Program Overview

Higher Diploma in Mental Health Nursing

Overview

The role of the mental health nurse is to foster the health and well-being of individuals experiencing changes in their mental health status. Approaches to care include: promotion of mental health, prevention and treatment of acute mental illness and the maintenance of optimum health for persons experiencing enduring mental health problems. Mental health nurses engage in therapeutic activities with individuals and their families in a variety of community settings and in acute psychiatric hospitals.

Key Information

• Major Code: X931 March
• Duration: 12 months
• Next Intake: May 2026

Programme Details

This post-registration Higher Diploma in Mental Health is an intense twelve-month programme leading to registration as a Psychiatric Nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI). As a Level 8 course, the programme represents a challenging yet rewarding path to becoming a mental health nurse. Regular assessment will help students to keep abreast of the new knowledge, skills and competencies required for success.

Who is the Programme For?

This programme is designed for individuals who are registered on the register of nurses maintained by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) or entitled to be so registered, and have six months post-registration nursing experience within the past three years, working within a 39-hour week, or its aggregate if part-time.

What Will I Study?

The programme focuses on seven overall programme outcomes, aiming for nursing graduates to:

1. Demonstrate the acquisition of theoretical principles, national and international frameworks, policies and therapeutic modalities underpinning mental health nursing.
2. Utilise their acquired knowledge to responsibly deliver high-quality, skillful, safe, legal and accountable care to service users.
3. Engage in meaningful, effective, therapeutic and person-centered communication with recipients of mental health care in a range of settings.
4. Engage in respectful and ethical collaborative practice with service users and with colleagues of all disciplines while upholding the professional values of compassion, care and commitment.
5. Continuously develop learning, including self-awareness, as a necessary process in the context of their professional and personal self-development, self-care, resilience and the development of professional scholarship.
6. Apply evidence from the critical appraisal of research to deliver evidence-based practice in mental health nursing care.
7. Apply leadership, management, teamwork and organisational skills for the promotion of mental healthcare delivery.

Award

On successful completion of all theory and clinical modules, students will be awarded a Level 8 Higher Diploma in Mental Health Nursing and can then proceed to register as a Psychiatric Nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI).

Clinical Practice Experience

Clinical learning opportunities help students apply theory to practice and develop the required competencies for their Higher Diploma. Clinical placements are facilitated by partner mental health services in Dublin, Wicklow, and Kildare areas, including:

• Dublin South Central Mental Health Services
• Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), Linn Dara, Dublin South Central / Kildare
• Dublin South East / Wicklow Mental Health Services
• Dublin North City Mental Health Services
• Kildare / West Wicklow Mental Health Services
• St. Joseph's MHID Services, Dublin North
• National Forensic Mental Health Service

Fees, Expenses, and Salary

If successful in the interview process and accepting an offer onto the programme, students will be paid employees of their chosen employer (e.g., HSE). The fees for this programme are sponsored by the employer, subject to certain conditions. A non-refundable administration fee of €60.00 is payable when registering for the programme.

Entry Requirements

• Candidates must be registered on the register of nurses maintained by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) or entitled to be so registered.
• Candidates must have six months post-registration nursing experience within the past three years, working within a 39-hour week, or its aggregate if part-time.
• English Language Entry Requirements: Applicants whose first language or primary language of expression is not English must provide evidence that their English language ability meets the required standard for admission (IELTS with a minimum score of 7.0) or provide evidence of having obtained an academic qualification from an Irish university or wholly through the English language from a majority-English speaking country, or achieve a minimum score of 350 on the Occupational English Test (OET).

Employer Partners

The Health Service Executive (HSE) is a key employer partner for this programme. Applications are made through the HSE website, with all details provided in the HSE application documentation.