UK and USA Clinical Mental Health Nurse Specialists’ perceptions of their work

Abstract

There is little scholarship to compare the work of mental health nurses in different countries, although this is perhaps understandable given that mental health nursing as a discrete discipline exists only in a few countries worldwide. The small-scale study reported here sought to compare the perceptions of UK and American Clinical Nurse Specialists of various aspects of their work, including latest professional developments, current therapies and interventions, and the major problems confronting nurses today. Prior to the main study being undertaken, a short questionnaire was piloted in both countries. The main questionnaire was distributed to 34 American nurses and completed by 25 (75.5% response rate), and to 28 UK nurses and completed by 24 (86% response rate). Descriptive statistics and content analyses were used to analyse the data which suggested that where UK nurses were concerned with the range and availability of services for clients and their families, American nurses were primarily preoccupied with the quality of those services. The American sample placed greater emphasis on the provision of care that enabled clients to take responsibility for themselves than did their UK counterparts. While acknowledging the limitations of the study, the results would appear to suggest that American nurses tend to favour humanistic care, have a belief in the efficacy of chemotherapy and aim to get people functioning independently. They fear the threat to their relationship with clients that managed care might entail. Concurrently, UK nurses appear to be preoccupied with finding appropriate services for their clients and they appear to believe that the changing nature of their work is designed to accommodate structural changes in the health service, rather than to meet the needs of clients. The implications of these findings are discussed.

The managerial and development issues of nurses and midwives in new roles

“…Research findings from the UK and the USA indicated that to function effectively and efficiently innovative roles have to be well resourced (16). Findings from the present study showed that while the basic equipment had been provided, there was some deficit in the provision of the appropriate software and specialist equipment.…”

“…The perceptions of clinical mental health nurse specialists in the UK and the US were considered by Nolan et al. (16). They concluded that nurses in the UK felt that their problems were centred on increasing and ill‐defined workloads and professional uncertainty, while in the USA a lack of resources was considered as the main challenge to new role development In Canada, an examination of the organizational factors that influenced the implementation of the Nurse Practitioner’s role found that the lack of a clear job description, conflicting demands and expectations, and an increased workload were among the factors that correlated negatively with the new role implementation (5).…”

Health care managers’ perspectives on new nursing and midwifery roles: perceived impact on patient care and cost effectiveness

“…This research also raised the concern in some NHS Trusts about the organizational issues surrounding new roles. Nolan et al (2002) considered the perceptions of clinical mental health nurse specialists in the UK and the USA. They concluded that in the UK, nurses felt that their problems were centred on increasing and ill-defined workloads and professional uncertainty, while in the USA lack of resources was considered to be a major challenge.…”

“…This research also raised the concern in some NHS Trusts about the organizational issues surrounding new roles. Nolan et al. (2002) considered the perceptions of clinical mental health nurse specialists in the UK and the USA.…”

Validity and reliability study of the Turkish psychiatric nurses of job motivation scale

“…(Freeman & O' Brien‐Pallas 1998, Barron & Harackiewicz 1999, Edgar 1999, Shanley 2001, Haque et al. 2002, Nolan et al. 2002, Sheldon & Bettencourt 2002, Tzeng 2002, Gagne 2003).…”