Recent developments in psychiatric nurse education in the countries of central and eastern Europe

Since the social and political revolutions of 1989 and the years that followed the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CCEE) have undergone radical changes in their health care systems, and among the most radical of these has been the restructuring and reorganisation of the psychiatric nurse training and education, with a weather eye to the potential of mental health demands that may result from the socio-economic turmoil. This paper, much of which was compiled while on secondment to the WHO, attempts to give a brief overview of the main policy developments in selected countries and to place them within a philosophical, social and pedagogical context. It cannot escape notice that the way in which countries choose to educate their nurses and what they can be expected to achieve in their work, reflects a more global understanding of mental health--and that may be why we should all learn from this experience.