| This research project addressed how community-based Child and Youth Mental Health (CYMH) nurses developed their competencies and what training they would recommend to teach novice practitioners. Using action research, this opportunity enabled nurses to engage in dialogue and provide the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) with a strategy to address the current nursing shortage. Research methods included individual interviews and focus groups. This project presents conclusions and recommendations to improve MCFD's ability to enhance leadership through clear and open communication, increase understanding of nursing on community-based CYMH teams, liaise with post-secondary nursing training programs, develop discipline-specific competency-based training and evaluation, review hiring practices, and support a nursing community of practice. These strategies will improve recruitment and retention of nurses on community-based CYMH teams. The ethics policies of Royal Roads University (2000, 2007) and the Ministry for Children and Family Development guided this study. |
