Myths and mysteries of mental health: An interagency collaboration

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Abstract

This paper explores a practice learning collaboration between a group of undergraduate mental health nurses (N = 12) and second year high school pupils, (age 13/14 years old). A case study approach is employed as an example of an interagency learning activity in the undergraduate curriculum. Nursing students and high school teachers worked together to develop five three workshops. Each workshop contained five ‘tabletop’ group activities around themes such as confidence building; friendship skills and diet and health. The overall aim of the workshops was to provide an atypical experience for mental health nursing students in which the setting is an everyday environment (school); with young people who were not ‘patients’ or ‘clients’, and that focuses on health rather than ill health. In addition the activity aimed to broaden school pupils understanding and knowledge of mental health and well-being. Outcome: Pupils completed a closed question evaluation at the end of the workshop that demonstrated the workshops were effective in improving understanding. In addition, the nursing students presented their experience of the interagency activity at a national conference. The paper will explore the social and educational benefits of interagency learning, and concludes that further research is required to identify the significant role schools have to play in developing a nursing workforce that is prepared for care that is centred around the concept of health and well-being and that focuses on the community as the principle for setting for intervention.

Section snippets

A cultural shift in mental health: from ill-health to well-being; from hospital to school

The following discussion provides context to the case study by focussing on social and educational policy drivers in Scotland that are also pertinent to nurse education.

Scotland with a population of 5.1 million people has driven forward health and social policy that aims to promote a very public understanding of mental health and wellbeing. Core to the vision of a future Scotland is an ethos of ‘early intervention’; ‘prevention’ and ‘anticipation’ in mental health policy (Scottish Government,

Schools universities and social policy: the connections and opportunities for interagency working

Schools provide fertile ground for mental health education. With an estimated 10% of children and young people experiencing a mental health problem that is sufficiently significant to impact on their daily lives (Scottish Executive, 2003) there is every reason for mental health nursing students to be actively engaged with school communities. This view is already enacted in Scotland, through a newly introduced educational strategy, Curriculum for Excellence (Scottish Government 2010). The

Developing and delivering the workshops

The focus of the interagency learning was school pupils in the second year of a large city centre high school whose age was between thirteen and fourteen years. Preparation for the activity involved school and university teachers, alongside nursing students met on two occasions prior to the first workshop. These meetings provided a forum for exchanging information, ideas and professional understanding. The school teachers provided an overview of the school profile. The teaching staff explained

Evaluation of the case study

The experience of the workshops was evaluated from both a student nurse and school pupil perspective. The evaluation questions were holistic and descriptive in form in order to elucidate data that reflects the context of each group and the educational activity as a whole.

The pupil experience

The pupil experience was evaluated using a closed question evaluation form at the end of each of the workshop. Three questions were designed, in language and relevance, to engage in the world of the young person. An additional space was provided for the pupils to indicate what they liked ‘most’ and ‘least’ about the workshops. The questions related to level of engagement in the activity and evidence of new learning and were as follows:

Question One: Was the workshop boring, good or excellent?

The experience of the nursing students

The mental health nursing students captured their learning experience of the interagency activity through a poster presentation at a national conference. The learning was formulated around three areas: engaging with young people; engaging in a school setting; facilitating and developing group activities; formulating thinking and understanding around promoting mental health and well-being. Students developed with an interactive audio link that could be listened to alongside the poster

Discussion

The case study has demonstrated that partnership working between higher education institutions and local schools provides opportunities for student nurses to develop skills and understanding of mental health in keeping with contemporary health and education principles. Partnership in practice learning is sporadic and yet if the principles of interagency working are to be achieved, it is a requirement not an option. Partnership working enables the ethos of connecting communities with the role of

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