Reflection without shame--reflection without blame: towards a more collaborative understanding between mental health consumers and nurses.

It is now a clear policy expectation that consumers of mental health services be given the opportunity to be active participants in all aspects of mental health service development and delivery. Psychiatric nurses have an important role to play in ensuring opportunities for genuine participation; however, the literature suggests that this role is not always realized in practice. Negative attitudes of health professionals (including nurses) to consumer has been identified as a significant barrier to the realization of this policy goal, with education and training recognized as an important strategy for developing more positive attitudes.

Critique of Falloon and the Optimal Treatment Project.

The Optimal Treatment Project advocated by Falloon has been demonstrated through the scientific research literature to be efficient and effective treatment strategies for people experiencing severe mental illness. For this reason, there is little critique of this approach. While the potential value of the project is acknowledged, it is important to identify the appropriateness of the model for specific services and to understand comprehensively the resources necessary for successful implementation.

The Centre for Psychiatric Nursing Research and practice: promoting excellence in psychiatric nursing.

The Centre for Psychiatric Nursing Research and Practice (CPNRP), is funded by the Department of Human Services Victoria, as an initiative to support psychiatric nurses throughout the State of Victoria. At the time of the CPNRPs inception in 1999, psychiatric nursing had been affected by widespread changes in the delivery of mental health services and nursing education in Victoria. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the development of the CPNRP and how this development reflected the significant issues of the time.

Politicize or perish! the importance of policy for Australian psychiatric-mental health nurses.

As the largest professional group within the Australian mental health nursing workforce, psychiatric-mental health nurses are well positioned to influence mental health policy. However, the dominance of nursing by the medical profession has limited the extent to which this potential has been realized, with nurses remaining relatively unheard within the political arena. In recognition of this situation, the Centre for Psychiatric Nursing Research and Practice implemented a position for a policy analyst.

Nursing clinical developments units--A strategy to promote the relationship between practice and academia.

Bridging the theory-practice gap has historically been acknowledged as a priority for the nursing profession. Enhancing nurses' attitudes regarding the relevance of theory to practice has been considered as crucial in order that the relationship between theory and practice becomes strong and complimentary. A review of the literature suggests that strategies such as joint clinical and academic positions have not had a significant impact in this respect.

The training and development workshops: promoting cultural change within mental health nursing.

The inadequacy of training and professional development opportunities for mental health nurses is frequently discussed, yet surprisingly receives little attention in the literature. The Enterprise Bargaining Agreement of 2000, introduced a number of senior nursing positions for mental health, designed to address this issue. In response to a need identified by the senior nurses, the Centre for Psychiatric Nursing Research and Practice implemented the Training and Professional Development Workshops.

Conflicting agendas between consumers and carers: the perspectives of carers and nurses.

Increasingly, Australian government policy advances an expectation that consumer and carer participation will be present in all aspects of mental health service delivery. A review of the literature suggests that consumers and carers actively seek the opportunity to participate but are frequently hampered by barriers. However, government policy documents tend to discuss consumers and carers with regards to participation as though their needs and desires are essentially similar.

In our own words: consumers' views on the reality of consumer participation in mental health care.

The opportunity for consumers to participate in all stages of mental health service delivery, including the planning of their individual care, is now clearly enshrined in Australian mental health policy. Published research which examines the extent to which this has been realised in practice is limited, and the paucity is even greater for research reflecting the views of the consumers themselves. This paper presents the findings of a qualitative study.

Psychiatric/Mental health nursing education in Victoria, Australia: barriers to specialization.

The introduction of undergraduate comprehensive nursing education in Victoria, Australia, during the 1990s has resulted in significant changes in undergraduate preparation for psychiatric/mental health nursing. Comprehensive programs became charged with the responsibility of preparing graduates to provide care for people experiencing a mental illness across a broad range of health-care settings, as well as providing a pathway for graduates with an interest in specialist practice in this field. The aim of this article is to clearly articulate the issues associated with psychiatric/mental health nursing education at the undergraduate level, including prevalence of mental illness, the inadequacy of psychiatric/mental health nursing theory and practice at undergraduate level, the negative attitudes of students toward this field of practice, and the subsequent failure of nursing education and practice initiatives to provide a clear mechanism for specialization in this important area of nursing practice.

Mental health issues within the general health care system: implications for the nursing profession.

Aim: The aim of this paper is to briefly describe the prevalence of mental illness within the general health care population and the implications for the nursing profession.

Primary Argument: The nursing profession espouses holism as its philosophy of care. This philosophy embraces the essential interaction between the biological, psychological and social aspects of each individual.

Changing the culture of mental health nursing: the contribution of nursing clinical development units.

The reluctance of nurses to utilise research findings in their practice has been extensively discussed in the literature. Nursing Clinical Development Units (NCDU) represent one approach to facilitating a greater interaction between research and nursing practice. This paper presents the results of an impact evaluation of an NCDU program operating in Victoria, Australia.

Mental health nurse practitioner: expanded or advanced?

The role of the nurse practitioner has been described as the apex of nursing practice. Such a statement has significant implications for the professional status of nursing in its own right. The aim of this paper is to discuss the nature of the nurse practitioner role in Australia and the importance of distinguishing between advanced and expanded practice.

Nursing students' attitudes toward mental health nursing and consumers: psychometric properties of a self-report scale.

