The practice assessment of student nurses by people who use mental health services

SummaryThis paper reports on a participatory action research project focusing upon service-user involvement in the assessment of student mental health nurses in practice. The principle of student nurses being assessed by service-users was found to be desirable in theory. However, its implementation proved to be fraught with difficulty especially with regard to the concerns about increased workload and feelings of vulnerability amongst students. It is recommended that the model of assessment should be adjusted to that of review and that a program of service-users reviewing student nurses on placement be implemented and evaluated.