Stories of implementation

Revitalising the mental health focus in BHSC nursing education at Auckland University of Technology

By Sue Norgate

In the middle of 2007 a group of Auckland University of Technology (AUT) lecturers met to begin a review process aimed at regenerating undergraduate mental health teaching and learning. Specifically the group focused on revitalising existing mental health papers in the nursing programme. The Let’s get real (Ministry of Health, 2008) framework provided us with a refreshed vision to begin developing a new direction for their papers. In particular, we recognised the importance of ensuring that values and attitudes underpin professional practice and skill development. These ideals – outlined in Let’s get real – fit well with education designed to develop student understanding of contemporary mental health nursing practice.

The review process took about six months. We looked at what had worked in the programme, what hadn’t worked and why, and sought input from a variety of stakeholders. We used a variety of documents addressing workforce development across New Zealand and Australia. These included Seitapu Pacific Mental Health and Addiction Cultural & Clinical Competencies Framework (Pulotu-Endemann et al., 2007), the Let’s get real consultation draft (Ministry of Health, 2007), the Competencies and Standards’ for Practice (New Zealand Nursing Council, 2007), New Zealand College of Mental Health Nursing material and Australian professional nursing websites.

After extensive collaboration and consultation, the review team produced the blueprint for the new mental health papers. These are grounded within a philosophical and contextual framework based on the Let’s get real (2008) framework. There will be three separate, 15 credit papers which together we believe, will provide a sound skill and knowledge base for nursing graduates. These papers will also reflect the primary healthcare priority addressed in The New Zealand Health Strategy (Ministry of Health, 2000), building student competence to effectively respond to service users’ mental health needs.

The first paper is called ‘Mental Health Applied Sciences’. It explores and applies social and physical science concepts related to current mental health/psychiatric nursing practice. It includes examining current modes of practice, ethical and legal knowledge, therapeutic modalities, neuroscience, psychopathology, psychopharmacology and research.

The second paper, ‘Mental Health/Psychiatric Nursing Practice’, develops nursing practice in secondary and tertiary mental health settings.

The student is prepared for five weeks of clinical practice. This includes an introduction to concepts of recovery and partnership, as well as evidence-based treatment of acute mental distress. Assessment, intervention planning, risk assessment and clinical ethico-legal safety issues are also included in the paper.

The third paper, ‘Mental Health/Primary Health: Community Nursing Practice’, develops nursing practice skills through a five week clinical placement in primary and community mental health settings. Preparation includes further examination of recovery philosophy and recovery-based therapeutic approaches. The paper aims to develop knowledge and understanding of a service user’s communities of interest. It also aims to increase skills to support working with families/whanau and ensuring culturally appropriate support for tangata whaiora. Other areas to be covered are diversity in gender, race and culture. Clinical placements for this paper will span a diverse number of services including community mental health teams, community support worker teams, district health boards and non-governmental organisations across Auckland.

As our team worked together in this revitalisation process, it was evident that we all shared a commitment to encourage the growth of a cohort of new graduates specialising in mental health. We also plan to foster student interest in mental health as a new graduate option. We will be inviting leading mental health nurses to share their real experience of current innovations in mental health nursing practice. We believe that this, combined with establishing a student mental health student interest group, will encourage larger numbers of students to work in the mental health field on graduation.

One of the biggest challenges for our team as we redeveloped these papers has been integrating Let’s get real principles into the existing clinical standards used for teaching and assessing undergraduate nursing practice. However, overall, we found Let’s get real provided a forward thinking framework for the re-developed mental health papers. We have been excited by the ‘breath of fresh air’ this process has brought. We anticipate that these developments will strengthen the knowledge base and competencies in mental health nursing practice for our graduates. In turn this will positively impact on the numbers of students choosing mental health as a post-graduate specialty.

Sue Norgate was a former lecturer of mental health and rehabilitation in the Bachelor of Health Science (Nursing) at AUT University. The undergraduate mental health nursing lecturers delivering the new papers are: Helen Garrick, Rui Rodrigues and Sandy Simpson.

Page last updated: 6 July 2010