Embedding Mask-Ed into online undergraduate nursing mental health education

It has been established that few students enter undergraduate nursing programs intent upon pursuing a career in mental health nursing (Happell et al. 2014). Student nurses struggle to engage or see relevance in their mental health study (Sharrock, Happell & Jeong 2022). Mental health is established (embedded) within the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Committee (ANMAC)’s expectations for undergraduate nursing curriculum. Its format and means of inclusion is determined by individual Universities and Schools of Nursing.(Australian Nursing & Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC) 2019). Mask-Ed is an award-winning simulation pedagogy (Roberts & Buchanan 2012) being adopted into the UTAS U/G nursing curriculum. The use of carefully crafted characters within the learning and teaching is an engaging technique that students have reported as making sense of their learning in a memorable manner (Bridgman & Hughes 2021). As a frequently marginalised aspect of curriculum and as a predominantly relational in focus, mental health curriculum can stand in distinction to other aspects of the curriculum. Sharing the Mask-Ed pedagogy offers an opportunity to integrate mental health nursing more into the students’ learning. However, the use of such simulation represented significant challenges in maintaining the recovery-orientation, respectful and human-rights focus desired.