International Journal of Mental Health Nursing
From Classroom to Chaos: The Early‐in‐Career Mental Health Nursing Experience. A Qualitative Descriptive Study
ABSTRACT Persistent challenges remain in attracting and retaining early‐in‐career mental health nurses in Australia. Key contributing factors include gaps in undergraduate nursing preparation, with many students reporting insufficient mental health placement experience to inform career choice. Health services have responded to recognised gaps between undergraduate preparation and the realities of clinical practice by developing structured early‐in‐career programs, such as graduate nurse and transition‐to‐practice i …