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Mental Health Nurse Eductation

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Author Mental Health Nurse Eductation

sassygirl

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  • Joined: Aug 2005
  • Location:
  • Posts: 41

Sat Aug 06, 2005 6:08 pm

I just want to make a comment about the training of Mental Health nurses. We have lots of undergraduates in our unit. They tell me stories of how poorly psychiatry is presented in undergraduate programs and that there is no encouragement from the universities to follow this as a path. I think this is a real shame, since psychiatry skills are useful in any area of nursing and psychiatry patients need general health care too.

kerry

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kerry
  • Joined: Jun 2005
  • Location:
  • Posts: 13

Aug 17, 2005, 06:30 pm

Hello,

I'm an undergraduate student who chose to do Mental Health Nursing as my option (in leiu of A&E or ICU nursing my uni did not provide).  I also chose this under the advise that if I wanted to work overseas I would have a better chance of getting registration in other countries if I did the course.  I honestly would not have chosen mental health nursing otherwise.  What mental health there is in the course is presented over 5-6 weeks (I forget because at least one was cancelled), and a tutorial everone of those weeks with a small asignment and a one hour exam 8 weeks after the end of the 5-6 weeks of lectures.  I think this is a poor effort considering (now that I actually do know!!) how many people with mental health problems there are in the community. People don't realise how debilitating and chronic it can be, and yet there are people with great insight into there illness who are some of the nicest people I've met.

I know I will probably never be a mental health nurse because I like so many other things, but I really believe it has helped me in general nursing as well.  There should be more mental health nursing in undergraduate course, definately.

sassygirl

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  • Joined: Aug 2005
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  • Posts: 41

Nov 07, 2005, 05:55 pm

thanks Kerry, i'm sorry that i did not read your reply earlier. Yes, I believe that all nurses need some training in Mental Health because you will come across it in every sphere in nursing. 

I think only time will make it higher on the agenda

jen

Canadian RPN

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Canadian RPN
  • Joined: Jan 2007
  • Location: Surrey, BC, Canada
  • Posts: 5

Jan 19, 2007, 08:44 am

Hi, everyone:

Psychiatric nursing education is alive and well in Canada, particularly Western Canada. We are growing. We have a number of new undergrad degrees and a couple of Masters degree programs in development. I am an RPN currently teaching RN their mental health course and clinical however, I have years of experience teaching RPNs at the diploma and undergrad levels. I am very interested in this discussion and have just posted a topic similar to this on the Mental Health Nursing forum. Please take a peek at that. Let me know what you think. I'd love to learn more about your experiences in Australia with mental health nursing education.

Melodie

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