J Psy Nurs. 2023; 14(4): 387-389 | DOI: 10.14744/phd.2023.01328

Taking the trauma out of mental health clinical rotation

Kathy Stanton
Mercer University, Georgia Baptist College of Nursing, Atlanta, United States of America

While clinical rotations during nursing school have been noted to be stressful and anxiety-provoking for students, mental health clinical tends to be exceptionally challenging for students from an emotional perspective. Students are often placed in unpredictable situations on locked units with meager supervision. While nursing schools cannot directly improve the supervision on these units or reduce the degree of unpredictability, clinical instructors can take measures to improve safety and lessen students’ anxiety. This article details a collection of five practices that mental health clinical nursing instructors can use to improve the clinical experience for students, putting adequate support in place to facilitate learning.

Keywords: Anxiety, clinical education, clinical instruction, mental health clinical, mental health nursing, prelicensure, undergraduate students.

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