Elizabeth Brodie
Edinburgh Napier University, UK
Title: Coming full circle: A reflection on two innovative teaching methods for mental health nurses
Biography
Biography: Elizabeth Brodie
Abstract
Two of the pillars of skilled mental health nursing are the ability to work well in groups and the capacity to work collaboratively with people who have the experience of mental health diagnoses. As educators of mental health nurses our educational approaches and methods should facilitate the development of those skills. One of the current challenges for nurse educators is the range of subject knowledge that students have already accrued via their peers and social media. In addition, the wider demands of the mental health nursing profession require graduates who can work effectively within and across a range of professional groups and teams in an articulate and credible fashion; who can lead innovation in clinical care and research and who have the positive attributes which demonstrate good citizenship. Thus, more familiar didactic methods of teaching should give way to a more contemporary approach which takes into account the students’ prior learning and experiences. A module using enquiry based learning enabled students to develop their voice, articulate their ideas and present them with confidence and credibility in a group setting. A further module included service users in the module design, delivery and evaluation and provided students with an innovative approach to working with people with the diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. Through evaluation of those experiences for all participants, what emerges as common ground is; that people learn best through telling stories sharing experiences and working together. Both approaches are valued by students as providing an additional dimension to their learning.