A Systematic Approach to Literature Reviewing: Professional Identity of Children’s Nurses Working Within Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services

Whilst children’s nurses are employed in Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services (CYPMHS), there is a gap in the literature when considering children’s nurses working within this field and how their experience shapes their professional identity. A narrative synthesis using a systematic method was utilised to review the literature, the question posed was: What does the research say about the professional identity of children’s nurses working within CYPMHS? Three search engines (APA Psycnet, CINAHL Plus and Web of Science) yielded 343 articles (n=118 removed due to duplication) for review. Following the inclusion criteria, 17 articles were ultimately included. This identified research typically focused on generic ‘nurses’ working in CYPMHS, whilst research investigating children’s nurses and mental health typically concentrated on the care of young people in mental health distress on children’s medical wards. To improve the holistic care of these young people, as well those in CYPMHS, it is important to understand why some children’s nurses perceive their role to encompass mental health care, whilst others do not.