The Impact of Pre-Registration Mental Health Education and Placement

This essay delves into the significant influence of pre-registration mental health nursing education and placement on nursing practice. It explores how such education shapes undergraduate students' understanding, motivation, and skills in the field. The essay examines the impact of pre-registration education on patient outcomes, communication skills, and employee retention within healthcare organizations. It also addresses challenges like mental health stigmas and safety issues encountered by students during placement. The analysis synthesizes credible literature to provide a comprehensive understanding of the benefits of pre-registration education, including enhanced problem-solving abilities, improved communication, and increased job satisfaction among nurses. The essay emphasizes the crucial role of pre-registration education in preparing future mental health professionals and improving overall healthcare service quality. Finally, the essay concludes by recommending strategies to enhance pre-registration programs and address the challenges faced by students and practitioners in the field.

Running head: PRE-REGISTRATION MENTAL HEALTH EDUCATION 1
Pre-Registration Education
Students Name
Institutional Affiliation

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Pre-Registration Education
Introduction
Mental health professionals engage in the provision of healthcare services to individuals
with psychiatric illness. Usually, they deliver their services in correlation with the families and
respective stakeholders in the medical department. Typical examples of mental nursing
operations include prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of mental illness. However, the
effectiveness of performing the above responsibilities depends on the degree of pre-registration
education of the practitioner. Unlike other nursing professions, the mental nursing job title is a
critical and sensitive career within the nursing field. Therefore, all nursing practitioners in the
mental nursing field have to obtain a master's degree level and register with the respective
accreditation agencies. The mental nurse practitioners also undertake the National Council
Licensure Examination before commencing their duties as registered nurses. Despite such
regulations and standards in the mental nursing profession, very few detailed studies have been
explored to present the impact of pre-registration education and placement on the nursing
practice.
Impact of Pre-Registration Education and Placement in the Nursing Practice
Pre-registration education plays a significant role in determining the quality of healthcare
services provided by healthcare nursing practitioners in the mental healthcare system. A mental
healthcare nurse refers to a registered healthcare specialist with career qualifications in mental
health (Australian College of Mental Health Nurses, 2010). This statement reveals the fact that
mental health practitioners require to comply with specific specifications in the mental nursing
career for the effective delivery of healthcare services to the patients. Farrell, Crookes, Usher,

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McCann, and Moxham (2011), emphasize the significance of pre-registration education in
promoting patient-centered care among the patients. Therefore, it is significant to invest in
training and development programs aimed at promoting the skills of the mental nurses for the
effective delivery of healthcare services to mentally ill patients.
Following the discussion above, it is clear that the mental health profession requires
qualified professionals with adequate knowledge and skills in the career. Therefore, only
specialists in the area are qualified to deliver quality services to patients. On the other hand, pre-
registration education serves a significant role in providing quality specialists in the mental
healthcare system (Furber, Pusey, Busby, & Stringer, 2017). The mental healthcare sector is one
of the areas that are adversely impacted by shortages in the number of healthcare professionals
(Happell, 2009). Staff shortages is a fundamental issue in the healthcare system. Therefore, there
exists a need to develop more qualified personnel through pre-registration education. Pre-
registration education determines the future scope of the mental health sector. According to
Moxham, Robison, and Pegg (2011), promoting the theoretical and clinical learning experiences
among the preregistered students is the fundamental approach of ensuring quality personnel in
the mental nursing field. Therefore, the effectiveness of pre-registration education determines the
nature of the mental nursing profession in the future generation.
Preregistration education has a huge impact on the motivational spirit of nursing
practitioners in the mental health sector (Cregan, Perlman, & Moxham, 2016). This motivational
spirit is built at the background levels when the nursing students join pre-registration mental
health courses at the undergraduate level. Most undergraduate students join the mental health
professionals without the moral and incentive to partake the mental health career (Happell,
Robins and Gough, 2008; Cregan, et, al., 2016). However, their motivational spirits are enhanced

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and promoted during the courses until the completion of their undergraduate level. At the end of
pre-registration education, it is found that most of the mental health nursing students change their
perception regarding their career. Most students consider the mental nursing profession a more
viable career upon the completion of the pre-nursing registration education (Happell, Robins and
Gough, 2008). Pre-registration education enhances motivational spirits among the students by
promoting their understanding of problem-solving strategies that employ attitude transformation
(Adelman & Taylor, 2015). A similar ideology has been displayed by Jenkins and Germaine
(2018), who emphasize on solution-oriented learning as a strategic approach in promoting
motivation and resilience among the mental health specialists. It is naïve to hesitate to mention
the fact that most of the pre-registration courses promote solution-oriented learning. Therefore,
pre-registration education has a significant impact on the motivation of the nursing profession.
The motivational spirit of the mental health practitioners generates during pre-registration
education does not mark the ultimate end of the effects of the educational program. Instead,
motivating mental health professionals has constant impacts on nursing practice. Firstly, it is
irrational to neglect the impact of employee motivation on the effectiveness of health services.
Motivated professionals are likely to work for extra hours in the organization thus promoting
higher outputs compared to the employees who are less motivated (OFFORBIKE, NNADI, &
AGU, 2018). Additionally, motivated employees are likely to undertake every step in the nursing
practice procedure thus promoting patient’s safety in the organization. However, this motivation
is triggered by pre-registration education.
Also, the motivation created through pre-registration education has a great impact on
employee retention in the organization (Greene, Bina, & Gum, 2016). Retention of workers in
the healthcare institution is a very significant aspect. However, it can only be enhanced through

