There's never been a better time to train as a nurse! As many as one in three people in the UK have issues with their mental health at some stage of their life. Nurses who specialize in mental health, a complex and demanding area, work with GPs, psychiatrists, psychologists, and others, to help care for patients with mental illnesses. As a mental health nurse, the focus is on the therapeutic relationship with those with mental ill health, and with their families. Nurses provide the support and treatment to meet their physical, psychological, social, mental and spiritual care needs. More than anything else, mental health nursing requires empathy, to care about the people.
Unlike many of the older, traditional nursing schools, at Essex students receive a fresh, contemporary and relevant nurse education programme, integrated into a University that is one of the UK's top ten research institutions. Students work with local organizations to ensure that they gain the best experience possible during their time at Essex, and studying alongside other health professionals means that they also have the opportunity to gain expert knowledge from them.
Education extends beyond the university campus. University of Essex supports students in expanding their education by offering the opportunity to spend a year or a term studying abroad at one of the school's partner universities. The four-year version of this degree allows students to spend the third year abroad or employed on a placement abroad, while otherwise remaining identical to the three-year course. Studying abroad allows students to experience other cultures and languages, to broaden their degree socially and academically, and to demonstrate to employers that they are mature, adaptable, and organized.
Half of the students studies will be spent working in clinical settings – for example, in a ward, a health centre or in client’s homes. Students will be working alongside nurses as they practise and perfect their skills. During their time in placement they will work shift patterns equivalent to approximately a 37.5 hour week. This includes early shifts, late shifts, night shifts, weekend and bank holiday working.
A unique feature of the School is that many of the staff work with local NHS Trusts and other local agencies, which enhances their grasp of the contemporary links between academic research, the major issues of the day and practice. The School specializes in applied, multidisciplinary research that addresses issues of national and international concern to health and social care policy and practice and related fields. University of Essex also hosts the NIHR Research Design Service for the East of England.
University of Essex nurtures students, so upon successful completion of the course they become highly skilled, knowledgeable practitioners who are sought after by employers.
