Catalog 2017-2018 
    
    Mar 29, 2024  
Catalog 2017-2018 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

NURS 139 Mental Health Nursing Practicum

3 credits
This course covers care for individuals with psychiatric disturbances and their families in acute care, outpatient, and community mental health care settings with clients manifesting complex neurophysiological and psychosocial disturbances.

Prerequisites: NURS 121 , NURS 122 .

Quarters Offered: Fall, Winter, Spring

Student Outcomes/Competencies:
Upon successful completion of this course students will be able to:

  • Holistically care for self, patients, colleagues, and community within an ethical, legal, and diverse framework within the scope of practice of the RN
    • Maintain professional boundaries (QSEN: Patient Centered Care, Safety)
    • Contribute to a safe, therapeutic milieu (QSEN: Patient Centered Care, Safety)
    • Utilize strategies that support the nurse’s role as client advocate across the continuum of care (QSEN: Patient Centered Care)
    • Demonstrate professional behavior and accountability consistent with ethical, legal principles and facility policies and procedures
    • Discuss the role of the nurse in coordinating multidisciplinary treatment modalities in the delivery of care in a mental health setting
    • Demonstrate responsibility and self-direction in pursuing short-term and long-term opportunities for learning
  • Demonstrate competency in educating and communicating with patients, families, interdisciplinary teams, and systems with a focus on quality health care promotion and functional patient centered outcomes
    • Identify, discuss and under supervision (when applicable) demonstrate client teaching strategies that emphasize cultural awareness, and holistic health promotion
    • Utilize appropriate communication systems and techniques in collaborating with the health care team to manage client care and promote the treatment plan
    • Demonstrate therapeutic; client centered communication while providing client care (QSEN: Teamwork, Collaboration)  (GO: Communication)
    • Role model practice patterns that reflect caring, ethical responsibility, and respect for human dignity (QSEN: Patient Centered Care)
    • Demonstrate technical and information literacy researching the internet to identify educational and client resources (QSEN: Informatics) (GO: Information Literacy)
  • Implement the nursing care process to demonstrate safe, competent and evidence-based care within a variety of settings using appropriate tools and technologies
    • Prepare a mental health nursing care plan with measurable, realistic behavioral goals based on identified actual and potential client problems, with a focus on priority needs
    • Integrate cultural awareness and diversity into the client care plan
    • Integrate underlying knowledge of systems and scientific principles in setting client goals (QSEN: Evidence-based Practice)
    • Demonstrate nursing strategies that are consistent with the cultural, socioeconomic, and spiritual influences on the client’s level of wellness (GO: Intercultural Awareness)
    • Perform basic and intermediate nursing skills and interventions consistent with established nursing standards and plan of care in the mental health setting
    • Prepare written documentation using professional and legal language, following facility policies and procedures
  • Utilize clinical reasoning skills to synthesize patient assessment data, scientific knowledge, and pharmacology to safely manage a rapidly changing health care status
    • Utilize critical thinking to apply the nursing process and theoretical knowledge in providing direct care to clients (QSEN: Patient Centered Care) (GO: Critical Thinking)
    • Recognize potential signs of an impending behavioral crisis (QSEN: Safety) (GO: Critical Thinking)
    • Recognize and respond appropriately per facility policies to risk factors and signs of impending violence to others or self (client) (QSEN: Safety)
    • Recognize the indications and potential side effects associated with commonly used psychotropic medications (QSEN: Safety)
    • Utilize scientific rationale and a systems approach in assessment, goal development, and the evaluation of nursing interventions (QSEN: Evidence-based Practice, Informatics, QI)
    • Utilize a systems approach to apply understanding of multidisciplinary interventions (including psychopharmacological and communication approaches) in the treatment of mental health disorder (QSEN: Evidence-based Practice) (GO: Critical Thinking)
  • Provide leadership to effectively collaborate and delegate with patient, family, interdisciplinary, systems administration and the wider community
    • Demonstrate awareness of community resources including, but not limited to, Partial Hospitalization programs, social services, PACT, crisis clinic hotline, rehabilitation settings, and support groups (QSEN: Teamwork and Collaboration)                                                                                                                    


Total Hours: 60 Lab or Clinical Hours: 60