WHO Unveils Free Mental Health Training Program for HCPs

The World Health Organization (WHO)’s Quality Rights e-training course for community inclusion, recovery and mental health have been officially endorsed by the International Council of Nurses (ICN). It covers recovery, community inclusion and mental health in the nursing space. With this free mental health training online, nurses learn how to tackle mental health problems, workplace abuse and prejudice in a firm but level-headed manner.

Thanks to the ICN’s approval, the course is now recognized as a legitimate continuing education source. Upon completing their online mental health training, nurses are rewarded with 24 International Continuing Education Credits (ICEC). This can be placed on a nursing portfolio for licensure renewal, and registration. Proof of continued competency, career advancement and more.

The value of such a program cannot be understated. Nursing education has to adapt its material to reflect the current needs and developments of the healthcare industry. Recent developments, such as the COVID-19 pandemic shone an unflattering light on the state of mental health in the nursing industry. Due to unforgiving working conditions, countless nurses experienced “high anxiety, depression and stress.” According to a survey conducted by the American Nurses Association, 71% of nurses felt “overwhelmed” while 66% of critical care nurses considered leaving the profession in 2021.

 Indeed, this widespread burnout naturally feeds into the current wave of nursing turnover. The 2022 NSI National HealthCare Retention & RN Staffing Report revealed that turnover rates increased by 8.4 percent in 2021, resulting in a 27.1% national average. Although mental health training online does not solve all problems, it is a step in the right direction. Nurses deserve to be sufficiently equipped with the knowledge and skills to handle common mental health problems that affect nurses worldwide.

 Mental health is also a growing sector in the healthcare industry. Per Indeed, the median mental health nurse practitioner salary is $137,397, annually. As the public perception of mental health continues to shift, demand for the field will only continue to grow. If you are a nurse looking to commit to a speciality, it is well worth considering.