
Eestis on puudu üle 300 vaimse tervise õe
Estonia is short of over 300 mental health nurses
Eestis on vähe vaimse tervise õdesid. Praegu töötab ainult 125, aga vaja oleks rohkem. Õppekohti tuleks juurde teha.
There are few mental health nurses in Estonia. Currently, only 125 are working, but more are needed. More training places should be created.
Currently, 125 mental health nurses are working in Estonia. This is not enough, as more are needed. Laura Oisalu, the head of the Mental Health Nursing Association, says that 230 nurses are registered, but only 125 are working.
Psychiatrist Reigo Reppo says that mental health nurses play an important role. They spend more time with patients than doctors. Reppo believes that there should be twice as many nurses as psychiatrists.
Currently, 313 psychiatrists are working in Estonia, but not all are active. Since 2022, 700 students have been admitted to nursing education annually. It takes five years to become a mental health nurse.
The Estonian Nurses' Union wants more training places to be added. There should be at least 120 places per year. The state is planning a new agreement that will add training places.
Psychiatrist Reppo says that training a mental health nurse is cheaper and faster than training a psychiatrist. He believes that nurses could do more work, such as being the first assessors of patients.
A study showed that 30% of Estonian adults experienced serious mental health problems in the past year. Among young people, 40% experienced stress, anxiety, or depression. The waiting time for a psychologist can be up to six months.