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education. Employee retention is enhanced through good social relations in the organizations.
Usually, different students from diverse societies meet during their pre-registration education.
This aspect of bringing individuals of different social groups together bring about the aspect of
cultural competence among the students as they prepare for their mental health nursing
profession. In so doing, the students develop good skills that enable them to relate excellently
with each other during the nursing practice. These skills, in turn, lead to good relationships
between the managing staff and the mental nurses.
As a result, employee retention is promoted in healthcare organizations. Employee
retention, on the other hand, has plenty of impacts on the organization. Employee retention in the
farm presents both direct impacts and indirect impacts to the organization. Firstly, worker
retention in the organization limits the rate of worker turn over thus reducing the costs incurred
in the recruitment process, training and development, orientation and selection of new workers.
Additionally, employee retention reduces the number of vacant positions in the healthcare
organization. The retention of medical professionals in the organization also increases the
effectiveness of the healthcare services to the mental patients as most of the personnel have
adequate knowledge in the career. The impact of adequate workers on the health care sector has
presented itself through the nationalities who are known for having serious ramifications in the
healthcare sector due to shortages in the number of healthcare professionals.
On the other hand, HRH (2015), reveals the vital effects of unmotivated workers on the
health care system. Health care institutions with motivated workers are likely to offer quality
services to patients. Health care professionals who are not motivated in their institutions have
been at the forefront of leaving their profession to explore other areas of interest. Also, mental
health care professionals leave institutions with low payments to organizations where incentives

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are guaranteed. Therefore, by shaping one’s motivational skills, pre-registration education
imparts the overall quality of mental healthcare services in respective healthcare organizations.
Furthermore, pre-registration education has a fundamental impact on the communication
skills of mental nurses in the nursing practice. Communication skills are also promoted during
the placement of the students in respective organizations. As earlier mentioned, the mental health
sector is a sensitive area that requires an individual to be competent in both verbal and non-
verbal communication. Following the fact that mental health sector involves a diversity of clients
with diverse family and social backgrounds, it requires the mental health nurse to be competent
in communication skills (Furnes, Kvaal, & Hoye, 2018). In this case, pre-registration education
provides the nursing students with fundamental opportunities of meeting from diverse
backgrounds and sharing their competence in communication in preparation for the actual
nursing practice. Not only does pre-registration education promote effective communication
across diverse social groups but also across a range of age groups. Therefore, it is naïve to
hesitate to mention the fact that pre-registration education is the most effective tool in promoting
effective communication among mental nursing practitioners. Effective communication, on the
other hand, has plenty of effects in the nursing profession. The increasing advantages of effective
communication skills in nursing communication cannot be undermined. Effective
communication has a great impact on the patient’s outcomes (Varcarolis, 2016). Most patients
tend to appreciate the services that are provided by friendly health practitioners. Being friendly is
directly linked to excellent communication skills. Patients satisfaction increases with good
communication skills among nursing practitioners.
On the other hand, patients’ satisfaction has a significant effect on the overall nursing
profession. Usually, the patients' satisfaction is a measure of patients' safety and quality of

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service provided by mental health nurses. Otherwise, nurses feel motivated in their profession
when they get good feedback from their clients. Therefore, it is clear that the ideology of
patients’ satisfaction, nurses’ motivation and quality services in the mental nursing profession
takes a cyclic narrative. Most significantly, good communication does not only revolve between
the nurses and patients but also among the nursing staff. It is therefore clear that good
relationships are likely to develop among the nursing staff provided good communication is
enhanced. This will consequently promote employee retention in the organization which will not
only reduce the cost of recruitment, training, orientation, and selection but also aids in promoting
quality services due to reliable healthcare professionals in the mental health system among health
care organizations. Therefore, effective communication which is promoted through pre-
registration education and placement has a significant impact in promoting the effectiveness of
the nursing practice.
Pre-registration education impacts the outcomes of the nursing practice by providing a
livelihood to the mental nursing practitioners. The education and training sector in the mental
nursing profession charges respective fees on the students. The fee charged on students is further
utilized as payment to the nursing practitioners. In so doing job opportunities are opened up for
the mental health practitioners who earn their living by educating the students. For instance, the
US Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals 19% from 2012 to 2022. This is a very high rate of
increase in nursing practitioners' job opportunities. As per the BLS (2013), the medium nursing
staff earn approximately $92,670. Such a figure illustrates the beneficial side of nursing
programs like pre-registration education. The salaries have huge implications in the nursing
profession as they improve the livelihood of mental health practitioners. Such funds make mental
health nurses socially and financially stable to handle the problems of the patients.

