NUR5215 - Mental health nursing concepts and practice - 2017

The nature of mental illness; the nursing process in mental health nursing; roles and functions of mental health nurses; context of care; mental health problems and disorders; therapeutic interventions in mental health care; ethical and legal issues; specialisation in mental health nursing.

Upon successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

1. Conduct comprehensive mental health nursing assessment including a risk assessment;
2. Describe the commonly used diagnostic classification systems in psychiatry and mental health nursing;
3. Promote consumer participation in all aspects of mental health care;
4. Demonstrate advanced mental health nursing skills in planning, implementing and evaluating mental health nursing care for people with mental disorders;
5. Describe the principles underlying contemporary therapeutic interventions for people with mental health disorders;
6. Demonstrate skills and knowledge in the use of a range of contemporary physical therapies including psychopharmalogical preparations, electroconvulsive therapy, and milieu therapies (e.g. high dependency, seclusion, Snoezelen);
7. Describe relevant legislation and policy impacting upon the professional practice of mental health nursing;
8. Critically analyse ethical issues in nursing people with mental health disorders;
9. Critically appraise research evidence applicable to mental health nursing practice;
10. Ensure that mental health nursing practice is culturally appropriate.

• Written assignment (3,500 words) (40%) (Hurdle)
• Reflective postings (2 x 10% each) (20%)
• Examination (3 hours) (40%) (Hurdle)
• Clinical skills assessment (Hurdle)

Ms Karen Harder

Nursing

Nursing and midwifery

Must be enrolled in Master of Nursing or Master of Advanced Nursing