Negative attitudes toward people experiencing mental illness and mental health nursing
as a career option have been recognized as a major barrier to sustaining an adequate
psychiatric nursing workforce. This article presents the findings from a prospective
observational study that explored the relationship between undergraduate nursing students'
(n = 688) attitudes relevant to the mental health field, preparedness, and career preferences
after they had completed a mental health placement. A comparison was also made between
the self-reported attitudes, beliefs, and preferences of two groups of students, one
with and one without relevant clinical experience. Finally, the psychometric properties
of the clinical evaluation component of the survey were explored because the structure
and composition of this component have not been assessed or reported previously. The
findings have direct implications for psychiatric–mental health education. They show
a strong association between educational preparation, placement experiences, and students'
attitudes toward psychiatric nursing and consumers of mental health services. Findings
also indicated that students with clinical experience felt significantly more prepared
for employment in the mental health field and significantly less anxiety surrounding
mental illness than did students without clinical experience.
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Published online: January 16, 2009
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© 2009 Elsevier Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
