clinical practice
Professor Michael Roche has worked in clinical environments across both in-patient and community mental health care . Photo : University of Canberra
Staying on top
Rapid changes bring a shift in mental health nurses ’ perceived identity .
By Elise Hartevelt
Mental health care in Australia has undergone a dramatic transformation since the 1980s .
Old-fashioned institutions where patients received psychological care in hospital wards made way for flexible , communitybased environments with an individual-focused approach .
Mental health nurses were compelled to adjust to these rapid changes but often encountered significant barriers .
And as we know today , the nursing profession is still facing many challenges such as a lack of staff and recourses .
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During Professor Michael Roche ’ s recent public lecture , he said society ’ s perception that the mental health sector is not a great place to work is still held by some today , and is affecting staff and patient care .
He ’ s advocating for a change ; not only in mental health education but also in the nursing work environment .
“ It takes courage to overcome our fear of change and the inertia of organisations – but the time to do so is now ,” he said .
Nursing Review had a conversation with Michael , the Clinical Chair of Mental Health Nursing at the University of Canberra , on how their role has shifted over the past decades and what barriers the profession is currently facing .
NR : In your lecture as part of the university ’ s Research Week , you pointed out that the mental health profession has seen drastic changes since the ‘ 80s , which changed how nurses perceive themselves in their roles . What were those changes and how did they affect the mental health profession ? MR : Two things happened at a very similar time . First , in the 80s and 90s , mental health services were , up until that time , traditionally institutionalised and based in large , old-style hospitals . Then , those services moved out into a more community-oriented and mainstream environment . That shift meant that many mental health units moved out of wards of old institutions into public hospitals .
While that was a positive change , it also created a significant disruption . It altered how mental health nurses practise their profession because they transferred from