Hemingway Steve, Shiel Emma, Turner James, Stephenson John, Roberts Seren, Heron Suzanne, Grant Rhona, Galway Karen, Hughes Colin, McLaughlin Derek, Owens Mark, Bond Carmel
School of Health and Human Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate Campus, Huddersfield HD13DH, United Kingdom.
Department of Nursing and Midwifery/college of Health and Life Sciences Sheffield Hallam University 36, Collegiate Crescent, Sheffield S10 2BP, United Kingdom.
Nurse Educ Pract. 2025 Aug;87:104493. doi: 10.1016/j.nepr.2025.104493. Epub 2025 Jul 29.
To explore mental health nursing students' perceptions and experiences of being taught physical health competencies in mental health nurse education.
Current standards for pre-registration nursing education in the UK require students to be taught and assessed on a range of physical health proficiencies. In the context of mental health nursing, this focus has been widely debated, with some academics arguing that it marks the beginning of a shift toward a more generalised approach to nursing. However, mental health nursing students - key stakeholders in the teaching and assessment process have not been actively involved in evaluating the relevance or validity of these proficiencies.
A cross-sectional design was used to evaluate student experiences.
The study was conducted using an anonymous online questionnaire, incorporating quantitative and qualitative elements; administered to mental health nursing students from five UK universities to elicit their perceptions regarding the taught content and assessment of physical health proficiencies in their curriculum. Descriptive and inferential analysis was conducted on quantitative data; thematic analysis was conducted for qualitative data.
115 mental health nursing students from UK universities participated in the survey. Quantitative findings revealed that respondents generally agreed on the importance of physical health skills and recognised the benefits of the related taught content. Qualitative analysis highlighted key factors influencing students' development of physical health competencies, including theoretical learning at university, clinical skills simulation and practical consolidation during placements. However, participants emphasised that transferability of taught physical skills could be enhanced by observing the application in mental health and broader healthcare settings, thereby increasing their perceived value for learning and practice.
Mental health nursing students up to now a neglected voice have shown they value the physical health content of their courses. Greater attention is needed to ensure these skills are effectively experienced and assessed in practice. Further evaluation should include perspectives of students and registered mental health nurses responsible for integrating these procedures into performance assessments.
探讨精神卫生护理专业学生在精神卫生护士教育中接受身体健康能力教学的认知和体验。
英国目前的注册前护理教育标准要求学生接受一系列身体健康技能的教学并进行评估。在精神卫生护理背景下,这一重点引发了广泛争论,一些学者认为这标志着护理向更通用方法转变的开始。然而,精神卫生护理专业学生作为教学和评估过程中的关键利益相关者,尚未积极参与评估这些技能的相关性或有效性。
采用横断面设计评估学生体验。
本研究通过匿名在线问卷进行,问卷包含定量和定性元素;向英国五所大学的精神卫生护理专业学生发放问卷,以了解他们对课程中身体健康技能教学内容和评估的看法。对定量数据进行描述性和推断性分析;对定性数据进行主题分析。
来自英国大学的115名精神卫生护理专业学生参与了调查。定量研究结果显示,受访者普遍认同身体健康技能的重要性,并认识到相关教学内容的益处。定性分析突出了影响学生身体健康能力发展的关键因素,包括大学的理论学习、临床技能模拟以及实习期间的实践巩固。然而,参与者强调,通过观察在精神卫生和更广泛医疗环境中的应用,可以提高所学身体技能的可转移性,从而增加他们对学习和实践的感知价值。
精神卫生护理专业学生这一至今被忽视的群体表明,他们重视课程中的身体健康内容。需要更多关注以确保这些技能在实践中得到有效体验和评估。进一步的评估应纳入学生以及负责将这些程序纳入绩效评估的注册精神卫生护士的观点。