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Integration of theory and practice in learning mental health nursing
Author(s) -
MUNNUKKA T.,
PUKURI T.,
LINNAINMAA P.,
KILKKU N.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
journal of psychiatric and mental health nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.69
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1365-2850
pISSN - 1351-0126
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2850.2002.00393.x
Subject(s) - nursing , nurse education , mental health , team nursing , nursing research , medicine , action research , mental health nursing , health care , nursing theory , psychology , medline , medical education , pedagogy , psychiatry , political science , economics , law , economic growth
This article describes an action research project that aimed at a better integration of theory and practice in the education of mental health nursing students. Two partners, an institute of nursing and health care and a university hospital, collaborated to develop a new educational programme for mental health nursing. The blocks of theoretical studies were implemented simultaneously with practical training, and the theory content was taught by nursing teachers as well as by nurse practitioners who worked on the teaching wards. In addition, the students had their own personal nurse‐preceptors on the wards. The nurse managers were responsible for the educational level of the teaching wards and the director of nursing planned the teaching arrangements together with the nursing teachers. In all, the project involved over 50 different actors and several researchers. The results are encouraging: all the participants – students, preceptors, nurse managers and nursing teachers – found the project rewarding and they want to continue to develop and improve the level of teaching and learning in mental health nursing education. All the participants grew and developed professionally during the project.