Exploring mental health nurses' expectations and experiences of working inthe community

As mental health care is increasingly being provided in community settings, a variety of job opportunities are becoming available to mental health nur ses. The extent to which nurses' views and experiences of working in commun ity settings have been explored, however, is limited. This paper reports on newly qualified nurses' plans in relation to taking u p work in the community and, for those who thought it likely that they woul d take up such work, their reasons for doing so. Reasons for working in the community were diverse, and suggested that a ran ge of satisfactions could be expected. The extent to which such expectation s become a reality is considered in the light of findings from interviews w ith 12 nurses who were working in community settings. Satisfactions and difficulties experienced by the 12 nurses are described, and suggestions for tackling some of the difficulties are made.