Family education in the rural psychiatric inpatient setting

A sample survey of nurses practicing in rural psychiatric settings was conducted to examine their perceptions of preparation for the family educator role. A self-rating tool was sent to nurses practicing on inpatient units of rural hospitals in southeastern Kentucky and southern West Virginia. Nurses were asked to rate themselves in response to questions pertaining to teaching set and preparation for teaching. The conceptual framework of Megenity and Megenity was used as the basis for the study and the rating tool which was developed by the investigator. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data collected. The results of the survey showed that while nurses felt adequate in the family teaching role, their formal educational preparation stopped at the entry level of associate degree; that they value basic education and experience equally as the most helpful preparation; and that they did not plan for the teaching event. These findings were inconsistent with the literature, which supports an advanced credential for practitioners teaching families, and the model which supports grounding in educational and teaching-learning theories, as well as planning for the teaching event.