Challenges of teaching graduate psychiatric-mental health nursing with distance education technologies

As student demographics change and distance educational technology continues to evolve, faculty teaching advanced psychiatric-mental health nursing are attempting to meet the needs of students at distant sites through telecommunications. Graduate education in psychiatric-mental health nursing at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing has used distance education technology since 1994. The use of technology, such as interactive television, audio and audio/video telephone conferencing, facsimile, and electronic mail to teach has been exciting and challenging. This article discusses challenges related to connectedness, confidentiality, and communication; describes approaches to address these challenges; and identifies student, faculty, and environmental attributes that help make teaching with this technology successful.