Clinical placements in mental health: Are clinicians doing enough for undergraduate nursing students?

Abstract

There are growing concerns identified in the literature about the lack of quality clinical placements in mental health for undergraduate nursing students. This study outlines an innovative student programme, designed and implemented by clinicians, committed to providing a quality clinical placement for students. The programme was evaluated by the use of an open-ended questionnaire administered to a sample of 10 undergraduate nursing students. Results of this evaluation suggested that the programme was able to provide a positive clinical experience in mental health for nursing students and is worthy of a more controlled investigation.

Transition to Mental Health Nursing Through Specialist Graduate Nurse Programs in Mental Health: A Review of the Literature

“…Graduates are generally expected to perform competently in the workplace environment following a brief orientation period (Owens et al, 2001) and reconcile the conflict between professional role expectations and the bureaucratic demands of the health care service (Prebble & McDonald, 1997). These expectations exist despite the realities of inadequate clinical and/or theoretical preparation (McCabe, 2000;Mullen & Murray, 2002) and evidence suggesting that individual socialisation and organisational socialisation within a health care setting can take at least one year (Tradewell, 1996).…”

“…The content of many undergraduate academic nursing programs is biased toward the general nursing field (Australian Health Workforce Advisory Committee, 2003;Clinton & Hazelton, 2000;Happell, 2001;Stevens & Dulhunty, 1997;Wynaden, Orb, McGowan, & Downie, 2000). Undergraduate nursing students are typically exposed to little in the way of knowledge and skills relevant to mental health nursing and gain limited or no clinical experience (Australian Health Workforce Advisory Committee, 2003; Department of Human Services, 1998;Farrell & Carr, 1996;Mullen & Murray, 2002), even though employers and graduates have expressed the need for mental health placements as part of undergraduate programs to assist graduates' transition to practice (Clare et al, 2002). Consequently, the nature of theoretical and clinical support required to assist the transitional process of graduates in the field of mental health nursing may be substantially different to that required by graduates in the general nursing field.…”

“…Many academic nursing programs provide limited or no experiential opportunities for students of nursing to develop clinical competencies and confidence in this specialty area, or to develop an awareness of and sensitivity to the issues affecting people experiencing a mental illness (Mullen & Murray, 2002). Limited exposure to mental health nursing at the undergraduate level has had an apparent impact on recruitment (Australian Health Workforce Advisory Committee, 2003).…”

Nursing Students' Attitudes Toward Mental Health Nursing and Consumers: Psychometric Properties of a Self-Report Scale

“…An understanding of the reasons underlying this unpopularity is of utmost importance to the development of effective strategies to overcome nursing shortfalls in this specialty area. Inadequate course content relevant to mental health nursing and unconstructive or offputting clinical placement experiences are thought to contribute to students' ambivalent and/or negative attitudes toward both mental health nursing and consumers of mental health services (Arnold, Deans, & Munday, 2004;Arnswald, 1987;Bell, Horsfall, & Goodin, 1998;Caroselli-Karinja et al, 1988;Clinton & Hazelton, 2000a;Hafner & Proctor, 1993;Happell, 2000Happell, , 2001Martin & Happell, 2001;Mullen & Murray, 2002;Proctor & Hafner, 1991). However, clear evidence to support these beliefs is lacking.…”

Ensino do cuidado de enfermagem em saúde mental através do discurso docente

“…8 Teaching care, focusing on the student as an individual, comprises a careful attitude of careful listening, sharing experiences and not judging. Involving students in providing care to the client, being flexible, and offering the opportunity to ask questions and comment on their performance 9 favors the teaching-learning process. On the other hand, the professor who teaches psychiatric and mental health nursing wants a student that is compromised with the patient, provides individualized care that is consistent with the current situation, and sees the patient as a person with biopsychosocial dimensions.…”