Standing out on the Margins: Using Dialogical Narrative Analysis to Explore Mental Health Student Nurse Identity Construction and Core Modules

Figures & data

Table 1. Stories identified from dialogical narrative analysis.

Story	Location	Subject	Type
“How can you call yourself a nurse…”	p. 1-2	Similarity between fields in basic skills, which are essential to all. Too much separation can lead to clinical failings.	Professionals Practical application
“We’ve expanded our general nursing but it’s not been done the other way”	p. 2	An apparent lack of representation of “small fields” in core content	Outsiders Professionals
Scratching the surface	p. 2	Lack of application of practical skills to mental health	Practical application
Perhaps there should be a bit more	p. 3	Specialism may be hindering representation of all fields despite student interest	Professionals Outsiders
“You will never use this because you are a mental health nurse”	p. 3	MH students told content does not apply to them	Outsiders Practical application
They don’t want you to think	p. 3	Early content a tick-box exercise?	Free thinkers Practical application
Adult nurses were actually interested	p. 3-4	Students are interested in each other’s fields of practice and the overlap is a good case for core modules.	Nurses together Practical application Free thinkers
When we’re on our own	p. 4-5	Large class sizes inhibit involvement and field specific content on these modules would help	Outsiders Practical application
We’re always a little bit quirky, aren’t we?	p. 5–6	Mental health nurses interact with other students well but benefit from field specific lecturer involvement	Outsiders Practical application
Told off	p. 6	Following rules and challenging rules highlight cultural differences, perhaps, between fields	Outsiders Free thinkers
Practical ones	p. 6	Part of story above
Youngsters today	p. 7		Not sure if this is relevant
Communications	p. 7–10	Some topics are not explored in enough depth. Whose responsibility is this?	Free thinkers
Critical thinking	p. 8	Part of previous story	Part of communications
Ethics	p. 8–9	Students suggest that motivation to study is lacking in many students. Perhaps continuation of above?	Part of communications
“I just want to pass”	p. 9		Part of communications
Self-care and self-compassion	p. 10	Knowledge of self is essential for professional and academic development	Free thinkers Practical application
Care planning	p. 11	Mental health specific issues are overlooked in care planning content	Outsiders Practical application
Running round with microphone	p. 13	Lecturers who enjoy their topic and engage with students have made an impact on MH students	Professionals
Cardio man	p. 13–14		Part of above
Fifty slides in fifty minutes	p. 14	The lectures are pressured, with too much content	Practical application Free thinkers
It’s about exploration, innit?	p. 15–16	Some assessments do not seem appropriate for the topic or have sufficient application to practice, in particular field specific practice	Free thinkers Practical application
You can know a lot, but it’s what you’re actually testing	p. 17		Continuation of It’s about exploration, innit?
The peg’s not there	p. 17–18	The programme does not provide sufficient theoretical depth or have an identity of its own	Free thinkers Practical application
More mental health specific	p. 19–20	Mental health context from the beginning of the programme would have been appreciated	Practical application Outsiders
Logistics	p. 21	Students who travel far to come to university and/or have caring duties find their needs are not considered	Outsiders
An uproar	p. 22	A lecturer in a core module makes a spurious statement about safeguarding and is unwilling to discuss alternatives	Outsiders Practical application Free thinkers
Quite a lot of repetition	p. 22	Some core modules repeat content without any perceived added depth of analysis.	Free thinkers Practical application