The Practice Engagement Framework: a framework that assists the identification and development of the clinical role for lecturers in mental health nursing
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/17556221211230589 |
| Pages | 42-46 |
| Published date | 30 March 2012 |
| Date | 30 March 2012 |
| Author | Norman Young,Nicola Evans,Elizabeth Bowring‐Lossock |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care |
The Practice Engagement Framework:
a framework that assists the identification
and development of the clinical role for
lecturers in mental health nursing
Norman Young, Nicola Evans and Elizabeth Bowring-Lossock
Abstract
Purpose – The aim of this paper is to offer a framework that captures the clinical activity of mental health
nursing academics.
Design/methodology/approach – Through an exploration of relevant literature and an examination
of the practices of a team of mental health nursing academics, the key clinical activities that academics
were engaged in were identified.
Findings – The Practice Engagement Framework offers a structure to identify the range and breadth of
clinical engagement for nursing academics.
Originality/value – This framework might be useful for other mental health academics from other
professional groups such as social work and occupational therapy.
Keywords Clinical activity,Practice engagement, Practice Engagement Framework, Clinical credibility,
Mental health services, Nurses
Paper type Conceptual paper
Background
In an attempt to improve our understanding of the breadth and depth of academic mental
health nurses’ connections with clinical work, as a team of lecturers we decided to explore
one another’s existing relationships with practice. This exercise resulted in our realisation
that, in fact, there are a number of different ways mental health nurse academics engage
with clinical practice. Having examined the literature for evidence of what constitutes clinical
activity, or clinical engagement, we found some evidence that this content had been
explored but that there was a gap in a structured formulation describing this area of nursing
academics’ work. This led to the development of the Practice Engagement Framework
described later in this paper.
Considerations from the literature
Maintaining clinical roles for nurse lecturers has long been recognised as problematic
(Ioannides, 1999). Reporting on their endeavours as lecturers to continue to practise in their
respective clinical areas, Bentley and Pegram (2003) concluded that engaging in clinical
activity enables the nurse to achieve and maintain credibility and that educators should have a
foothold in the clinical area to ensure that they can ‘ ‘create reality’’ for students (p. 172).
Clinical activity should nurture clinical competence and ensure lecturers are legitimately able
to facilitate students’ learning in the classroom, particularly the theory and practice of clinical
skills. A review of the literature revealedthat different inferences were associated with the term
‘‘clinical activity’’, for example credibility (Bentley and Pegram, 2003), clinical competence
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THE JOURNAL OF MENTAL HEALTHTRAINING, EDUCATION AND PRACTICE
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VOL. 7 NO. 1 2012, pp. 42-46, QEmeraldGroup Publishing Limited, ISSN 1755-6228 DOI 10.1108/17556221211230589
Norman Young is a Nurse
Consultant, Cardiff and Vale
University Health Board,
Cardiff, UK.
Nicola Evans and Elizabeth
Bowring-Lossock are both
Lecturers in the School of
Nursing and Midwifery
Studies, Cardiff University,
Cardiff, UK.
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