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What happens to psychiatric mental health nursing when the job is squeezed into a prescriber’s chair and the classroom forgets its own theory? We sit down with Dr. Hugh McKenna to unpack a global reality: staffing shortages, overextended faculty, and policy moves that risk diluting mental health specialization just as community needs spike—especially among young people.

Hugh takes us across Europe and the U.S. to compare models and trade hard-won lessons. We explore why defending the PhD matters for nursing’s knowledge base, how interdisciplinary teams actually accelerate better outcomes, and where American programs’ commitment to theory and collaboration can inspire change abroad. Then we bring Peplau back into focus, not as nostalgia, but as a practical roadmap: validate the therapeutic relationship, prioritize prevention, and co-produce care with service users so change sticks. When waiting lists stretch years and therapists are scarce, upstream work is not optional—it’s the only scalable plan.

We also test the limits of evidence-based practice. Publishing is not the finish line; the real measure is impact. That means moving research through uptake and implementation until policy and practice shift—and making sure faculty remain clinically credible enough to lead that work. Along the way, we defend expert intuition as a hallmark of mastery, not a rejection of science. And we end with a challenge: identify high-potential leaders early and get them to the table where resources are decided. Peplau had a core of steel; the field needs more of that energy now.

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Let’s Connect

Dr Dan Wesemann

Email: daniel-wesemann@uiowa.edu

Website: https://nursing.uiowa.edu/academics/dnp-programs/psych-mental-health-nurse-practitioner

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-wesemann

Dr Kate Melino

Email: Katerina.Melino@ucsf.edu

Dr Sean Convoy

Email: sc585@duke.edu

Dr Melissa Chapman

Email: mchapman@pdastats.com