title: Using standardized patients in enhancing undergraduate students' learning experience in mental health nursing.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Conducting mental status examination and suicide risk assessment is an important skill required of nurses when they are in the clinical setting. With nursing students often expressing the anxiety and lack of confidence in doing so, the use of standardized patients provide an excellent opportunity to practice and become proficient with this skill in a simulated environment.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To explore the learning experience of undergraduate nursing students using standardized patients while practising their mental status examination and suicide risk assessment skills in mental health nursing module.
  
  
  METHODS
  A pre- and post-test, single group quasi experimental design was used in this study. A standard didactic tutorial session and a standardized patient session was conducted to evaluate the learning experience of undergraduate nursing students learning mental status examination and suicide risk assessment. Outcome measures for this study include Student Satisfaction and Self-Confidence in learning scale. Qualitative comments in the form of open-ended questions were also collected in this study.
  
  
  METHODS
  A University offering nursing program from undergraduate to postgraduate level.
  
  
  METHODS
  A convenience sample of Year 2 undergraduate nursing students undertaking the mental health nursing module was included in this study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The use of standardized patient session had significantly increased students' satisfaction and confidence level before they are posted to a mental health setting for their clinical attachment. There was a significant difference on students' self-confidence level for those who have taken care of a patient with mental illness after adjusting for pre-test on score in learning. Qualitative feedback obtained from students showed a positive outlook towards the use of standardized patient as an effective tool in augmenting didactic learning into practical skills.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Using standardized patient in mental health nursing education enhanced the integration of didactic content into clinical setting allowing students to practice their assessment skills learned in classroom and transfer it to the clinical area. The benefits of using standardized patient include allowing students to practice their communication skills and improving their confidence level in conducting mental status examination and suicide risk assessment by reducing anxiety as compared with traditional classroom and textbook-based pedagogy.
authors.affiliation: Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies, National University Health System, Singapore. Electronic address: shawn_goh@nuhs.edu.sg.
authors.forename: Yong-Shian
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Goh
authors.affiliation: Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies, National University Health System, Singapore.
authors.forename: Sunil
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Selvarajan
authors.affiliation: National University Hospital, National University Health System, Singapore.
authors.forename: Mui-Lee
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Chng
authors.affiliation: Institute of Mental Health, Singapore.
authors.forename: Chee-Shiong
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies, National University Health System, Singapore.
authors.forename: Piyanee
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Yobas
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D004506:Education, Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D000068156:Formative Feedback; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D015402:Nursing Education Research; D016544:Patient Simulation; D018794:Problem-Based Learning / Q000379:methods*; D011568:Psychiatric Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D036301:Qualitative Research; D020377:Self Efficacy
keywords: Mental health nursing; Mental status examination; Simulation; Standardized patients; Suicide risk assessment