Supporting the Shakey Bridge, Supporting Nurses to Stay
Tracks
Cullinan Room: In-Person Only
| Wednesday, June 4, 2025 |
| 2:15 PM - 2:35 PM |
Overview
Kate Hocknull, Charles Darwin University
Presenter
Ms. Kate Hocknull
Lecturer In Nursing (Mental Health)
Charles Darwin University
Supporting the Shakey Bridge, Supporting Nurses to Stay
Abstract
Aims and Background
The National Mental Health Pathways to Practice Program (Department of Health and Ageing, 2023) is designed to enhance Australia’s ability to address the current and future mental health needs of the Australian population. This initiative focuses on upskilling and expanding the mental health workforce, ensuring it is sustainable, skilled, and evenly distributed across the country. We report on Charles Darwin University's experience of supporting these goals through successful grant funding under the Pathways to Practice Program.
Intervention/Project Description
Utilizing a top down – bottom-up approach, student nurses are supported to attend lower intensity mental health setting placements, with scholarship funding for those travelling into and out of rural and remote areas. The aims of lower intensity placements are to increase positive attitudes towards mental health nursing and reduce stigma.
Early career mental health nurses will be supported during transition period from student nurse to RN through the development of online and face-face education packages. These packages are developed alongside industry providers and are designed to address ‘on-the-floor’ education gaps.
For senior nurses, the development of a preceptorship package supports them, to support early career nurses – in turn reducing attrition of health care staff.
Discussion
Evaluation of the process is ongoing and through qualitative surveying with student nurses, placement providers, and collaborative industry providers.
There are common challenges to nursing workforce development. This includes staffing shortages which make study leave challenging, and cost implications for nursing staff who do not receive CDP funding.
Conclusion
When developing educational and preceptorship packages, flexibility is key. One size does not fit all, but engagement with collaborative industry providers evidences keen need for ongoing professional development support of our qualified nursing working. With ongoing government investment, this top-down model could be adopted and embedded into transitional mental health nursing programs.
Three Key Learnings:
1. The common barriers to attracting mental health nurses into the profession and issues in retention of mental health nurses in the profession.
2. Solutions to address retention
3. Reflections on our learnings, suggested ways forward
The National Mental Health Pathways to Practice Program (Department of Health and Ageing, 2023) is designed to enhance Australia’s ability to address the current and future mental health needs of the Australian population. This initiative focuses on upskilling and expanding the mental health workforce, ensuring it is sustainable, skilled, and evenly distributed across the country. We report on Charles Darwin University's experience of supporting these goals through successful grant funding under the Pathways to Practice Program.
Intervention/Project Description
Utilizing a top down – bottom-up approach, student nurses are supported to attend lower intensity mental health setting placements, with scholarship funding for those travelling into and out of rural and remote areas. The aims of lower intensity placements are to increase positive attitudes towards mental health nursing and reduce stigma.
Early career mental health nurses will be supported during transition period from student nurse to RN through the development of online and face-face education packages. These packages are developed alongside industry providers and are designed to address ‘on-the-floor’ education gaps.
For senior nurses, the development of a preceptorship package supports them, to support early career nurses – in turn reducing attrition of health care staff.
Discussion
Evaluation of the process is ongoing and through qualitative surveying with student nurses, placement providers, and collaborative industry providers.
There are common challenges to nursing workforce development. This includes staffing shortages which make study leave challenging, and cost implications for nursing staff who do not receive CDP funding.
Conclusion
When developing educational and preceptorship packages, flexibility is key. One size does not fit all, but engagement with collaborative industry providers evidences keen need for ongoing professional development support of our qualified nursing working. With ongoing government investment, this top-down model could be adopted and embedded into transitional mental health nursing programs.
Three Key Learnings:
1. The common barriers to attracting mental health nurses into the profession and issues in retention of mental health nurses in the profession.
2. Solutions to address retention
3. Reflections on our learnings, suggested ways forward
Biography
Kate is a Lecturer in Nursing (Mental Health) working at Charles Darwin University. She has 15 years mental health nursing experience in a variety of settings and services both in the UK and Australia. Kate has a Masters in Public Health and is a passionate advocate and educator for holistic care in mental health service provision.
