Abertay student’s work published in academic journal

Abertay student’s work published in academic journal

An Abertay Mental Health Nursing postgraduate student has had his coursework published in a major peer-reviewed academic journal. Andrew Lancaster, a registered mental health nurse who completed some stand-alone postgraduate modules at Abertay, wrote an essay entitled ‘Evidence for joint police and mental health responses for people in mental health crisis', as part of the module Crisis Intervention and Resolution. His essay has now been published in the peer-reviewed journal Mental Health Practice. Andrew’s essay examines the problems faced by police officers when responding to incidents where people are in mental health crisis, and how a lack of skills and knowledge can lead to inappropriate use of legislation. Crisis Intervention and Resolution is one of a series of postgraduate Mental Health Nursing modules, which can be taken individually or as part of the MSc Mental Health Nursing programme. Andrew’s module leader, Scott Kane, said: ‘This is the first publication off the back of these modules, so it’s great news for everyone involved. ‘A lot of mental health nurses may have been in practice for some time, and returning to academia can perhaps be quite daunting for some. These modules are therefore a great way of allowing them to dip their toe in the water before deciding whether to complete the full MSc. ‘The modules run for a semester and much of the teaching is now done via distance learning such as online webinars.’ Andrew, who is a community mental health nurse for NHS Tayside, said returning to university was something he always planned. ‘It was always my intention to return to studying after catching the bug during my undergraduate training, and I specifically wanted to develop research skills. I’ve been able to apply all of the content I picked up.’ ‘I’m incredibly pleased to have my work published. I definitely intend to write more papers for publication and I encourage others to do the same. Getting your work published is a great way to have your opinions heard without having to shout.’ Andrew now aims to complete his MSc in Mental Health Nursing at Abertay in 2017. ‘I’d like to thank the faculty staff at the School of Social and Health Sciences for their support.’ If you are interested in finding out more about postgraduate Mental Health Nursing qualifications, please visit Abertay’s . 

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