Professors’ views on mental health nursing education in the baccalaureate nursing programs of Ontario: a grounded theory approach

Abstract

According to the Canadian Nurses’ Association (2005), mental health (MH) nursing is currently undervalued in the nursing profession. The Education Committee of the Canadian Federation of Mental Health Nurses (CFMHN) (2009) reports that the length of MH theory and practicum varies enormously in the undergraduate nursing programs of Ontario and across the country. Interviews with 19 nursing professors representing programs with different MH components show a variation in their opinions about topics such as the degree of importance of a mandatory stand-alone MH component, whether MH nursing education should be students’ or professors’ responsibility, how professors relate themselves to the MH component, and their familiarity with and assessment of their program’s MH education. It remains unclear the extent to which these factors contribute to program design and, in turn, students’ knowledge of MH nursing. Further research in this area is required.