Empowering Internationally Educated Mental Health Nurses for Suicide Prevention in the UK

Empowering Internationally Educated Mental Health Nurses (IENs) for Suicide Prevention in the UK.

“I embarked on the FNF Leadership Scholarship four years after qualifying as a mental health nurse. At the time, I was burdened with self-doubt, impostor syndrome, perfectionism, and ineffective communication skills. The Scholarship has provided me with a remarkable opportunity to reflect on my abilities, talents, passions, values, and how to apply them within health care. This transformational experience has empowered me to embark on a journey of personal and professional growth.

As part of the leadership programme, I undertook a Quality Improvement (QI) project, focusing on improving support for IENs. The project idea emerged during the induction process for my new role as a Clinical Practice Educator for suicide prevention. It was at this time when I observed internationally educated mental health colleagues preparing for their OSCE, prior to registration with the NMC. Despite their passion and commitment to compassionate care, it was clear that cultural and social differences hindered their meaningful patient engagement. This highlighted the need for a tailored support program to enhance IENs’ communication skills in mental health, with an aim of improving patient experience and outcomes. This was confirmed by the project preliminary survey where 91% of the 22 respondents, disclosed that culture change had impacted their ability to fully use their clinical skills.

With support from the Trust’s chief nurse and the preceptorship lead, I initiated a QI project to improve support for internationally educated nurses and allied care professionals. The project focused on suicide prevention, and aimed to enhance their understanding of therapeutic engagement, recognise cultural nuances, and develop skills in suicide and self-harm risk awareness, assessment and formulation. As part of the bridging program, a tailored suicide awareness training package was offered, leading to significant improvements in IENs’ knowledge and confidence in supporting patients presenting with suicidality.

The project team comprised members from various areas of the organisation, all driven by a shared vision to improve the transition experience for IENs.

With more than half of the team being internationally educated colleagues, we started with a very small aim – to boost the IEN’s knowledge and confidence, when working with patients who present with suicidality by 30%, by the end of their bridging programme. We recognise that much more work is needed to address the diverse challenges faced by internationally educated colleagues.

Empowering IENs with the skills and confidence to address suicide prevention isn’t just about improving patient outcomes -it’s about creating a more supportive and inclusive healthcare environment. We know from patient experience that therapeutic engagement is key and can save lives.

I am profoundly grateful for the transformative impact of the FNF scholarship, which has boosted my confidence and leadership skills. I feel I am embarking on an exciting journey, one defined by choosing courage over comfort and progress over perfection.

Being the 1st beneficiary of the “Francis Adzinku Memorial Scholarship”, I am ever so grateful to my joint sponsors: the Jabali Men’s network, Oxleas NHS FT and Dame Ruth May (former Chief Nursing Officer for England).

My mentor, Dr. Roxanne Crosby-Nwaobi: I am incredibly grateful for your passionate interest and support in my leadership development. You never hesitated to push me out of my comfort zone and challenge my assumptions and perceptions about myself. Thank you for fostering my growth.”