Undergraduate programs provide fertile ground from. which future practition
ers, researchers, and teachers of psychiatric mental health nursing will em
erge. Health care has changed dramatically, offering opportunities for new
and innovative roles and prompting faculty to develop novel ways of thinkin
g about the future role of psychiatric nurses. Nursing faculty are challeng
ed to devise new and creative approaches to teaching psychiatric nursing at
the undergraduate level in ways that will instill enthusiasm for the field
. In this article, the efforts of the University of Pennsylvania to approac
h psychiatric mental health courses in new ways will be described. These in
novations are designed to stimulate passion for what the authors see as a c
omplex and exciting field that requires revitalization.