A model for the involvement of service users as instructors into the psychiatric nursing curriculum in Korea: A qualitative study on participation experience

For many years, attempts have been made to incorporate service users into psychiatric nursing education, particularly in European countries and Australia. In Asian countries, however, concrete examples of this are notably scarce, and the limited instances of implementation lack the necessary systematic organisation and long-term sustainability. This study systematically planned and implemented a psychiatric nursing curriculum that integrated service users in Korea. It explored the experiences of 14 nursing students and four service users (who participated as instructors) who participated in these classes. Content analysis was performed on the results of focus group interviews with the participants. Owing to the participation of service users in the programme, students focused more on the patients as human beings, with the contexts of their individual lives, rather than on their diseases. The process facilitated a deeper grasp of person-centred psychiatric nursing and heightened student engagement in the learning process. The service users' experiences as instructors breathed new meaning into their psychiatric distress as an opportunity for new possibilities and helped them view themselves in a positive light, as members of society with self-esteem. They made great efforts to perform well in their role as instructors. These findings provide substantial evidence to support the expanded and sustained implementation of service user participation in future psychiatric nursing education. Establishing a national consortium to foster and support service user instructors could greatly improve psychiatric nursing education and related outcomes.