Becoming an Expert by Experience: Benefits and Challenges of Educating Mental Health Nursing Students

Happell, Brenda; Warner, Terri; Waks, Shifra; O’Donovan, Áine; Manning, Fionnuala; Doody, Rory; Greaney, Sonya; Goodwin, John; Hals, Elisabeth; Griffin, Martha; Scholz, Brett; Granerud, Arild; Platania‐Phung, Chris; Russell, Siobhan; MacGabhann, Liam; Pulli, Jarmo; Vatula, Annaliina; Vaart, Kornelis Jan van der; Allon, Jerry; Bjõrnsson, Einar; Ellilä, Heikki; Lahti, Mari; Biering, Páll

doi:10.1080/01612840.2021.1931583

Cited by 15 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…According to Goffman's dramaturgy, 14,15 the patient in the clinical setting functions as a passive 'prop', whose role is characterized by passivity and illness, whereas in the academic setting, their role is characterized by expertise and recovery. The patients in our study appreciated the value of students' exposure to mental health patients in a position of power and influence rather than in the traditional patient role, something also appreciated in the mental health nursing literature, 43 and made a logical connection to students' treatment of patients in the future.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 66%

Power, recovery and doing something worthwhile: A thematic analysis of expert patient perspectives in psychiatry education

Ward

Stanyon

Ryan

et al. 2022

Health Expectations

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Background Patient involvement in psychiatry education is required by policy and has many benefits for students. Little research has focused on the impact on expert patients (EPs). Objective This study aimed to explore the impact of involvement in psychiatry education on mental health patients. Design A qualitative descriptive study using semistructured interviews was conducted in a psychiatry teaching unit in the East Midlands, UK. A purposive sample of 20 EPs involved in teaching was interviewed about the social and psychological impacts of involvement. Transcripts were analysed thematically and a coding scheme was developed. Results Five themes were identified: shaping the doctors of the future—something worthwhile, challenging assumptions about mental health, recovery and transformation, vulnerability and support and expertise and power. Conclusion These EPs benefitted from their experience of teaching. Involvement in psychiatry teaching may require putting oneself in a vulnerable position, but a supportive and open faculty team may mitigate this challenge. The Expert Patient Programme was seen as a way of helping to reduce the power difference between patients and doctors in the future. There is a need to examine the language that we use to talk about patient involvement as this may have implications for this power dynamic. The context and mechanisms that lead to the benefits described by participants should be studied so that these benefits may be generalized to other contexts. Patient Contribution An EP was involved in the planning and ethical approval application process of the project and the drafting and approval of this manuscript.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 66%

Power, recovery and doing something worthwhile: A thematic analysis of expert patient perspectives in psychiatry education

Ward

Stanyon

Ryan

et al. 2022

Health Expectations

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“…Despite this and recommendations for enhanced participation (National Mental Health Commission 2014), lived experience education in current Australian nurse education is largely absent, and where present is mostly tokenistic to satisfy bureaucratic needs (Happell et al . 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental health nursing capability development: Perspectives of consumers and supporters

Hurley

Foster

Campbell

et al. 2022

Int J Mental Health Nurs

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Mental health nursing requires a specialist range of capabilities and values. In Australian contexts, the preparation of nurses to work in mental health settings has attracted criticism from government reviews, academics, and graduate nurses. Insufficient mental health content and clinical placement experience in undergraduate nursing courses have been central to this criticism. The study aim was to identify the areas and modalities of capability development of graduate mental health nurses, from the perspectives of end point users. In order to meet the aim, a four‐item cross‐sectional online survey with three additional and open‐ended questions was developed. The questions were co‐designed with consumer academics and reviewed by consumer and carer organizations. The survey was widely distributed across Australian consumer and carer organizations, with 95 useable responses. Findings indicated strong support for lived experience being integrated into teaching teams for nurses, as well as support for undergraduate direct entry for mental health nursing. Themed content from open‐ended responses reflected the survey outcomes as well as prioritizing skill development to support better therapeutic relating and nurse self‐care. Key findings included strong support for greater lived experience input into mental health nurse education, specialist undergraduate preparation and a focus on developing relational capabilities in the mental health nurse workforce.

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“…The findings suggest participants may be reluctant to provide extra support to EBE to avoid being paternalistic, and this is understandable. However, an international study of EBE demonstrated the importance of emotional and practical support from nurse academics to the success of this role (Happell, Warner, Waks, O’Donovan, et al, 2021). The absence of this support has been found to be problematic (Happell et al, 2015; Happell, Warner, Waks, O’Donovan, et al, 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, an international study of EBE demonstrated the importance of emotional and practical support from nurse academics to the success of this role (Happell, Warner, Waks, O’Donovan, et al, 2021). The absence of this support has been found to be problematic (Happell et al, 2015; Happell, Warner, Waks, O’Donovan, et al, 2021). The importance of support was addressed in coproduced guidelines for the implementation of EBE positions (Horgan et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Creating or taking opportunity: Strategies for implementing expert by experience positions in mental health academia

Happell

Donovan

Warner

et al. 2022

Psychiatric Ment Health Nurs

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Accessible summary What is known on the subject? Experts by experience involvement in the education of health professionals demonstrate positive attitudinal change. Meaningful positions for Experts by Experience are limited and ad hoc, due to attitudinal and other barriers to innovation within the higher education sector. Experiences of allies who have supported the implementation of Expert by Experience positions have not been researched. This is important knowledge that could be utilized by potential allies. What the paper adds to existing knowledge? Academic allies to experts by experience have a crucial role to play in identifying opportunities to establish, implement and sustain expert by experience positions. Allies who have successfully implemented positions for experts by experience have identified influential factors including: right person, right role, collaboration and coproduction, support, and career pathways. Understanding these factors can provide an important basis for other academics to support a widespread increase in academic roles for experts by experience in mental health education. What are the implications for practice? Establishing and maintaining genuine relationships with service users require significant attitudinal change on the part of mental health professionals. Involving experts by experience in mental health education provides an innovative approach to the challenging of attitudes and the enhancement of more collegial relationships with service users as colleagues in the workplace. This paper demonstrates the importance of allyship to the establishment, implementation and sustainability of expert by experience roles, and highlights critical factors allies have utilized in support of such roles. Nurses and other mental health professional academics have the potential to become allies and support change and innovation. Abstract IntroductionExperts by experience in academia have demonstrated more positive student attitudes towards relationships with service users. Notwithstanding this supportive evidence, academic positions for EBE have not grown substantially. Enhanced understanding of positions that have been implemented is important knowledge for others with similar aspirations. AimTo enrich understanding of the role of allies in identifying and pursuing opportunities to support academic positions for experts by experience. MethodsQualitative exploratory approach, involving In‐depth interviews with allies with expertise in supporting academic positions for experts by experience. ResultsParticipants were enthusiastic about creating or taking opportunities to secure expert by experience involvement within their programs. Factors facilitating success included right person, right role, collaboration and coproduction, support and career pathways. ConclusionsSignificant barriers have prevented proliferation of academic roles for experts by experience. Despite barriers, allies have been successful in supporting the implementation and sustaining of positions, and gained consid...

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Becoming an Expert by Experience: Benefits and Challenges of Educating Mental Health Nursing Students

Cited by 15 publications

References 62 publications

Power, recovery and doing something worthwhile: A thematic analysis of expert patient perspectives in psychiatry education

Power, recovery and doing something worthwhile: A thematic analysis of expert patient perspectives in psychiatry education

Mental health nursing capability development: Perspectives of consumers and supporters

Creating or taking opportunity: Strategies for implementing expert by experience positions in mental health academia

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