Undergraduate Nursing Students' Perspectives of a Simulated Mental Health Ward: An International Collaboration

Context and background: Escalating mental health care needs coupled with a decreasing nurse labour force demand a fundamental paradigm shift in undergraduate nursing education. This factor emphasises the need for significant... [ view full abstract ]

Context and background: Escalating mental health care needs coupled with a decreasing nurse labour force demand a fundamental paradigm shift in undergraduate nursing education. This factor emphasises the need for significant enhancement of psychiatric mental health nursing education in undergraduate curricula. New educational models and innovative learning strategies are required to better prepare nursing graduates to provide holistic care. The development of a Mental Health Ward was the result of international collaboration between a School of Nursing in Ireland and the United States.
Aim: The purpose of this paper is to present the development and evaluation of a “Mental Health Ward”, a simulated experience offered for the first time to nursing students at a US University.
Methodology: Created a simulated Mental Health Ward in a hospital environment using role play scenarios and standardized patients. The CAE Healthcare Simulation Effectiveness Scale was adopted to ascertain students’ experiences. Institutional Review Board approval was obtained for the study.
Key findings and conclusions: Students felt better prepared to care for patients; they reported an improvement in therapeutic communication skills and greater confidence in decision making and assessment skills. Students were challenged in their critical thinking and they revealed that they were able to recognise changes in their patient’s mental state and to predict potential changes. The students valued the real life experience that the simulated ward offered and appreciated the support they received from faculty observers.