The Views of Heads of Schools of Nursing about Mental Health Nursing Content in Undergraduate Programs

Abstract

Criticisms about the mental health nursing content of Bachelor of Nursing programs have been common since the introduction of comprehensive nursing education in Australia. Most criticism has come from the mental health nursing sector and the views of key stakeholders have not been systematically reported. Heads of Schools of Nursing have considerable influence over the content of nursing programs, and their perspectives must be part of ongoing discussions about the educational preparation of nurses. This article reports the findings of a qualitative exploratory study, involving in-depth interviews with Heads of Schools of Nursing from Queensland, Australia. Thematic data analysis revealed two main themes: Realising the Goal? and Influencing Factors. Overall, participants did not believe current programs were preparing graduates for beginning level practice in mental health settings. In particular, participants believed that the quality of mental health content was influenced by the overcrowded curriculum, the availability of quality clinical placements, the strength of the mental health team, and the degree of consumer focus. The findings suggest the current model of nursing education in Australia does not provide an adequate foundation for mental health nursing practice and alternative approaches should be pursued as a matter of urgency.

A systematic review and meta‐analysis of factors that relate to aggression perpetrated against nurses by patients/relatives or staff

“…Recruitment to MH nursing is poor in comparison to other areas of health care (Bruckner et al 2011, Kakuma et al 2011, Thomas et al 2012. Some researchers suggest stress being a factor and call for nurses to find a balance and to embrace the positive aspects of the role (Ward 2011), whereas other researchers suggest student nurses 'don't know what they are missing' due to the lesser MH content in nursing curriculums compared to acute medical and aged care content (Warelow & Edward 2007, Moxham et al 2011, Happell & McAllister 2014. Furthermore, there has been the suggestion of not enough MH placement clinical hours to ensure that the student knows about the area of health enough to make a decision to enter the MH nursing ranks (Mullen & Murray 2002).…”

The phenomenon of co-morbid physical and mental illness in acute medical care: the lived experience of Australian health professionals

“…For nurses, undergraduate training is often not considered adequate for developing mental health literacy (i.e. diagnosis, psychopharmacology, management, legislation) [ 20 – 22 ]. In addition, the physical environment offers a number of barriers to providing comprehensive and timely care for people experiencing mental illness in the acute medical setting context of a hospital.…”

Contact and communication with patients experiencing suicidal ideation: A qualitative study of nurses’ perspectives

“…Concerns are expressed that nursing curricula have a decreased focus on preparing nurses for the mental health field, emphasize technical aspects of practice (e.g. assessment) rather than the interpersonal elements and might result in an erosion or diminution of interpersonal and communicative skills in nursing practice (Cutcliffe & McKenna, ; Happell & McAllister, ).…”