Mental health nursing identity: a critical analysis of the UK’s Nursing and Midwifery Council’s pre-registration syllabus change and subsequent move towards genericism
ISSN: 1361-9322
Article publication date: 18 August 2022
Issue publication date: 9 November 2022
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explain how and why the philosophical changes to the pre-registration nursing standards by the UK’s Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) have resulted in a paradigm shift for mental health nursing.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper critically examines the changes to nursing education standards and offers an analysis of the problems associated with the shift towards a generic nursing syllabus.
Findings
The said shift prioritises physical health intervention, skills, procedures and tasks over the uniqueness of mental health nursing.
Practical implications
This paper argues that mental health nursing skills and qualities such as connection, genuine advocacy and therapeutic-use-of-self have been undervalued and under-represented by the new education standards.
Originality/value
This paper calls on the profession and service users to join the discourse and inform future mental health nursing identity. Ultimately, this paper calls on the NMC to reconsider the underpinning principles of the education standards and allot due consideration to the specific needs of the mental health nursing profession.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge Dr Gloria Ayob, Professor Tim Thornton and Professor Mick Mckeown for their expert guidance with regards to analytical argument and publishing know how. The authors would also like to thank the mental health nursing academics at University of Central Lancashire; the team has contributed towards the conception of this article via their insightful discussion and debate.
Author contributions: C. Connell: conceptualization, methodology, writing, supervision, project administration; E. Jones, J. Firestone, M. Haslam, G. Pope and C. Thompson: investigation; C. Connell, E. Jones, J. Firestone, M. Haslam, G. Pope and C. Thompson: writing, review and editing.
This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Citation
Connell, C., Jones, E., Haslam, M., Firestone, J., Pope, G. and Thompson, C. (2022), "Mental health nursing identity: a critical analysis of the UK’s Nursing and Midwifery Council’s pre-registration syllabus change and subsequent move towards genericism", Mental Health Review Journal, Vol. 27 No. 4, pp. 472-483. https://doi.org/10.1108/MHRJ-02-2022-0012
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited