Mental Health Nursing in NZ

[ktcn]

Hello there!
I was just wondering if anyone could share their experiences of mental health nursing in NZ with me? My husband and I have both got jobs starting next month and since we've broken the news to our colleagues, everyone has given us an opinion on nursing in NZ, all of them differing, none of them from people who have actually worked out there!!

So yeah, any hints, tips, observations etc from someone who has actually experienced it would be hugley appreciated

(oh yeah, forgot to say, we'll both be working on inpatient wards, medium security)

[Pushkinias]

Good luck with your move. I'll be interested to see how your post is answered as I'm moving to NZ next year to take up a psychiatrist post. Where are you both going to be based?

[Kanga]

I think the biggest change you'll experience is that it's quite a bit more consultant led than you might be used to in the UK. The role is a little different because there is no branch specific undergrad training so the NZ trained nurses enter the job with few MH specific skills. On the upside you have opportunities to climb the pole much quicker than the UK and if you're lucky you'll get to go to conferences in Australia. The pay is a little better, the hours are longer and it might be fair to say quite a few British MH nurses struggle to adjust to the working culture here. Be prepared for some eye opening stuff on inpatient wards, or at least some quite different stuff- for example seclusion tends to be used where you might use medication in the UK. Good luck- the one thing you can do that's very important to prepare for your role is to learn about Maori culture and Maori health models.

[kingacat]

I work in older persons mental health and am ward based but do abit of community on the side. As a mental health nurse the biggest challenge for me was the amount of general nursing involved in the job. Diabetes, palliative care, IV's (they were the biggest shock) wound care, etc etc. Luckily my colleagues have been very supportive and have taught me. I've been on training courses to develop my skills. Ive had learning opportunities that I wouldn't have had in the uk and although it's been incredibly hard and I've been out of my comfort zone 90% of the time! It's def been worth it.