Qualitative evaluation of a postgraduate course in mental health nursing

This evaluation aimed to explore mental health nurses' experience of one postgraduate (PG) Mental Health Nursing course in Australia. It investigated students' recognition and acquisition of new skills to improve their clinical practice, thereby enhancing consumer and family outcomes. In addition, nurse educators were interviewed to ascertain their impression of the impact of course materials on nursing practice and nurses' confidence in the clinical field. An exploratory qualitative descriptive design was chosen, using semi structured in-depth interviews, to elicit participants' experience of the PG course at completion. Using thematic analysis, themes were extrapolated from the data through examination and reporting on the participant's reaction, learning, behaviour and result of behaviour. The main theme identified was a “new awareness of self” with a number of related sub-themes. The findings from the evaluation indicate that this course supports emerging practitioners to develop a strong professional mental health nursing identity, grounded in recovery oriented practice. The results of this evaluation will inform further development and improvement of postgraduate studies in mental health practice for practice development. Importantly, data indicate a high potential for graduates to lead by example in sharing new knowledge and optimising recovery oriented practice.