Overview

NURS 435 is a paced online clinical course that provides opportunities to integrate theory and develop further skills related to community health promotion with a focus on individuals, families and groups experiencing mental health alterations. Practice will occur in a variety of community mental health settings. Consideration will be given to mental health promotion with vulnerable aggregates and recognition/screening/referral of psychiatric mental health disorders that emerge across the lifespan. Opportunities to apply nursing assessment skills, such as mental status examination, and nursing intervention strategies such as therapeutic communication will be facilitated. A current snapshot of the field of psychiatric nursing, including both current practice and future research possibilities will be presented.

Objectives

On completion of NURS 435 students will be able to:

• Critically examine the unmet mental health needs, across the lifespan, of clients, families and groups within the community.
• Recognize acute symptoms of mental illness that require urgent intervention.
• Explore mental health conditions related to mood, thought and behavior.
• Construct assessment, screening and referral documentation relevant to a variety of disciplines and health care contexts.
• Understand selected therapeutic approaches currently implemented by nurses and other members of mental health care teams.
• Reflect upon the stigma and barriers that exist within the field of mental health.
• Analyze the implications of addiction for individuals, families and the community.
• Actively incorporate mental health promotion into practice in the workplace as well as with vulnerable aggregates.
• Pose research questions that remain unanswered both in your personal learning and in the profession of psychiatric mental health nursing.

Outline

Section 1: Overview of Psychiatric Mental Health Alterations

Section 2: Facilitating Help Through Assessment, Screening and Referral

Section 3: Stigma and Barriers

Section 4: Addiction

Section 5: Towards Mental Health Promotion

Evaluation

To receive credit for NURS 435, you must complete all of the required assignments and achieve an overall composite grade of at least a “C-” (60 percent). The clinical practicum is graded on a pass/fail basis, and students must successfully complete the practicum in order to pass the course.

To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University's online Calendar.

Course Materials

Textbooks

Videbeck, S. (2004). Psychiatric mental health nursing (2nd ed.) Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Larsen, P. (2003). Too afraid to live, too scared to die. Calgary AB: Aurora Publishing.

Walton, S. (2004). Get the dope on dope: First response guide to street drugs, 2. Calgary AB: Burnand Holding Co. http://www.dopeondope.com/canada/

Other materials

The online course materials include a study guide, assignment manual, and reading file.

Clinical Course Information

Please consult the Centre for Nursing and Health Studies web site at www.athabascau.ca/cnhs for the most recent information relating to clinical course registration and start dates.