Australia’s demand for nurses is exponentially increasing as we are faced with a global pandemic, an ageing population, and an increase in chronic health conditions and mental health issues. This presents a significant challenge for the healthcare system by increasing the absolute number of people needing care. The Enrolled Nursing course can train nurses in 18-24 months and offers a solution to the nursing shortage. This training in Australia is delivered by the Vocational Education Training (VET) system utilizing a competency-based training approach (CBT). However, CBT is often criticised for failing to deliver the essential skills of communication. critical thinking, and clinical reasoning that are fundamental to mental health nursing. This discussion paper explores the current VET system in Australia to determine if it can adequately train Enrolled Nurses with the skills to work with mental health consumers and suggests that simulation-based education using Simulated Persons could provide one solution. © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
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