in practice settings, teaching, doing research, or as administrators in hospitals, agencies or schools of nursing. Australia In Australia, to be a psychiatric nurse a bachelor's degree of nursing need to be obtained in order to become a registered nurse (RN) and this degree takes three years full-time. Then a diploma in mental health or something similar will need to also be obtained, this is an additional year of study. An Australian psychiatric nurse has duties that may include assessing patients who are mentally ill, observation, helping patients take part in activities, giving medication, observing if the medication is working, assisting in behaviour change programs or visiting patients who are at home. Australian nurses can work in public or private hospitals, institutes, correctional institutes, mental care facilities and homes of the patients. See also List of counseling topics Mental health professional Psychiatric and mental health nurse practitioner Tom Main - author of seminal paper on psychiatric nursing Hildegard Peplau - psychiatric nurse theorist Tidal Model - model developed for mental health nursing References External links Psychiatric nursing Counseling