Psychiatric nursing education: can it make a difference?
A review of the literature clearly indicates that psychiatric nursing is not a popular career choice for undergraduate nursing students. While it appears from the literature that exposure to the theory and practice of psychiatric nursing can influence the attitudes of student nurses towards the mentally ill, no clear picture emerges from the research. Furthermore, the design of previous research does not address the relationship between improved attitudes towards the mentally ill and an increase in the popularity of psychiatric nursing. This paper discusses the results of a quasi-experimental study, which compared the attitudes of student nurses towards psychiatric nursing as a career option prior to and following completion of the psychiatric nursing component of the course. The post-test results suggest a strong and statistically significant increase in the popularity of psychiatric nursing. The possible impact of problem based learning in influencing these results is discussed.
Centre for Psychiatric Nursing Research and Practice, School of Postgraduate Nursing, University of Melbourne, Level 1, 723 Swanston Street, Carlton, 3053, Victoria, Australia. b.happell@nursing.unimelb.edu.au
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D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002321:Career Choice; D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004511:Education, Nursing, Graduate; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D015402:Nursing Education Research; D011287:Prejudice; D018794:Problem-Based Learning; D011568:Psychiatric Nursing / Q000193:education*; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires