The process of carrying out simulation training within mental health nursing is part of a teaching method used to increase a student’s understanding of mental illness, allowing them to develop the required empathic practices that will form part of their skillset. Simulation training has proven to be an effective teaching method within the nursing curriculum. Simulation training provides assistance in the alleviation of societal stigma and general fear and anxiety when communicating with patients who have mental health disorders. The aim of this research is to study student emotions and feelings that may have arisen within the context of mental health simulation training. The current research was conducted by making use of a cohort of undergraduate nursing students in the field of mental health who were undertaking mental health simulation training in a healthcare college. Student feedback was analysed using qualitative content analysis, based on a process of self-reflection by the students themselves. The analysis focused on emotions that had arisen during the study process, and emotional management processes that had been adopted by the students. The results of the research confirmed the supposition that the students had undergone emotional tension during mental health simulation training. Based on the results of the analysis, a model could be designed, which would provide the required emotional preparation and support during a mental health simulation training. This consists of a series of recommendations, which will assist in the emotional preparation of students who are undertaking simulation training.
Bartlett, S. 2017. Mental health simulation model: A place for learning in a New Zealand context. Health & Wellbeing, 2, 115–116.
https://www.thescopes.org/assets/Uploads/7e0a57b062/Bartlett.pdf
Brown, A. M. 2015. Simulation in undergraduate mental health nursing education: a literature review. Clin. Simul. Nurs., 11(10), 445–449.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecns.2015.08.003
Brown, J. F. 2008. Applications of simulation technology in psychiatric mental education. J. Psychiatr. Ment. Health Nurs., 15, 638–644.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2850.2008.001281.x
Choi, Y.-J. 2012. Exploring experiences of psychiatric nursing simulations using standardized patients for undergraduate students. Asian Nurs. Res., 6(3), 91–95.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anr.2012.07.001
Doolen, J., Giddings, M., Johnson, M., Guizado de Nathan, G., Lysander, O. and Badia, L. 2014. An evaluation of mental health simulation with standardized patients. Int. J. Nurs. Educ. Scholarsh., 11(1), 1–8.
https://doi.org/10.1515/ijnes-2013-0075
Dougherty, A. 2014. Using standardized patients to teach mental health in baccalaureate nursing programs. Masters thesis. St. Catherine University Press.
https://sophia.stkate.edu/ma_nursing/94
Felton, A. and Wright, N. 2017. Simulation in mental health nurse education: The development, implementation and evaluation of an educational innovation. Nurse Educ. Pract., 26(9), 46–52.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2017.06.005
Furnes, M., Kvaal, K. S. and Høye, S. 2018. Communication in mental health nursing – Bachelor students’ appraisal of a blended learning training programme – an exploratory study. BMC Nurs., (Learning experiences for nursing students simulation training in mental health nursing: systematic literature review of qualitative studies). 20(17), 20–23.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-018-0288-9
Kameg, K., Mitchell, A., Clochesy, J., Howard, V. and Suresky, J. 2009. Communication and human patient simulation in psychiatric nursing. Issues Ment. Health Nurs., 30(8), 503–508.
https://doi.org/10.1080/01612840802601366
Kärki, J., Kuivila, H., Kääriäinen, M. and Mikkonen, K. 2018. Sairaanhoitajaopiskelijoiden oppimiskokemuksia mielenterveyshoitotyön simulaatio-opetuksesta: systemaattinen kir- jallisuuskatsaus laadullisista tutkimuksista (Learning experiences for nursing students simulation training in mental health nursing: systematic literature review of qualitative studies). Hoitotiede, 30(4), 285–298 (in Finnish).
http://jultika.oulu.fi/files/nbnfi-fe2019090226279.pdf
Kuhanen, C., Oittinen, P., Kanerva, A., Seuri, T., Schubert, C. 2013. Mielenterveyshoitotyö (Mental Health Nursing). Sanoma Pro Oy, Helsinki (in Finnish).
Lang, C. and Hanh, J. 2013. Blast model. An innovative approach to prepare second-degree accelerated BSN students for inpatient psychiatric clinical experiences. J. Psychosoc. Nurs. Ment. Health Serv., 51(3), 38–45.
https://doi.org/10.3928/02793695-20130130-01
Langham, G. W., Jones, M. P. and Terry, A. 2017. Transforming future nurses through simulation in mental health nursing. J. Nurs. Educ. Pract., 7(4), 96–99.
https://doi.org/10.5430/jnep.v7n4p96
Lioce, L., Meakim, C. H., Fey, M. K., Chmil, J. V., Mariani, K. and Alinier, G. 2015. Standards of best practice: simulation standard IX: simulation esign. Clin. Simul. Nurs., 11(6), 309–315.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecns.2015.03.005
McGough, S., and Heslop, K. 2021. Developing mental health-related simulation activities for an Australian undergraduate nursing curriculum. J. Nurs. Educ., 60(6).
https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-20210520-11
Mulyadi M., Tonapa, S. I., Rompas, S. J., Wang, R.-H. and Lee, B. O. 2021. Effects of simulation technology-based learning on nursing students’ learning outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of experimental studies. Nurse Educ., 107, 105127.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2021.105127
Reese, C. E. 2014. Evaluating teacher effectiveness when using simulation. In Clinical Simulations in Nursing Education. Advanced Concepts, Trends, and Opportunities (Jeffries, P. R., ed.). Wolters Kluwer.
Sanford, P. G. 2010. Simulation in nursing education: a review of the research. Qual. Rep,. 15(4), 1006–1011.
https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2010.1196
Saunders, A., Vega, M. O., Ianelli, H., Cross, S. and Attoe, C. 2021. Evaluating the impact of simulation-based mental health training on self-efficacy: a retrospective data analysis. Int. J. Healthc. Simul., 1(1), 3–10.
https://doi.org/10.54531/XRRK9799
Schwindt, R. and McNelis, A. 2015. Integrating simulation into a reflection-centered graduate psychiatric/mental health nursing curriculum. Nurs. Educ. Perspect., 36(5), 326–328.
https://doi.org/10.5480/15-1614
