Perceptions from the front line: Professional identity in mental health nursing

Abstract

In the context of a growing population of people experiencing mental illness worldwide, mental health nurses are a crucial workforce. Their recruitment and retention, however, is in decline. Drawing on qualitative data obtained from interviews with mental health nurses (MHN) in Victoria, Australia, the paper employs a range of concepts from role theory to explore professional identity within mental health nursing. The data highlight three key issues in relation to the future recruitment and retention of MHN: (i) the ambiguity of the MHN role; (ii) the weak definition and lack of understanding of the scope of the MHN role by nursing students; and (iii) a lack of communication about MHN as a profession to a wider audience. These findings indicate three avenues through which recruitment and retention in mental health nursing could be improved: (i) public communication; (ii) training and educating of the next generation of MHN; and (iii) more accurately defining the role of the MHN.

Preceptors’ Expectations of Nursing Students’ Preparation before Placement in Psychiatry: Ability and Will to Reflect on and Exercise Knowledge

“…Studies show that nursing students are prejudiced and anxious when encountering people with mental illnesses (Blegeberg et al, 2008;Curtis, 2007;Hercelinskyj, Cruickshank, Brown, & Phillips, 2014). Students' predisposed impressions are linked to societal attitudes and stigma of mental illness (Charleston & Happell, 2005).…”

Exploring the Views of Nurses on the Cardiometabolic Health Nurse in Mental Health Services in Australia

“…Social identity is commonly a source of tension when it comes to new roles (McNeil, Mitchell, & Parker, 2013). This is particularly significant for mental health nursing, as it struggles with issues of identity (Hercelinskyj, Cruickshank, Brown, & Phillips, 2014).…”

“…As reported in the wider literature, nurses voice experiences of role ambiguity and conflict (Smith, 2011;Williamson, Twelvetree, Thompson, & Beaver, 2012), and this is characteristic for mental health nurses (Cleary, 2004;Hercelinskyj et al, 2014). To facilitate debate and negotiation around issues of role conflict, communication is critical (Hercelinskyj et al, 2014).…”

Caring about the shape of mental health nursing

“…The participants were well aware of the financial pressures facing health care but genericism was not seen as the solution to this issue by most. Hercelinskyj et al (2013) Edward et al, (2015 and Happell et al, (2015) have all noted the importance of professional identity and related socialisation in the recruitment of potential students and in retention of future mental health nurses.…”