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Does Practicum Experience Matter in Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing Education?
Virginia F Riggs1, Kyle Johnson2, Abir Bekhet3
1Virginia F. Riggs, PhD, RN, CNE, is clinical associate professor, College of Nursing, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI.
Aim:
The researchers explored the impact of nursing students' pedagogical experiences on their levels of confidence and competence in psychiatric mental health (PMH) nursing.
Background:
Despite increasing patient demands, new graduate nurses do not often choose PMH positions. Variability in PMH curricula and practicum experiences across nursing programs raises concerns about graduate preparedness.
Method:
A pretest-posttest design measured changes in confidence and competence using validated instruments. Participants were 61 students from associate degree in nursing, bachelor of science in nursing, and direct-entry master's degree in nursing programs who experienced one of four pedagogical approaches: didactic only, didactic with traditional clinical, didactic with simulation, or clinical/simulation without didactic.
Results:
While no statistically significant differences were found based on pedagogy or program type, students who experienced PMH practicum reported more confidence and competence than those with didactic-only instruction.
Conclusion:
Ensuring that students receive didactic with traditional clinical and/or simulation experiences in PMH remains a priority for curricular design in prelicensure nursing education.
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