Senior Psychiatric Nurse

The Hospital:

The Royal Children’s Hospital’s (RCH) Vision is “A world where all kids thrive”.

RCH is a cornerstone member of the Melbourne Children’s Campus, partnering with Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, The University of Melbourne Department of Paediatrics and The Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation.

RCH has cared for the children and young people of Victoria for more than 150 years since it was founded in 1870. A full range of paediatrics and adolescent health services are provided plus tertiary and quaternary care for the most critically ill and medically complex patients in Victoria, Tasmania, southern NSW and other states around Australia and overseas. The Hospital has more than 6,000 staff, a budget of $850M, 12 wards and 350 beds. Annually, the RCH has 300,000+ Specialist Clinic appointments, 90,000+ Emergency Department presentations and 20,000 elective surgeries.

The RCH is committed to the Child Safe Standards. 

RCH enjoys high employee engagement and is committed to staff safety and a positive culture through enactment of our Compact.

For further Information on RCH is available here.

Senior Psychiatric Nurse Grade 6

• Excellent employee benefits including salary packaging
• Work for Australia’s leading Children’s Hospital
• Challenging and rewarding work environment

About the role

This is a Full-Time position at 1 FTE at 80 per fortnight (accruing ADO) within the RCH Mental Health Department.

You will be responsible for supporting the Director of Nursing (Mental Health) with professional governance and the development of role related training and professional development activities within the Mental Health Department, and RCH in general. You will be accountable for delivery of high-quality nursing services for RCH Mental Health, and in particular, the role will support the Director of Nursing in providing oversight of recruitment, credentialing, professional development and maintenance of professional standards. You will also provide professional support, clinical supervision, and contribute to the professional development for mental health nursing.

To achieve the requirements of the role, you will need to be dynamic, agile, flexible and adaptable to reprioritise your workload when required to support the department’s nursing workforce, organisational and departmental needs. You will not carry a clinical caseload.

Classification for this position will be Registered Psychiatric Nurse Grade 6

What you’ll achieve:

• oversee the strategic direction of the entry to practice workforce, mainly graduates, transition nurses and postgraduate nurses
• leadership of contemporary mental health nursing practice. You will be a mentor and provide professional guidance to colleagues across RCH on contemporary nursing matters including state-wide initiatives.
• Strong professional and clinical leadership and change management skills

Your skills and experience

• Current registration as a Registered Nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) administered though the Australian Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)
• Postgraduate diploma in psychiatric/mental health nursing or completion of a specialist undergraduate psychiatric nursing program
• Minimum 7 years work experience post initial registration in mental health

If this sounds like you, click here to view the position description.

About the Department

The RCH Mental Health Department is a service that provides wellbeing, and mental health supports for young people aged between 0-18 years that are experiencing serious mental health and wellbeing concerns. The department provides a range of hospital inpatient, specialist, consultation and community mental health services for infants, children and young people. The teams are generally interdisciplinary and have extensive child, youth and family expertise. They include Nurses, Occupational Therapists, Paediatricians, Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Social Workers, Peer Workers and Speech Pathologists among others.

What we offer:

• Salary Packaging – Increase your take home pay!
• Employee Assistance Program
• Professional development and special events

Other requirements:

• Current National Criminal Record Check, or willing to obtain
• Valid Working with Children Check
• Compliance with RCHs “Staff Immunisation - Prevention of Vaccine Preventable Diseases” procedure

Application process

To apply, you will need a resume and a tailored cover letter outlining your skills, experience, and suitability for the position in line with the requirements of the position description.

Shortlisting for this position will commence immediately. We encourage you to apply promptly as the advertisement may close early should a suitable applicant be sourced.

For more information about this position please contact MP Mthunzi, General Manager & Director of Nursing Mob: 0421452319 E: mp.mthunzi@rch.org.au

Why work at the RCH?

RCH enjoys high employee engagement and is committed to staff safety and a positive culture through enactment of our Compact. We offer the opportunity to work in world-class facilities, surrounded by Royal Park and only a short tram trip from the heart of Melbourne city.

We also offer discounted staff parking, salary packaging, and an award-winning health and wellbeing program.

The RCH is committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce. We encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people from culturally and/or linguistically diverse background, all members of the LGBTQI community and people with disability.

It is a requirement of your employment that you be vaccinated against Influenza annually for Category A and B roles, in compliance with any public health orders in place at the relevant time, unless you have a medical exception in line with those public health orders, which has been accepted by The Royal Children’s Hospital.  Applicants will be required to provide their Australian Government Immunisation History Statement, it is a requirement of the RCH to collect, record and hold vaccination information.

It is also a requirement of your employment that you comply with any direction given by The Royal Children’s Hospital that you be vaccinated against, or prove immunity to, any other disease, unless you have a relevant exemption

Are you ready to join our team? 

 Apply online by clicking on the “Apply” button

Applications close 28 April 2025