Safeguarding student well-being: establishing a respectful learning environment in undergraduate psychiatric/mental health education

Peer Mentorship in Psychiatric Nursing Education: Preparation for Future Practice

BACKGROUND

Academic demands along with stressors inherent to daily life may be overwhelming for undergraduate psychiatric nursing students. Peer mentorship programs have been found to improve emotional well-being in students; however, little research is available regarding psychiatric nursing students' experiences.

METHOD

Hermeneutic phenomenology was used to answer the research question: "What are the lived experiences of mentors within an undergraduate psychiatric nursing peer mentorship program?" Nine undergraduate psychiatric nursing students with experience serving as a mentor were interviewed.

RESULTS

The participants expressed they gained important skills that are valued by the profession of psychiatric nursing. The themes identified included: support, empathy, the mentor-mentee relationship, active listening, and leadership.

CONCLUSION

Involvement in these programs may assist with fostering these skills in undergraduate psychiatric nursing students. Offering a mentorship program for undergraduate psychiatric nursing students has been demonstrated to be valuable. [J Nurs Educ. 2021;60(10):582-585.].

Correlates and Predictors of Stigmatization of Patients With Mental Illness Among Nursing Students

The purpose of the current study was to explore knowledge of, attitudes about, and perception of stigma among nursing students in relation to mental illness, and to identify the predictors of stigma toward patients with mental illness based on nursing students' characteristics, knowledge, and attitude. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 169 participants from a university in Jordan. The regression model predicted a relatively moderate proportion of variance in stigma perception. Significant predictors in the model were family income, father's educational level, and experience with mental health patients. Findings of the current study showed that undergraduate nursing students who had experience with patients with mental illness hold relatively positive perceptions toward mental health patients. Enhancing the content of nursing curriculum regarding issues related to patients with mental illness could help students develop better assessment skills, have more positive attitudes, and gain more accurate knowledge about mental illness. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 57(1), 43-51.].

Troublesome Knowledge: A New Approach to Quality Assurance in Mental Health Nursing Education

Background Quality assurance and quality enhancement processes in nursing education are vital to the establishment of a strong program. Existing quality assurance methods in nursing education such as professional self-regulation and external examination rely on provincial and national nursing associations for evaluation, putting minimal responsibility and accountability on internal program examiners. Threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge provide a framework as outlined by Land that utilizes internal examiners from both student and faculty groups and represents an alternative to traditional quality assurance in nursing education. Purpose To identify troublesome mental health nursing content in a nursing curriculum by exploring students and faculty perspectives. Method A sequential mixed methods design that utilized surveys and focus groups to explore student and faculty perspectives on troublesome mental health nursing content. Results The project data were able to be organized into five main content themes that were identified as being troublesome: the spectrum of mental illness, therapeutic relationships and boundaries, praxis, professionalism in nursing, and brain chemistry and its management. Conclusion The findings from this project are unique to the program of review but show the potential of this new approach to quality assurance and program enhancement initiatives in nursing education.

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

Nursing students must be prepared to provide nursing care regardless of the patient's illness. This requires that nursing education, including clinical placements, strengthen knowledge and skills in mental health nursing. The aim of this qualitative study was to describe 15 preceptors' expectations of nursing students' preparedness before they entered the psychiatric field. Data was collected with focus group interviews and analysed using conventional content analysis. The findings show that preceptors are concerned about the nursing students' will and ability to reflect on and exercise knowledge for managing the student role and themselves; for adapting their perspective on humanity; for their understanding of illness and how they are interacting with persons with mental illness. The conclusion is that the preceptors expect the educators to give sufficient theoretical knowledge and assess the students' personal maturity prior to entering the psychiatric field.

Developing a pedagogy for nursing teaching-learning

Each nurse educator's pedagogy underpins their understanding of and approach to teaching and learning, regardless of whether this has been reflected upon or articulated. In this paper, we overview factors and issues that should be considered when developing a teaching philosophy of nursing education and set out broad differences between traditional and contemporary pedagogic models and various ways of knowing. As values underpin any teaching framework these are considered in relation to pedagogies, epistemologies and their relevance to nursing practice. Key teacher roles and strategies that are congruent with a contemporary pedagogy for teaching nursing in the classroom or the clinical setting are also outlined. A premise for writing this paper was that clarifying one's own understandings of education and knowledge and the implicit values held within those terms and processes will contribute to greater self-awareness and more effective teaching of nursing. Education approaches underpinned by a sound teaching philosophy and framework can facilitate an educationally sound and positive experience for learners.

Recruitment and retention of Canadian undergraduate psychiatric nursing faculty: challenges and recommendations

The education of psychiatric nurses in Canada has gradually evolved since its inception early in the 20th century. The most obvious advancement has been a move away from institutionally based training to undergraduate university preparation. Associated with this advancement is the ongoing challenge of recruiting and retaining qualified nurse educators. This essay addresses external factors (e.g. title disparity, association affiliation, societal perception of psychiatric nursing and professional identity) and internal factors (e.g. career transition and tenure and promotion) that influence faculty recruitment and retention. Existing challenges and recommendations designed to enhance recruitment and retention efforts are outlined.

Navigating the labyrinth of Canadian undergraduate psychiatric nurse education

Historically, the education and training of psychiatric nurses in Canada have only been available within a psychiatric institutional setting or community college. This trend, however, has experienced a recent shift with the establishment of a Canadian undergraduate programme. This development is symbolic of the profession's evolution and serves three primary purposes. First, it continues to address the psychiatric nursing shortage; second, it provides additional educational and career opportunities for students; and third, it serves to advance the psychiatric nursing profession. This essay reflects on a decade of undergraduate psychiatric nurse education and discusses the salient challenges and needs of learners and educators.