Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 35:330–336, 2014 Copyright © 2014 Informa Healthcare USA, Inc. ISSN: 0161-2840 print / 1096-4673 online DOI: 10.3109/01612840.2013.863413 The Views of Heads of Schools of Nursing about Mental Health Nursing Content in Undergraduate Programs Brenda Happell, PhD, RN Central Queensland University, Institute for Health and Social Science Research, Centre for Mental Health Nursing, and School of Nursing and Midwifery, Rockhampton, Australia Margaret McAllister, RN, MHN, Ed D Central Queensland University, Institute for Health and Social Science Research, Centre for Mental Health Nursing, and School of Nursing and Midwifery, Noosa, Australia Criticisms about the mental health nursing content of Bachelor of Nursing programs have been common since the introduction of comprehensive nursing education in Australia. Most criticism has come from the mental health nursing sector and the views of key stakeholders have not been systematically reported. Heads of Schools of Nursing have considerable influence over the con- tent of nursing programs, and their perspectives must be part of ongoing discussions about the educational preparation of nurses. This article reports the findings of a qualitative exploratory study, involving in-depth interviews with Heads of Schools of Nursing from Queensland, Australia. Thematic data analysis revealed two main themes: Realising the Goal? and Influencing Factors. Over- all, participants did not believe current programs were preparing graduates for beginning level practice in mental health settings. In particular, participants believed that the quality of mental health content was influenced by the overcrowded curriculum, the avail- ability of quality clinical placements, the strength of the mental health team, and the degree of consumer focus. The findings sug- gest the current model of nursing education in Australia does not provide an adequate foundation for mental health nursing prac- tice and alternative approaches should be pursued as a matter of urgency. The introduction of comprehensive education for the prepa- ration of registered nurses reflects an ongoing campaign for nurses to receive broad and general skills and knowledge at the undergraduate level, with specialisation in specific fields of nursing practice to occur at postgraduate level (Happell, 1998). The current picture of educational preparation for nurses, how- ever, has been described as quite disparate from the initial vision (Happell & Cutcliffe, 2011; Holmes, 2006; Stuhlmiller, 2005; Warelow & Edward, 2009). Address correspondence to Brenda Happell, Centre for Men- tal Health Nursing Innovation, Building 18, Bruce Highway, Rockhampton, 4702 Australia. E-mail: b.happell@cqu.edu.au The original intention to prepare nursing graduates for be- ginning practice in a broad range of health care has not been realised despite numerous reports and inquiries highlighting the relative underrepresentation of mental health content in nurs- ing curricula (Happell, 2010). The most recent report into the undergraduate preparation of nurses for mental health practice (Mental Nurse Education Taskforce, 2008), described the long- standing inadequacy of mental health nursing content (Moxham, McCann, Usher, Farrell, & Crookes, 2011), reinforcing what has consistently been noted in the literature (Happell, 1998; Happell, 2010; Happell & Cutcliffe, 2011; McCann, Moxham, Usher, Crookes, & Farrell, 2009; Moxham et al., 2011; Warelow & Edward, 2009; Wynaden, 2012). The report, subsequently endorsed by the Council of Deans of Nursing and Midwifery, included principles to underpin the development of the mental health component, including the need for discrete and compulsory content to be covered each year throughout the three-year program; the requirement that content be taught by staff with the relevant expertise and qualifications; and the need for consumer involvement in the preparation and delivery of content (Mental Nurse Education Taskforce, 2008). Challenges to the quality and quantity of mental health nurs- ing content have been documented over time; mental health nursing has a lack of popularity in comparison to other areas of specialty practice, posing a serious barrier to change (Clin- ton, 2001; Happell, 2008b; Happell & Gaskin, 2013; Stevens, Browne, & Graham, 2013; Surgenor, Dunn, & Horn, 2005). We do know attitudes to mental health nursing can be positively influenced by education (Curtis, 2007; Happell, 2008a; Happell & Gaskin, 2013; Henderson, Happell, & Martin, 2007; O’Brien, Buxton, & Gillies, 2008) and by consumer involvement in ed- ucation, in particular (Anghel & Ramon, 2009; Byrne, Hap- pell, Welch, & Moxham, 2013b; Happell, Pinikahana, & Roper, 2003; Happell & Roper, 2003). The literature also suggests that the number of mental health nurse academics is insufficient, 330 Issues Ment Health Nurs Downloaded from informahealthcare.com by 124.185.17.49 on 04/25/14 For personal use only.