There is a paucity of measures suitable for assessing the impact of educational and clinical placement strategies on nursing students' career preferences and attitudes toward mental health nursing and consumers of mental health services. Information derived from such scales could be used to improve existing recruitment strategies to this specialty area and identify misperceptions held by individuals joining the health care workforce. This article details the psychometric properties of a self-report scale designed to assess (1) preparedness for the mental health field, (2) attitudes toward mental illness and consumers of mental health services, and (3) attitudes toward mental health nursing, including career preferences.

Mental health issues within the general health care system: the challenge for nursing education in Australia.

The mental health content of undergraduate nursing programs has consistently been identified as inadequate in preparing graduate nurses with the knowledge and skills for, and interest in, a career in mental health nursing. Since the introduction of generic nursing education, undergraduate programs have become primarily focused on the development of generalist skills, with specialisation occurring at postgraduate level. The integration of mental health services within the broader health care system in Australia has led to a significant increase in the prevalence of mental health problems within the general health care setting.

Psychiatric nurses and undergraduate nursing students' perceptions of preceptorship in the mental health setting.

The importance of clinical education for nursing is widely acknowledged and considerable effort has been invested into identifying the most effective models. Psychiatric nursing has the additional imperative of increasing recruitment into the field. While clinical experience has been found to influence nursing students' attitudes towards psychiatric nursing and people experiencing a mental illness, little attention has been paid towards the factors that influence these outcomes.

Disseminating nursing knowledge--a guide to writing for publication.

The dissemination of research findings and other forms of nursing knowledge is generally accepted as an element of accountability for professional practice. While an increase in nursing research has been apparent in recent times, there seemingly remains a reluctance for nurses to publish the findings of their work. The identified barriers to writing for publication primarily focus on a lack of confidence in the ability to write in this arena, and uncertainty, apprehension and confusion regarding how exactly to go about writing and submitting a manuscript.

Coping with uncertainty within the preceptorship experience: the perceptions of nursing students.

A substantial amount of time and resources are channelled into supporting clinical practicum in nursing education programmes. Attention is targeted at the most effective models to achieve this aim. The provision of sound support models regardless of specific clinical setting is recognized as integral to student development and transition periods throughout nurses' careers.

Attempting to accomplish connectedness within the preceptorship experience: the perceptions of mental health nurses.

The provision of sound support models for clinical practicum is recognized as integral to the development of nursing students and their transition to registered nurses. In mental health settings, there is the additional issue of positively influencing recruitment rates. Preceptorship has been widely adopted nationally and internationally, however, there is a paucity of research, particularly in mental health settings, to assess its effectiveness.

Education for life: the evaluation of an innovative approach to facilitate ongoing learning for nurses.

There is general consensus within the nursing profession that life-long learning is crucial for all nurses irrespective of their educational backgrounds. There currently is a paucity of literature addressing both the problems experienced in accessing and utilising continuing education or innovative programs designed to overcome these problems, despite widespread acknowledgement of the problems encountered. In this paper the findings from the evaluation of the Clinician-Trainer Program, developed by the Centre for Psychiatric Nursing Research and Practice (CPNRP) are presented.

Research involving mental health consumers and carers: a reference group approach.

Policy changes within the mental health system are creating an increasing expectation that service providers increase the opportunities for consumer and carer participation in the planning, delivery and evaluation of mental health services. If they are to reflect this change in philosophy, researchers have an obligation to ensure the involvement of consumers and carers, above and beyond involvement as a participant in all relevant mental health research. This paper describes the establishment and function of a reference group, established to guide and assist with the conduct of a research project examining the experiences of consumers and carers with psychiatric disability support services.

Wanting to be heard: mental health consumers' experiences of information about medication.

The complexities accompanying the prescription of antipsychotic medication for people experiencing a mental illness have been extensively documented in the literature. The views and experiences of consumers of mental health services, however, are almost entirely absent. This paper describes the findings of a qualitative study undertaken to examine the experiences of consumers, specifically in relation to education and decision making with regards to medication.

Effective collaboration enhances rural preceptorship training.

Preceptorship is a valuable strategy largely underestimated in its ability to influence nursing students' attitudes and beliefs about mental health nursing. As a model, it has the potential to influence nursing practice, enhance clinical learning, promote recruitment and retention, and generate a more collaborative approach for nursing student supervision. The relationship is usually for a fixed and limited timeframe where the preceptor inspires and supports the growth and development of the student nurse, and encourages role socialization into the profession (Morton-Cooper & Palmer 2000).

An evaluation of an educational program for clinical supervision.

Clinical supervision for mental health nurses has become an area of priority since the implementation of the Enterprise Bargaining Agreement of August 2000 in Victoria. Clinical supervision has been identified as a strategy to improve both the job satisfaction of nurses and the quality of care provided to consumers. A review of the literature suggests that adequate education for supervisors is crucial if this strategy is to prove successful.

Evaluating the impact of a preceptorship course on mental health nursing practice.

The crisis in the recruitment of nursing graduates into the mental health nursing field dictates the need for assertive and innovative strategies to promote the positive aspects of this field of nursing. A positive clinical experience has been identified as one of the most important determinants of nursing students' attitudes towards mental health nursing. The Centre for Psychiatric Nursing Research and Practice implemented the course "Preceptorship in Psychiatric Nursing" as a means to increase the skill level within and interest towards the preceptorship role in clinical practice.

Exploring the impact of the implementation of a nursing clinical development unit program: what outcomes are evident?

Nursing Clinical Development Units have become popular as a framework for the facilitation of the professional development of nursing and to contribute to improved outcomes for consumers of health care services. An exploratory evaluation of the Nursing Clinical Development Unit program implemented by the Centre for Psychiatric Nursing Research and Practice was undertaken using a qualitative approach. This paper focuses on the findings relating to outcomes.