Pre-registration mental health nursing students’ perceptions of the teaching and relevance to practice of physical health skills

Background

Mental health nursing is increasingly recognised as requiring an integrated approach to care, especially given that individuals with severe mental illnesses are at a higher risk of poor physical health. The Nursing and Midwifery Council requires all nursing students to be able to provide essential physical health care, however integrating these skills into mental health nursing courses has posed challenges.

Aim

This study explored the perceptions of mental health nursing students of the teaching and relevance to practice of physical health care skills.
Methods
Focus groups were used to explore student perceptions. The data were analysed using thematic analysis.

Results

Findings revealed that students recognised the importance of physical health skills in addressing the physical health disparities experienced by individuals with mental illness, highlighting that competence in these skills increased their confidence in providing holistic care. However, challenges were noted, including limited opportunities to practice physical health skills in mental health settings.

Conclusion

A need to better integrate physical health skills training into pre-registration mental health nursing programmes was identified to prepare students for the complex demands of contemporary mental health practice.