Effect of psychiatric clinical learning site on nursing students' attitudes toward mental illness and psychiatric nursing

As a component of an undergraduate nursing program evaluation, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the psychiatric clinical learning site on students' attitudes toward mental illness and psychiatric nursing. A pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design was utilized. The dependent measures included an Environmental Rating Scale, an Attitude Toward Mental Illness Scale, and an Attitude Toward Psychiatric Nursing Scale. The non-probability sample of convenience included 45 students enrolled in the senior level psychiatric nursing module of a baccalaureate nursing program at a midwest, metropolitan liberal arts college. The subjects were randomly assigned to a Veterans Administration (VA) Medical Center and a private hospital. The results indicated that after controlling for students' attitudes toward mental illness and psychiatric nursing prior to the psychiatric nursing module, clinical site location did not account for any significant variance in students' attitudes after the module. However, correlation analysis of the specific components of the Environmental Rating Scale did demonstrate statistically significant associations with a decrease in authoritative, restrictive attitudes toward mental illness, and an increase in the milieu therapy and community mental health orientations to psychiatric nursing.