School of Nursing, Midwifery and Indigenous Health, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia.
Issues Ment Health Nurs. 2011;32(8):512-8. doi: 10.3109/01612840.2011.569633.
Mental health nursing as a distinct speciality has been in decline in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, for two decades. Arguably, this decline has worsened both consumer outcomes and the workplace experiences of mental health nurses. This article reports on a study designed to ascertain the nature of contemporary mental health nursing practice in New South Wales. The study utilised focus group research methodology, with participants recounting the realities of their day-to-day professional practice and perceptions of their professional identity. The findings indicate a contracting, if not moribund, profession; a decrease in the value attached to mental health nursing; and a pattern of persistent underfunding by successive governments of mental health services. An analysis of present and historical trends reveals there is a pressing need for a restructure and re-formation of mental health nursing in rural areas. This article links the shortage of mental health nurses in NSW to the closure of the mental health nursing register, a shift to comprehensive/generalist nurse education models, a perceived lack of nurses' professional standing, and natural attrition without suitably qualified replacements. Mental health nurses in this study perceived that they were not valued by other health professionals or by their own managers. Participants in this study reported mental health nursing in rural areas was an unattractive career choice. These findings are important to the understanding of recruitment and retention issues in rural mental health nursing in Australia.
精神科护理作为一个独特的专业，在澳大利亚新南威尔士州已经衰落了二十年。可以说，这种衰落不仅恶化了消费者的结果，也恶化了精神科护士的工作场所体验。本文报告了一项旨在确定新南威尔士州当代精神科护理实践性质的研究。该研究采用了焦点小组研究方法，让参与者讲述他们日常专业实践的现实情况和对自己专业身份的看法。研究结果表明，该专业正在收缩，如果不是垂死的话；人们对精神科护理的重视程度有所下降；历届政府对精神卫生服务的持续资金不足。对当前和历史趋势的分析表明，农村地区迫切需要对精神科护理进行重组和重建。本文将新南威尔士州精神科护士短缺的问题与精神科护理登记册的关闭、向综合/通科护士教育模式的转变、护士职业地位的感知缺失以及没有合格替代者的自然减员联系起来。这项研究中的精神科护士认为，他们不受其他卫生专业人员或自己的管理者重视。本研究的参与者报告说，农村地区的精神科护理是一个没有吸引力的职业选择。这些发现对于理解澳大利亚农村精神科护理的招聘和留用问题很重要。
