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Back to the future? Views of heads of schools of nursing about undergraduate specialization in mental health nursing
Author(s) -
Happell Brenda,
McAllister Margaret
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
international journal of mental health nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.911
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1447-0349
pISSN - 1445-8330
DOI - 10.1111/inm.12082
Subject(s) - workforce , nursing , mental health , nurse education , curriculum , employability , exploratory research , medicine , psychology , occupational health nursing , medical education , health education , pedagogy , sociology , public health , political science , psychiatry , anthropology , law
Preparation of nursing students for practice in mental health settings in A ustralia has been criticized since comprehensive education replaced preregistration specialist education. Current and projected workforce shortages have given rise to considering the reintroduction of specialization at preregistration level as a potential solution. Support of heads of schools of nursing would be essential for such an initiative to be considered. A qualitative exploratory study was undertaken involving in‐depth telephone interviews with heads of schools of nursing in Q ueensland. Participants generally favoured the concept of specialization in mental health nursing at undergraduate level. Data analysis revealed the following themes: meeting workforce needs, improving quality of care, employability of graduates, an attractive option for students, and what would have to go. Participants identified many benefits to mental health service delivery and consumer outcomes. How the initiative could be developed within an already overcrowded curriculum was identified as the major barrier. This level of support is encouraging if necessary changes to the educational preparation for mental health nursing practice are to be considered.