Does Practicum Experience Matter in Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing Education?

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.