TY - JOUR
T1 - The challenges of undergraduate mental health nursing education from the perspectives of heads of schools of nursing in Queensland, Australia
AU - HAPPELL, Brenda
AU - MCALLISTER, MARGARET
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - The shortage of a skilled mental health nursing workforce is persistent and worsening. Research consistently demonstrates the inability of the comprehensive model of nursing education to meet nursing workforce needs in mental health. Introducing specialisation in mental health at undergraduate level has been suggested as a strategy to address this problem. Exploration of barriers to this educational approach is essential. The aim of this research is to examine with Queensland Heads of Schools of Nursing, the perceived barriers to a specialist mental health nursing stream within an undergraduate nursing programme. Qualitative exploratory methods, involving in-depth telephone interviews with Heads of Schools of Nursing in Queensland, Australia. Data were analysed thematically. Participants encountered a number of barriers revealed in five main themes: academic staffing; staff attitudes; funding and resource implications; industry support; entry points and articulation pathways. Barriers to the implementation of mental health nursing specialisation in undergraduate programmes are evident. While these barriers pose real threats, potential solutions are also evident. Most notably is the need for Schools of Nursing to become more co-operative in mounting mental health nursing specialisations in a smaller number of universities, where specialist expertise is identified. Quality mental health services rely on a sufficiently skilled and knowledgeable nursing workforce. To achieve this it is important to identify and implement the educational approach best suited to prepare nurses for practice in this field
AB - The shortage of a skilled mental health nursing workforce is persistent and worsening. Research consistently demonstrates the inability of the comprehensive model of nursing education to meet nursing workforce needs in mental health. Introducing specialisation in mental health at undergraduate level has been suggested as a strategy to address this problem. Exploration of barriers to this educational approach is essential. The aim of this research is to examine with Queensland Heads of Schools of Nursing, the perceived barriers to a specialist mental health nursing stream within an undergraduate nursing programme. Qualitative exploratory methods, involving in-depth telephone interviews with Heads of Schools of Nursing in Queensland, Australia. Data were analysed thematically. Participants encountered a number of barriers revealed in five main themes: academic staffing; staff attitudes; funding and resource implications; industry support; entry points and articulation pathways. Barriers to the implementation of mental health nursing specialisation in undergraduate programmes are evident. While these barriers pose real threats, potential solutions are also evident. Most notably is the need for Schools of Nursing to become more co-operative in mounting mental health nursing specialisations in a smaller number of universities, where specialist expertise is identified. Quality mental health services rely on a sufficiently skilled and knowledgeable nursing workforce. To achieve this it is important to identify and implement the educational approach best suited to prepare nurses for practice in this field
KW - Career preferences
KW - Mental health
KW - Nursing
KW - Undergraduate education
KW - Specialisation
KW - Workforce
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84939256840&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.mendeley.com/research/challenges-undergraduate-mental-health-nursing-education-perspectives-heads-schools-nursing-queensla
U2 - 10.1016/j.colegn.2014.01.004
DO - 10.1016/j.colegn.2014.01.004
M3 - Article
SN - 1322-7696
VL - 22
SP - 267
EP - 274
JO - Collegian
JF - Collegian
IS - 3
ER -