational qualifications, your salary can rise to £56,550 annually.
The compensation package usually includes various allowances like medical and life insurance. Sometimes, you will receive accommodation and a transport allowance, due to the travelling involved in the role. You also get paid holidays and uniform allowances.
When you work for the NHS, your salary starts at Band 5, which is £25,655 per year and rises to £31,534 annually. As you improve your skills, you can work at Band 6 and 7 with annual salaries ranging from £32,306 to £45,839.
how to increase your salary as a community psychiatric nurse
Your location and employer influence your salary as a community psychiatric nurse. For instance, when you work in London, you are likely to earn additional allowances due to the high demand and increased cost of living. You will also deal with a wider range of health problems, making your job more complex. Working in the private sector pays more than working for the government.
types of community psychiatric nurses
Some of the types of community psychiatric nurses include:
- early intervention community psychiatric nurse: you work with patients who experience the first episode or signs of mental health problems. Your job is to provide psychological support and discuss medication with carers and family members.
- crisis resolution home treatment CPN: you support mental health patients in their homes who would otherwise be admitted to a mental health facility. You provide ongoing care and aim to prevent admission.
- assertive outreach CPN: you work with people experiencing chronic mental illnesses like bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. You also assist patients with drug abuse problems or criminal histories.
working as a community psychiatric nurse
As a community psychiatric nurse, you improve access to mental health services and educate people on the importance of mental health awareness. Let's explore some of the daily responsibilities of a community psychiatric nurse.
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community psychiatric nurse job description
Some of the roles of a community psychiatric nurse include:
- diagnostic evaluation: as a community psychiatric nurse, you conduct the initial diagnostic evaluation on patients to identify the cause of their mental health problems. A psychiatric assessment aims to rule out any physical medical conditions causing mental health symptoms. You ask questions and record the answers, then use them to analyse a patient's thought processes and behaviours.
- screening symptoms and determining the need for admission to a mental health facility: as a community psychiatric nurse, you need to identify individuals in the population with a high risk of mental illness. Sometimes, patients don't present obvious symptoms, but behavioural changes can help determine if they need mental health treatment. Screening tests usually determine if a patient should be admitted to a mental health facility or continue with home care.
- emergency care: when mental health patients experience acute symptoms, you are their first point of contact. You provide emergency support and help them get the proper treatment on time. Sometimes, you have to deal with extremely anxious patients who may be experiencing flashbacks, panic attacks or suicidal thoughts.
- visiting patients at home: some mental health patients receive treatments from home instead of being admitted to a mental health facility. Your job is to make home visits to monitor their progress. You also ensure they follow their treatment plan and make recommendations for additional therapies to support their recovery.
- educating parents and the community: as a community psychiatric nurse, you educate the community on mental illness and encourage the public to seek help if necessary. You can run programmes to minimise the stigma associated with mental health problems. You also help family members of patients adjust to their condition and needs.
- managing medication: when you work in community clinics or mental health rehabilitation centres, you administer medication to patients. Your job is to ensure patients take medicine on time and are responsive in therapy sessions.
- providing psychosocial rehabilitation: as a community psychiatric nurse, you support mental health patients to achieve an optimal level of independent living. You also help them improve their quality of life.
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work environment
A community psychiatric nurse works in community clinics, GPs and healthcare facilities. You can be based in the hospital, where you work with patients indoors, providing treatment. In community rehabilitation centres, you work with admitted patients to support their recovery. You also work in community settings helping mental health patients living at home stick to a treatment plan. You run community programmes that improve patients' early diagnosis and aim to eradicate stigma. Your role involves a lot of travelling during home visits and attending conferences. Since you are a nurse, you have to wear a uniform and carry your badge for community visits.
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who are your colleagues?
A community psychiatric nurse works alongside multidisciplinary teams like care coordinators, mental health nurses and psychiatrists. Your colleagues may also include occupational therapists and psychologists, as well as other specialists that could include orthoptist, social workers, registered community nurses and children's nurses.
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work schedule
When you are a community psychiatric nurse working full-time, you work in shifts. That means you work up to 12 hours daily, including night shifts, early mornings and during public holidays. When you do community outreach programmes and home visits, you visit the patients during the day. However, you have to be on call 24 hours a day to provide emergency care. Part-time opportunities are usually available for community psychiatric nurses. You cannot work from home since you need to provide face-to-face services to patients.
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job outlook
Community psychiatric nursing is a dynamic role as mental health problems are increasing. You can build your career by completing additional education and training. For instance, you can become a psychiatrist, clinical psychologist or advanced nurse practitioner. If you want to progress to a managerial position, you can be a mental health nurse manager or run rehabilitation facilities.
Some community psychiatric nurses specialise in specific conditions like occupational therapy or drug rehabilitation and become consultants in those areas. You can also open a private practice when you have sufficient experience.
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advantages of finding a community psychiatric nurse job through randstad
Finding your community psychiatric nurse job through Randstad provides important advantages such as:
- a wide variety of training and development opportunities
- an experienced contact person to provide help if needed
- a range of opportunities as a community psychiatric nurse
- get paid weekly or monthly, depending on the job
- temporary and permanent contracts
Want a permanent contract? A temporary job as a community psychiatric nurse is often a stepping stone to an attractive permanent job. Every year, thousands of people earn a permanent contract with great employers thanks to a temporary job found through Randstad. What's more, many companies recruit their permanent employees through Randstad too!
education and skills
You need the following educational qualifications to become a community psychiatric nurse:
- university: you can join community psychiatric nursing via an undergraduate degree course in mental health nursing. The course covers training and clinical rotation in the field to help you gain experience. You also have to join the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) to practice when you complete the degree. If you want to convert to mental health nursing, you can join the course in the second year and study for two years.
- apprenticeship: if you have a background in healthcare, you can join a degree apprenticeship programme to become a community psychiatric nurse. The programme requires at least 5 GCSEs and takes over four years.
skills and competencies
Some of the qualities you need in a community psychiatric nurse role include:
- good judgement and attention to detail: as a community psychiatric nurse, you need sound judgement to make accurate diagnoses during evaluation and screening. With good judgement, you can spot contradictions in patient responses. Attention to detail also helps you spot changes in a patient's behavioural patterns.
- empathy: as a community psychiatric nurse, you need to put yourself in the patient's shoes to understand what they are going through. However, you have to separate your emotions from your job to provide the best care.
- communication skills: as a community psychiatric nurse, your communication should be excellent since you communicate with various people in the community. Communication skills also help with writing reports.
- patience: you need to be strong-willed and patient to provide the best care for patients. Some mental health patients can test your limits, and you need to remain calm under pressure.
FAQs
FAQs about working as a community psychiatric nurse
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what is the job of a CPN?
A community psychiatric nurse provides mental health care to patients and families. They also conduct diagnostic evaluations during home visits.
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what is a community psychiatric nurse in the NHS?
A community psychiatric nurse employed by NHS works in the community. They prescribe medication and treatment plans to mental health patients in the community.
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what qualifications does a CPN need?
You need a three-year undergraduate degree in community mental health. You also have to register with the NMC.
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What is the difference between a CPN and a mental health nurse?
A mental health nurse provides treatment in hospital settings, whereas a CPN supports mental health patients in communities.
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can a CPN section you?
A CPN cannot section you, but they can recommend admission to a mental health facility based on your symptoms or refer you to a psychiatrist who has the power to section people.
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how do I apply for a community psychiatric nurse vacancy?
Applying for a community psychiatric nurse job is easy: create a Randstad profile and search our job offers for vacancies in your area. Then simply send us your CV and cover letter. Need help with your application? Check out all our job search tips here!
