Claire Murphy is a mental health nurse
BMJ 2020; 371 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m2068 (Published 14 October 2020) Cite this as: BMJ 2020;371:m2068
- Declan C Murphy, academic foundation year 2 doctor12,
- Anna Harvey, BMJ editorial scholar3
- 1Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
- 2Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
- 3London
- Correspondence to: D C Murphy murphy.declan.1994{at}gmail.com
A mental health nurse . . . is that different from a nurse we see on medical wards?
Yes, although there are aspects that the two professions share. “Mental health nurses deliver frontline care to patients with mental illnesses,” says Claire Murphy. This includes providing drug treatment and spending time with patients. “In a 12 hour shift, I might spend seven to eight of those hours with patients. One day I may take a patient to a car boot sale, play a game with them, or go to a café and talk with them about anything and everything.” Spending so much time with patients means that mental health nurses are uniquely placed to detect small changes in their condition and assess risks on a daily basis.
It doesn’t end with …
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