NURS 139 Mental Health Nursing Practicum

• 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)