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Furthermore, the salary motivates the mental health nurses to deliver quality skills to the
students during pre-registration education. In other words, the outcomes of the learning program
are improved and realized upon the incentive provided to the healthcare professionals during the
education program. In so doing, excellent skills and knowledge are enhanced among the nursing
students which consequently impact the future scope of the nursing practice (Bvumbwe, 2016).
Well-developed nursing students represent the future success in the delivery of quality services
to the mentally ill patients and their relatives.
Pre-registration education plays a significant role in promoting the general understanding
of the mental nursing profession among the students (Ramluggun, Lacy, Cadle, & Anjoyeb,
2018). The mental health nursing profession is one of the careers which receives a poor response
from students upon the completion of secondary education. Furthermore, the students who select
the career are usually less motivated to proceed with the mental health nursing profession (Cho,
Harrist, Steele, & Murn, 2015). If such an ideology proceeded, then the mental health care
system would be devastating. However, the profession promotes individual knowledge and skills
in the profession by feeding them with relevant facts and placement experience in the profession.
In so doing, most of the students get to know a good insight of the profession thus changing their
attitudes towards the profession. Pre-registration education also develops the knowledge of the
students on palliative care (Bassah and Palle, 2019). Therefore, pre-registration education
promotes students’ knowledge in the career which acts as the background for effective service
delivery during the nursing practice. Such facts and skills have fundamental effects on nursing
practice. For instance, an educated healthcare professional is likely to reduce the accidents rate in
the nursing practice thus enhancing the patients’ safety. In so doing, patients’ satisfaction is
promoted which in turn motivates the nursing professional to deliver quality services to the

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patient. Education has promoted compliance among the nursing staff which has reduced shame
and blames which accompany mental illness including an increase in clients' safety during the
healthcare practice (Videbeck & Videbeck, 2013). In so doing, the effective operations are
promoted in the mental nursing practice.
Also, pre-registration education greatly impacts the implementation process of problem-
solving strategies (Shives, 2008). Most challenges are experienced at the pre-registration
education level. Often, the problems experienced at the pre-registration education level provide
the students with pressures opportunities to think critically and come up with innovative
strategies to curb the challenges. Therefore, it is naïve to ignore the fact that pre-registration
education forms the background upon which creative and innovative skills are developed.
Furthermore, pre-registration education is the backbone upon which students learn to execute
predetermined solutions in their daily challenges (O'Brien et al., 2014). According to Kennedy,
and Madara (2014), students share practical coping skills and data that enable them to deal with
stressful life problems. Therefore, pre-registration education plays a significant role in
developing creativity and innovation among the students which serves an essential role in
dealing with chronic mental illness during the nursing practice.
Pre-registration education has a significant impact on nursing leadership. Mental
healthcare departments are headed by managers who should acquire adequate leadership skills.
The mental health leaders deal with educated individual professionals who are very sensitive and
can react to administrative decisions in the healthcare system. However, pre-registration
education empowers nurses concerning execution, planning, and evaluations of leadership
concepts (APNA, 2018). Following the fact that human beings are the most critical elements in
the organizations, it is imperative for the mental nursing professionals to acquire adequate social

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skills that will promote mutual operations for the achievement of organizational goals and
objectives.
Even though pre-registration education has plenty of advantages to the mental nursing
practice, it is naïve to hesitate to mention the negative impact of the program. Pre-registration
education is associated with heavy costs which are discouraging in the mental nursing
profession. Usually, there exist students who are motivated to partake the mental health nursing
profession. However, they can't raise the fee required thus end up in other cheaper professions.
This, in turn, leads to the development of professionals who have no interest in the career hence
negatively impacting the nursing practice.
Conclusion
In conclusion, pre-registration education has significant effect on the nursing practice.
Even though pre-registration education has adverse effects, its advantages on the nursing practice
have been realized in nations like the USA and Australia. However, pre-registration education
plays a significant role in the nursing practice. Some of the positive effects of the program
include motivation of the mental health nurses, enhancement of mental health skills, promotion
of patient satisfaction and others which have a significant effect in promoting the overall patient
outcome. Therefore, it is vital for accrediting agencies to promote effectiveness in pre-
registration education for quality healthcare services and patients’ safety with respect to mental
health practice.

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