Exploring mental health nurse academics’ views on standards and curricula for mental health nursing preregistration education

Background The publication of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) 2018 standards of proficiency for registered nurses has led to significant controversy, with mental health nurse academics raising concerns about a perceived move towards more generic preregistration education at the expense of the mental health specialism. Aim To explore the views and perceptions of mental health nurse academics on the ‘specialism versus genericism’ debate, on how the 2018 NMC standards of proficiency for registered nurses have been designed and implemented, and on the standards’ influence on mental health nursing students’ experiences and learning outcomes. Method A small educational inquiry research project was conducted using a phenomenological qualitative methodology. Data were collected through one-to-one semi-structured interviews with seven mental health nurse academics at one university in England. Interview transcripts were subjected to thematic data analysis. Findings Overall, participants had negative views of the 2018 standards of proficiency and were opposed to any future change towards more genericism in mental health nursing preregistration education. They perceived that, in many curricula, mental health-specific content had been diluted and that students were overexposed to physical health proficiencies and were therefore underprepared and lacked confidence. They also acknowledged differences in how the standards had been interpreted by higher education institutions, some having implemented them in a way that maintained the mental health nursing specialism. Conclusion Leadership from mental health nursing professionals to ensure the 2018 standards of proficiency are interpreted in a way that preserves the mental health specialism is crucial.