October 11th 2007

Australia is gripped by a nursing shortage, but in the face of an ageing population and increasingly stressful modern world, our need for well-educated and seasoned mental health nurses is equally urgent.

Coinciding with Mental Health Week, this public lecture reveals the unique role played by mental health nurses in Australia's health care system, the essential qualities needed to care for people with complex, new and extreme forms of mental illness and the challenges ahead for mental health nursing, education and research.

Kevin Kellehear
An expert in mental health and general nursing, psychology and nursing education, Kevin Kellehear has keenly observed and actively contributed to important changes in mental health and nursing for more than 40 years. He is a Foundation Adviser to the National Consortium for Multicultural Mental Health Australia and the current Deputy Chair of the Mental Health Services Conference of Australia and New Zealand. He has extensive experience as a consultant in nursing and mental health services in the South Pacific and Indonesia. Kevin's research focuses on ways to improve the theory-practice relationship in nursing and mental health care.

Resources

• flyer (PDF 52k)
• presentation slides (PDF 140k)
• audio recording (MP3 26.6 MB)

UTSPEAKS: is a free public lecture series presented by UTS experts discussing a range of important issues confronting contemporary Australia