The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice

Neel Halder; Rachel Pearson; Lik‐Chee Ricci Chang

2012 The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice

doi: 10.1108/17556221211269910

Purpose – This study aims to explore the area of learning materials used by students in their psychiatry placement in more detail, and to identify any gaps not adequately filled currently. It also seeks to explore student interest in psychiatry and whether they are considering pursuing it as a future career. Design/methodology/approach – This was a cross sectional study, using questionnaires completed by medical students about their psychiatric undergraduate placement at Manchester University. Findings – Of 144 students, 126 responded (response rate 87.5 per cent). Students spent a mean of 10.1 hours a week studying psychiatry (outside formal teaching). Handouts from lectures or tutors were most commonly used (by 95.2 per cent of respondents) with journals and podcasts being the least common (18.5 per cent and 17.5 per cent, respectively). Psychiatric textbooks were the most useful material for learning about psychiatry. Students identified the need for better quality, more structured and more frequent teaching ( n =58). They also identified a need for greater clinical experience and increased availability of resources such as textbooks. Research limitations/implications – Knowing what materials and resources students prefer to learn from will be crucial to maximize the delivery of an enjoyable and educational psychiatry module. This in turn may result in more students choosing psychiatry as a career. Larger studies are required to support the findings in this study. Originality/value – To the authors' knowledge, there is very little published research into what materials medical students use to learn for their psychiatry placement.

Palaniappan Sundaram; Sati Sembhi; Peter Devlin

2012 The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice

doi: 10.1108/17556221211269929

Purpose – There is an increasing emphasis on strengthening links between the primary and specialist services in order to provide more effective care for patients. The aim of this paper is to focus on a study to engage frontline, secondary care clinicians in a process of reflection on the role of link workers and to identify their view of priorities. Design/methodology/approach – The paper adopts a mixed method study involving focus groups (qualitative method with deductive approach) followed by a survey (quantitative method with an interpretative approach). Findings – The essential role of link workers in managing clinical throughput/flow and improving communication with general practitioners is highlighted. In contrast, crisis intervention and relapse prevention were identified to be of least importance, probably indicating the role of crisis teams and community teams in fulfilling these functions, respectively. Practical implications – It has become apparent through this evaluation that there may be a need to strike a balance between the emphasis upon greater integration of this role with community mental health teams and closer collaboration with general practitioners. Originality/value – The study is part of a service evaluation undertaken with a view to evaluating the role of link workers.

Victoria Stewart; Jann Fielden; Michelle Harris; Amanda Wheeler

2012 The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice

doi: 10.1108/17556221211269938

Purpose – Mental health workforce development is crucial to successful mental health care reform. A postgraduate programme was developed in 2008 at Griffith University, Australia, to address this need. The programme was developed with an interprofessional focus and in an online format to ensure access for people with work or other commitments or living in rural and remote areas. This paper aims to describe the programme and outcomes of the evaluation. Design/methodology/approach – The research involved mixed methods using semi‐structured interviews, brief sturctured interviews and a survey to allow triangulation of data. Ten people (two graduates and eight external key informants) were interviewed, 21 students who had withdrawn participated in a brief telephone interview and 20 current students completed the survey. Findings – Overall the programme was viewed as providing a relevant contemporary qualification for the mental health sector. The online delivery offered flexibility, the interdisciplinary approach to learning was appreciated and the work‐based placements were highly valued. Mixed teaching‐learning modes employing a combination of online and supervised work‐based experience most effectively facilitated consolidation of knowledge in graduates. Enrolling students from a range of disciplines facilitates interdisciplinary learning, enhancing students' ability to understand other health professional's perspectives and work more effectively as a team. Originality/value – Mental health tertiary programmes need to have a clear focus and understanding of the workforce needs, include work based learning experiences and address discipline specific as well as interdisciplinary learning needs to ensure students are work‐ready on graduation.

Anna Tickle; Louise Braham

2012 The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice

doi: 10.1108/17556221211269947

Purpose – There is much literature regarding the involvement of service users in the training of mental health professionals, yet there are few specific examples of such initiatives. This paper aims to report an innovative way of involving service users via DVDs in the teaching psychological formulation on the Trent Clinical Psychology Doctorate programme. Design/methodology/approach – A focus group was held with the service users involved in teaching psychological formulation and analysed using thematic analysis incorporating saliency analysis. Findings – Analysis revealed ten themes, which broadly fell into two categories: service users' experience of involvement and consideration of the impact on teaching and improving trainee experience. Originality/value – It is believed that this approach could not only inform the teaching of psychological formulation but also inspire other innovative opportunities to involve service users in the training of mental health professionals.

Pearse McCusker; Gillian MacIntyre; Ailsa Stewart; Jackie Jackson

2012 The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice

doi: 10.1108/17556221211269956

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of user and carer involvement in a new one‐year postgraduate certificate course for Mental Health Officers (MHOs) in Scotland, covering the first year of its delivery (2009‐2010). Design/methodology/approach – This was explored in two ways: first, by assessing the level of user and carer involvement against a modified framework; and second, by measuring students' confidence in working with people with mental health issues over the duration of the course, and through interviews with students and service users and documentary analysis. Findings – The findings indicate user and carer “influence” and “partnership” over the design and delivery of the learning, teaching and assessment strategy, but no degree of “control” over any aspect of the course. Teaching provided by users and carers was associated with marked improvement in students' confidence in engaging with and upholding the rights of users and carers in the context of the MHO role. Students reported increased awareness of the lived reality of compulsory treatment. Users reported benefits from feeling they had helped facilitate future good practice. Research limitations/implications – The research design does not allow for causal links to be made between increases in student confidence and user and carer involvement. Practical implications – The study identified substantial barriers to effective user and carer involvement but confirmed its potential as a positive change agent for post‐qualifying social work education. Originality/value – This study contributes to the evidence base by demonstrating the value of service user and carer involvement in post qualifying social work education.