The impact of a mental health clinical placement on the clinical confidence of nursing students in Jordan

Objectives: To examine the impact of clinical placement in a mental health setting on the clinical confidence of nursing students in Jordan. Design and setting: A non-experimental descriptive survey design was used. Data was collected using the Mental Health Nursing Clinical Confidence Scale (MHNCCS) in Jordan. Results: Data indicates that, as a result of clinical placement, nursing students had improved perceived confidence regarding the concept of mental health and mental illness, felt better able to conduct a mental health status examination, create nursing care plans, administer medication and provide health education to patients in mental health settings. Conclusions: Improving the clinical confidence among Jordanian nursing students in relation to mental health nursing skills may provide a safer environment for students and patients as well as lead to enhanced well-being and function of patients. In addition, the results of this study may have practical implications for positive changes to the mental health nursing curriculum clinical placement goals. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.