Physical Health Proficiencies in Mental Health Nursing Education: Student Nurses’ Perspectives

Aim

To explore mental health nursing students’ perceptions and experiences of being taught physical health competencies in mental health nurse education.

Background

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.

Design

A cross-sectional design was used to evaluate student experiences.

Methods

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.

Results

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.

Conclusions

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.