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Nursing Officer Mental Health

Nursing Officer Mental Health

Use your nursing skills where they’re needed most on global operations all around the world.


Start your application

This role is classed as a RBP Healthcare and Medical Officer. As part of your application process, we’ll help you find the most suitable role based on your skills and experience.

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High interest role

This is a highly competitive role with potential long lead time to join. 

  • £35,800 - £125,000
  • Undergraduate Degree
  • Surface Fleet
  • Medical
  • Officer level
A colour photo shows a Royal Navy mental health nursing officer sitting at a desk and writing on a notepad. At the same time, she is chatting with a patient who is just out of frame; only a shoulder is visible. The officer wears a blue Royal Navy work uniform and glasses. In the background is a computer, a sink, and a dry-erase board.

Role details

Mental Health Nursing in the Royal Navy offers a unique career unlike what you’ll find in the NHS. Our Mental Health teams are critical to maintaining the psychological health and well-being of our personnel, ensuring they are fit to deploy around the world. Routinely, you’d work in one of our Department of Community Mental Health centres in Plymouth, Portsmouth or Faslane in Scotland. As well as carrying out the initial assessments of your patients, we’ll give you extra training in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, group therapy and many more to enable you to treat your patients too.

We deploy our mental health nurses around the world when required. This could be in support of the Maritime Role 3 capability on board RFA Argus, caring for clinical staff and patients alike. Or you could be part of the Waterfront Logistics Support Group; a network of specialists ready to deploy to ships and units around the world, should the need arise.

  • Help ensure Royal Navy personnel are mentally fit for service, wherever they are in the world
  • Use your nursing skills where they’re needed most. That might be offering community care to returning personnel, or providing occupational mental health assessment, treatment and management on missions all over the world
  • Gain clinical and management experience while taking responsibility for mentoring junior nurses and medical assistants
  • Develop as a practitioner in unique environments that are always challenging and sometimes dangerous
  • A salary of at least £35,800 during basic military training
  • Six weeks of paid holiday every year
  • Free medical and dental care

Qualifications you'll gain

  • An opportunity to study further at degree or masters level, to top up your professional portfolio
  • You could gain specialist qualifications in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy or addiction and substance misuse

Skills you'll develop

  • Unique mental health care, assessment, treatment and management
  • Aged 20 to 39 (You can start your application from 17 years old however you must be at least 20 years old on day of entry to basic training)
  • Registered Mental Health Nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)
  • 5 grades A*-C (9-4) Including English Language and Maths
  • A BSc/MSc or BA in Mental Health Nursing
  • You must be a United Kingdom national, or Commonwealth citizen, or Dual National. Dual Nationality restrictions do apply
  • A Body Mass Index (BMI) between 20 and 30 (between 17 and 27 if under 18)
  • Technical, clinical and interpersonal excellence
  • Decisive with strong independent thinking
  • A caring and compassionate nature
  • Highly organised and able to remain cool under pressure
  • Meticulous attention to detail
The best perk of life in the Royal Navy is the friendships you make, even as you move from place to place, there’s always someone you know.

Julia

Nursing Officer Mental Health, Medical Branch

Career Progression

From responsibilities to pay, find out where this role can take you.

Day One

Complete your militarisation and marinisation training within 10 weeks at HMS Raliegh. This initial stage of development for young officers, designed to build the leadership, discipline, and core military skills required for naval service, before then moving onto Britannia Royal Naval College (BRNC) in Dartmouth for another 30 weeks to further develop these skills.  

Professional Training

Develop your chosen profession skills at your respective training establishment dependant on your profession. 

First Year

Learn management theory, develop your own style of leadership and experience your first time at sea practicing your role. 

First Promotion

Become a Sub – Lieutenant, advance you skills with further training, have an increased responsibility.

Second Promotion

Become a Lieutenant, lead a department and report directly into command. 

Joining Process

From picking your role to the first day of training; everything you need to know about joining as an officer.

  • Register your interest
  • Complete your application
  • Interview
  • Medical and fitness
  • Admiralty Interview Board (AIB)
  • Final selection board
  • Start training

Register your interest

Find the right profession and entry level for you, make sure you meet the basic eligibility criteria, and register your interest online.

Once you’ve registered, you’ll receive an email with more details about your chosen profession, along with an invitation to speak with our friendly recruitment team about any questions or concerns you might have.

Start your application

Find your place in the Royal Navy. Make friends for life, learn new skills and experience the world.

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