Aysha Alam - Ward Manager

Aysha is a psychiatric nurse currently working as a ward manager on a female mental health inpatient ward. This involves attending meetings, making sure that the ward is safe, ensuring any outstanding tasks are undertaken and supporting staff on the ward. Aysha says: “Since a young age I have been really passionate about mental health and promoting it, especially coming from an ethnic minority group where mental health is quite a taboo subject. I have always enjoyed talking to and helping others. I did a Psychology degree and from there I specialised in mental health and completed a Masters. I have been a nurse since then and am extremely enthusiastic about my role.”

Aysha’s work on a female inpatient acute unit involves supporting women with various mental health conditions including severe depression, anxiety disorders, psychosis and bi-polar. A lot of the times when they come on the ward they are acutely unwell and the team provides a more holistic approach to treatment. They look at the biological aspects which involves a lot of psychology, and also the social aspects. Work with service users is done on a one-to-one basis and care plans are created, ensuring their recovery and treatment is person-centred. Aysha describes how she is proud to work on the ward as a nurse and team leader, working closely with patients and watching them recover.

Aysha says:

“Mental health nursing is challenging but if you are passionate about it, it is a great career opportunity. There is a lot of career progression especially if you are enthusiastic about the role. You can go home every day knowing that you have helped people. Today, mental health is so prevalent in the world and I think it is good that we are all acknowledging it. There is a lot of the younger generation getting involved and with the increase in social media, I think it is good we are all acknowledging it and promoting it.”

You can hear more from Aysha in the video below: