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NUR2200 Mental Health Nursing Care

Subject Cat-nbr Class Term Mode Description Units Campus
NUR 2200 75091 1, 2008 ONC Mental Health Nursing Care 1.00 Toowoomba
Academic group: FOSCI
Academic org: FOS004
Student contribution band: National Priority Nursing
ASCED code: 060305

Contents


STAFFING

Examiner: Rhonda Dawson
Moderator: Julie Harris


REQUISITES

Pre-requisite: NUR1140 and NUR1200


RATIONALE

One in five Australians experience changes in their mental health status at some point in time and especially at times of increased stress such as hospitalisation and family illness. A holistic approach is required wherever nurses are working to adequately care for a person's mental health. This includes working with individuals and groups of people who have a diagnosed mental illness, people suffering emotional distress as a result of increased stress, trauma, illness and/or hospitalisation, the families and loved ones of these people as well as the community in which they live. Effective, holistic practice develops as a result of the integration of a range of learning including knowledge about self, the context of nursing, and subject matter knowledge. Nurses with an understanding and appreciation of the complexity of mental health issues in different practice settings, establish a solid foundation for enhancing their capacity to be a registered nurse.



SYNOPSIS

This course enables students to acquire knowledge and to develop attitudes and skills relevant to a critical understanding of individuals and groups with mental health problems. Emphasis is placed on contemporary nursing and evidence based practice but students are expected to be able to evaluate current practices within an historical context. Several other themes are addressed in the course, including an ethical framework for decision-making and critical self-analysis to explore the concepts of prejudice and stigma. The students will explore the most common and pervasive mental illnesses burdening Australian society such as depression and suicide, substance-related disorders and anxiety. The nursing care of people with serious mental illness such as psychoses, affective disorders, thought disorders and eating disorders will be introduced. The mental health needs of special groups such as child and youth, older people, people from rural and isolated areas, Indigenious communities, Ethnic populations, the homeless and the incarcerated will also be addressed. The overall nursing care focus will be on understanding the experience of the person with the mental illness as well as the presenting condition. The clinical Course NUR2599 Clinical C: Nursing Care for Mental Health will provide opportunities for application of the theoretical material presented in this course.



OBJECTIVES

On completion of this course students will be able to:

1.
debate historical changes in community response to mental illness including deinstitutionalisation, community based care and consumer participation (Assessed by exam).
2.
critically reflect on personal and community attitudes to people with a mental illness (Assessed by exam).
3.
discuss key ethical issues and controversies in caring for people with a mental illness including the rights of people with a mental illness (Assessed by Assignment and Exam).
4.
identify and describe a range of mental illnesses and plan and provide evidence-based nursing care (Assessed by Assignment and Exam).
5.
identify and address the mental health needs of special groups including child and youth, older people, people from rural and isolated areas, Indigenious communities, Ethnic populations, the homeless and the incarcerated (Assessed by Assignment and Exam).
6.
demonstrate professional written communication (Assessed by assignment).


TOPICS


Description Weighting (%)
1. Past, current and future trends in mental health nursing care; Ethical issues and stigma.
 20.00
2. Common mental illnesses and nursing care including pharmacology
 70.00
3. Nursing people with a mental illness from special groups
 10.00

TEXT and MATERIALS required to be PURCHASED or accessed

ALL textbooks and materials are available for purchase from USQ BOOKSHOP (unless otherwise stated). Orders may be placed via secure internet, free fax 1800642453, phone 07 46312742 (within Australia), or mail. Overseas students should fax +61 7 46311743, or phone +61 7 46312742. For costs, further details, and internet ordering, use the 'Textbook Search' facility at http://bookshop.usq.edu.au click 'Semester', then enter your 'Course Code' (no spaces).

Elder, R, Evans, K & Nizette, D 2005, Psychiatric and mental health nursing, Elsevier, Sydney.

Tiziani, A 2006, Havard's nursing guide to drugs, 7th edn, Elsevier, Sydney.

USQ Publication 2008, Instuctional Guide (Available: USQ StudyDesk).



REFERENCE MATERIALS

Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.

1992, (Available: http:www.legislation.qnc.qld.gov.au/upload/pdfs/Nursing Act 1992.pdf).

ANMC Code of Professional Conduct for Nurses in Australia (Available: http:www.qnc.qld.au/upload/pdfs/practice standards/Code of professional conduct for nurses.pdf).

ANMC National Competency Standards for the Registered Nurse (Available: http:www.qnc.qld.gov.au/upload/pdfs/practice standards/ANMC National).

Australian and New Zealand College of Mental Health Nurses Inc 1995, Standards of Practice for Mental Health Nurses,



STUDENT WORKLOAD REQUIREMENTS

ACTIVITY HOURS
Examinations 2.00
Lectures 26.00
Private Study 110.00
Tutorials 24.00


ASSESSMENT DETAILS

Description Marks out of Wtg(%) Due date Notes
ONLINE QUIZ 40.00 20.00 04 Apr 2008  
ORAL PRESENTATION 20.00 20.00 06 Jun 2008  
RESTRICTED EXAM SH ANS 60.00 60.00 END S1 (see note 1)
NOTES
1.
Examination dates will be available during the semester. Please refer to the examination timetable when published.

IMPORTANT ASSESSMENT INFORMATION

  1. Attendance requirements:
    It is the students' responsibility to attend and participate appropriately in all activities (such as lectures, tutorials, laboratories and practical work) scheduled for them, and to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration.
  2. Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
    To satisfactorily complete an individual assessment item a student must achieve at least 50% of the available marks. (Depending upon the requirements in Statement 4 below, students may not have to satisfactorily complete each assessment item to receive a passing grade in this course).
  3. Penalties for late submission of required work:
    If students submit assignments after the due date without (prior) approval of the examiner then a penalty of 5% of the total marks gained by the student for the assignment may apply for each working day late up to ten working days at which time a mark of zero may be recorded.. No assignments will be accepted after model answers have been posted.
  4. Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
    To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course.
  5. Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
    The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the weighted aggregate of the marks obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course
  6. Examination information:
    Exams in this course are restricted: Candidates are allowed access only to specific materials during a Restricted Examination. The only materials that candidates may use in the restricted examination for this course are: writing materials (non-electronic and free from material which could give the student an unfair advantage in the examination); Students whose first language is not English, may, take an appropriate unmarked non-electronic translation dictionary (but not technical dictionary) into the examination. Dictionaries with any handwritten notes will not be permitted. Translation dictionaries will be subject to perusal and may be removed from the candidate's possession until appropriate disciplinary action is completed if found to contain material that could give the candidate an unfair advantage.
  7. Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
    Any Deferred or Supplementary examinations for this course will be held during week two of the semester following this course offering and the examiner will advise students involved in writing of the date time and location of any such examination.
  8. University Regulations:
    Students should read USQ Regulations 5.1 Definitions, 5.6. Assessment, and 5.10 Academic Misconduct for further information and to avoid actions which might contravene University Regulations. These regulations can be found at the URL http://www.usq.edu.au/corporateservices/calendar/part5.htm or in the current USQ Handbook.

ASSESSMENT NOTES

1. The due date for an assignment is the date by which a student must despatch the assignment to the USQ. The onus is on the student to provide proof of the despatch date, if requested by the Examiner.
2. Students must retain a copy of each item submitted for assessment. If requested, students will be required to provide a copy of assignments submitted for assessment purposes. Such copies should be despatched to USQ within 24 hours of receipt of a request being made.
3. The examiner may grant an extension of the due date of an assignment in extenuating circumstances.
4. The Faculty will normally only accept assessments that have been written, typed or printed on paper-based media.
5. Students who have undertaken all of the required assessments in a course but who have failed to meet some of the specified objectives of a course within the normally prescribed time may be awarded the temporary grade: IM (Incomplete - Make up). An IM grade will only be awarded when, in the opinion of the examiner, a student will be able to achieve the remaining objectives of the course after a period of non directed personal study.
6. Students who, for medical, family/personal, or employment-related reasons, are unable to complete an assignment or to sit for an examination at the scheduled time may apply to defer an assessment in a course. Such a request must be accompanied by appropriate supporting documentation. One of the following temporary grades may be awarded IDS (Incomplete - Deferred Examination; IDM (Incomplete Deferred Make-up); IDB (Incomplete - Both Deferred Examination and Deferred Make-up).

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

  1. Students will require access to e-mail and internet access to USQConnect for this course.
  2. Students can expect that questions in assessment items in this course may draw upon knowledge and skills that they can reasonable be expected to have acquired before enrolling in the course. This includes knowledge contained in pre-requisite courses and appropriate communication, information literacy, analytical, critical thinking, problem solving or numeracy skills. Students who do not possess such knowledge and skills should not expect to achieve the same grades as those students who do possess them.

This version produced 28 Aug 2009.
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