Working together: A joint initiative between academics and clinicians to prepare undergraduate nursing students to work in mental health settings

Abstract

There is ongoing concern among mental health professionals regarding the recruitment of newly graduated nurses to this specialist nursing area. Many reasons for the problem have been identified, including the perceived inadequate preparation by the tertiary sector, students' prejudices and anxieties about mental illness, a perceived lack of support while undertaking clinical placement, and the quality of the clinical placement itself. This paper describes a collaborative response to these issues undertaken in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The implementation of preclinical undergraduate workshops using problem-based learning and role plays were undertaken. Mental health nursing scenarios were developed in association with experienced clinicians to introduce core concepts in a supportive learning environment. Quantitative and qualitative evaluation data were collected immediately following the workshop and again after the students returned to the university following a mental health clinical placement. A further survey of one cohort was undertaken 12 months after initial state registration and the beginning of a career in mental health nursing. Results showed that both students' and clinicians' attitudes to the workshops were consistently positive and indicated that the workshops were beneficial in preparing students for their clinical placement. Importantly, since the implementation of the workshops and other collaborative initiatives, an increasing number of newly graduated nurses from the region are choosing to work in mental health.

Influencing Undergraduate Nursing Students' Attitudes Toward Mental Health Nursing: Acknowledging the Role of Theory

“…The curriculum of this university is problembased and this approach has been found to engender more positive attitudes towards mental health nursing and as an experiential approach it more closely resembles the type of encounters they will have in the clinical setting (Curtis, 2007;Happell, 1998b;Hwang & Kim, 2007, Tiwari et al, 2006. The length of clinical placement could also be offered as an explanation.…”

Clinical placements in general practice: Relationships between practice nurses and tertiary institutions

“…This raises concerns for Universities around how to ensure students are adequately prepared for clinical placement. One strategy, outlined by Curtis (2007), involved pre-clinical placement workshops developed in consultation with clinicians, which resulted in positive student outcomes. Whilst the study by Curtis (2007) was specific to mental health nursing, pre-clinical placement workshops may be useful for any nursing specialty, particularly non-traditional clinical areas.…”

“…One strategy, outlined by Curtis (2007), involved pre-clinical placement workshops developed in consultation with clinicians, which resulted in positive student outcomes. Whilst the study by Curtis (2007) was specific to mental health nursing, pre-clinical placement workshops may be useful for any nursing specialty, particularly non-traditional clinical areas. Further, if registered nurses understand the university curriculum, they are better able to support student learning in the clinical setting and assist in bridging the theory-practice gap (Altmann 2006, Kevin et al 2010).…”

Is there a crisis in inpatient mental health care?

“…A popular view is that poor patient care and attitudes is a consequence of deficits in education, prejudices and misperceptions regarding mental health nursing (Curtis 2007). Previous reports suggest that students are concerned and anxious about entering the mental health setting (Farrell & Carr 1996;Fisher 2002).…”