Student nurses' experiences of support in relation to suicide or suicidal behaviours of mental health patients: an exploratory study

Purpose - Observations have been made that mental health students receive very little support following observing patients displaying suicidal behaviour. The purpose of this paper is to conduct a small-scale empirical study to investigate this issue further. Design/methodology/approach - The approach used in this study is phenomenological. Qualitative data were obtained through semi-structured interviews consisting of a range of questions asking mental health student nurses about their experiences of support in practice. The data are analysed using thematic analysis. Findings - As well as issues relating to the support of mental health student nurses in practice, there are many ethical issues raised in this paper. These include student responsibilities while in placement areas; students as having a supernumerary status; and the inclusion of students in supervision and debriefing sessions following traumatic incidents. Research limitations/implications - This small-scale exploratory study was conducted with a small number of students in one University. However, the study provides a strong starting point for further research on the support students receive during their mental health nurse training. Originality/value - This paper makes some recommendations on ways to improve the support of students in practice, including maintaining and supporting the role of Practice Experience Managers who spend a considerable amount of time in placement areas interacting with students and feeding back relevant practice concerns to University staff.