Date of Publication :12th September 2023

Abstract: Mental state assessment is crucial to provide critical information for psychiatrists and explore the needs of patients with mental illness. Continuing professional education and converting to registered psychiatric nurses, enrolled psychiatric nurses in Hong Kong must advance their mental state assessment skills in a higher diploma program. This study assessed students’ nurse competencies in mental state assessment and satisfaction after participating in a newly developed standardized patient-based simulation in the higher diploma program. The School of University approved this study. The study employed a cross-sectional design. Two measurements were employed to assess nurse competencies and student satisfaction among the enrolled psychiatric nurses in the program. The developer established the simulation sessions, trained the facilitators and the recruited standardized patients, and monitored their performances. In the result, all final-year, a total of fifty-two students, were recruited. All of them completed the simulation sessions and passed all assessments of nursing competencies. In addition, self-administrative questionnaires were distributed to the students, and quantitative and qualitative feedback was collected. The results supported that this standardized patient-based simulation was effective and welcomed by nursing students and informed the future development of continuing education for enrolled psychiatric nurses.

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