Advice re University Interview to study MH Nursing

[xxMrsCxx]

Looking for some advice from anyone involved with working in MH field please.
Daughter has interview in 2wks with University to try and gain place on Mental Health Nursing course. Can anyone offer any tips on what they might ask or tips on questions to ask etc?

Read recent journals, look up the trust she's hoping to work at!! Be passionate!!

She needs to be up to date with all types of mental illnesses and yes read the journals, find out everything she can about the Trust to which she is applying. She needs to think about her motivation for MN nursing and what she thinks she has to offer such a service. Too many people talk about that they have done, rather than what they can bring to the service. Incidentally why are you posting for your daughter?

Nana ... Posting for daughter as she has has just turned 17 and not registered on any of these sites where people might be able to help. She's obviously doing her own research etc but just want to be able to help her out but I have absolutely no experience of University

Has she done any work experience? Even say with elderly in a nursing home - visiting etc? Experience with youngsters etc, things that are people focused would be helpful to talk about. Obviously at 17 she will not have relevant work experience, but to show that she has a desire to work with people, in a medical and caring capacity. Obviously the right grades will be needed and the ability to talk well in interview. Can she arrange a mock interview with her 6th form/school to help her prepare?

She might want to read up on following -
Recovery theory
Care programme approach
Associated problems such as drug and alcohol use, child safeguarding and parental MH,
Stigma, discrimination and service user self advocacy movements
Challenges to MH care today eg budget and service cuts
Working in a multi-disciplinary team
Alternative perspectives on mental Heath eg social model of MH

Good luck to her. I work in child MH.....it's fascinating and stimulating but not without extreme challenges due to budget cuts etc.

Dress fashionably for the interview.
Think about what she can use as evidence of people skills, teamwork, empathy, willingness to learn, reliability.
Why does she want to do the course? She needs to know and be able to communicate this.
Go to the mind website and read their information booklets on depression, bipolar affective disorder and schizophrenia for starters and anything else she thinks looks interesting.

But I think mostly it's stuff you don't need to work on too much- does she think mental illness and people are fascinating? Is she kind and caring but able to stand up for herself? Is she a fairly well-balanced personality (as far as any 17 year olds are!)? Can she cope with hard, stressful sometimes mundane, sometimes sad work at all hours of the day and night without snapping because she has the interest, humour and attitude to get through?

Thanks for all the great advice, will pass this on to her. She's everything that seems to have been mentioned above which is why she feels she can do this type of job. She is currently part of a befriending scheme run locally where she visits the elderly in a home and spends time chatting to them etc. Will just need to hope the interview goes well and she gets a place. Thanks again guys, much appreciated