New Opening: Mental Health Nurse

A community-based organisation in Bethlehem, Free State is hiring a Mental Health Nurse for grassroots public health initiatives. You will conduct home visits, provide health education and screening, identify and refer individuals for further care, and collect community health data. Local language communication skills are highly valued.

Responsibilities

Patient Care & Clinical Practice

• Develop, implement, and evaluate individualised nursing care plans in collaboration with the multidisciplinary team, setting measurable and realistic goals, prioritising interventions, and updating plans as the patient's condition changes or progresses through treatment.
• Provide wound care management including comprehensive assessment and documentation of wound characteristics, aseptic technique dressing changes, wound irrigation, compression bandaging where indicated, and objective evaluation of healing progress against expected outcomes.

Infection Control & Safety Compliance

• Maintain a safe patient care environment by reporting any safety hazards or equipment malfunctions immediately, completing incident reports for any adverse events or near misses thoroughly, and participating actively in regular health and safety committee meetings.
• Participate in the unit's antimicrobial stewardship programme by collecting specimens for culture and sensitivity before initiating antibiotics, communicating microbiology results to the treating team promptly, and advocating for appropriate and responsible antibiotic use.
• Ensure all clinical equipment and reusable medical devices are correctly decontaminated, cleaned, and sterilised according to the unit's infection control policy, maintaining sterilisation logs and performing regular biological indicator testing on autoclaves and chemical sterilisation systems.

Medication & Treatment Administration

• Administer prescribed medications via oral, intravenous, intramuscular, subcutaneous, and topical routes strictly observing the five rights of medication administration and documenting each dose in the medication administration record immediately after the patient receives it.
• Prepare, check, and administer intravenous infusions including calculating drip rates accurately, monitoring infusion sites for signs of phlebitis or extravasation, and titrating IV medications according to prescribed parameters while closely monitoring patient haemodynamic response.
• Monitor patients for therapeutic effects, adverse drug reactions, and potential drug interactions following medication administration, reporting any unexpected or concerning responses to the prescribing doctor immediately and documenting all observations in the patient's clinical record.

Requirements

• For specialist roles, a postgraduate certificate in the relevant speciality such as critical care, paediatrics, or mental health.
• A recognised nursing qualification: a degree or diploma for registered nurse positions, or an enrolled nursing certificate.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills to interact compassionately with patients, families, and the healthcare team.
• Current registration with the South African Nursing Council and proof of good standing with no pending disciplinary actions.
• Physical stamina and emotional resilience to cope with the demands of hands-on nursing care in a busy clinical environment.
• Basic life support or advanced cardiac life support certification as required for the clinical area.

Qualifications