Psychiatric care and education understood from a nursing student perspective: Enhancing competences empowering personal and social recovery.

Background: A recovery - based approach has during the last decades called for at change in the mental health care. Several programs have been developed to increase nursing students and health professionals’ recovery - oriented skills and competencies in clinical practice.
Aim: The aim of the study was to examine how students from different settings experience clinical practice and educational interventions as empowering recovery - based practice for users.
Method: Within a phenomenological - hermeneutic approach, seven students (4 nursing students, and 3 master students) were interviewed individually using a semi- structured interview guide with open questions.
Findings: Both clinical practice and education was dominated by a bio- medical approach. The students did not experience a recovery – based approach empowering users’ personal and social recovery process. The students expressed that there is a need for developing personal and relational competences to be able to support users’ personal and social recovery.
Conclusion: A bio – medical approach dominates and makes it difficult for students to develop personal competences toward a more personal and social recovery - oriented practice in mental health care. It is recommended that educators in practice and school incorporate methods supporting the student in developing personal competencies.