Nursing Care in Mental Health and Psychiatry, 12 credits

Admission to semester 4:
All courses from semester 1 and 2
Semester 3: Passed assessment from placement 9 credits in (1SJ022)

Students who have failed the clinical placement due to deficiencies in knowledge, skills or attitudes serious enough to jeopardise patient security or patients' trust in healthcare can qualify for a new clinical placement only when an individual action plan has been completed.

The course's aim is that students based on science and proven experience should acquire basic knowledge of mental health, mental illness and common psychiatric conditions based on scientific evidence and professional experience, including both diagnosed and undiagnosed forms of mental illness. In addition students should learn to apply nursing skills in the context of common forms of mental illness in a reflective and analytical way and based on a person-centered care perspective.

Part 1: Nursing care of the mentally ill patient 4 credits

Knowledge and understanding
On completion of the course, students should be able to:

• understand and explain biological, psychological, and social factors that can contribute to mental illness
• describe and evaluate theories and concepts with relevance to nursing in the context of mental illness
• describe commonly occurring forms of mental illness; symptoms, signs and progression of psychiatric diseases; and treatment of psychiatric diseases, including psychopharmacology
• describe and reflect on the management of threats and violence from patients with mental illness

Skills and abilities
On completion of the course, students should be able to:

• identify the nursing needs of individuals with mental illness and disease
• describe and reflect on preventive and health promotion nursing strategies in the context of mental illness and disease

Values and perspectives
On completion of the course, students should be able to:

• critically review research of relevance to the nursing care of patients with mental illness
• reflect on and argue for all people' right to health and care on an equal footing
• demonstrate the ability to identify gaps and needs in one's knowledge and skills related to mental health nursing

Part 2: Clinically integrated learning: clinical skills 0.5 credits

Skills and abilities
On completion of the course, students should be able to:

• perform intramuscular injections in line with patient safety and ethical guidelines and with respect for patient autonomy and participation

Part 3: Placement 7.5 HE credits

Knowledge and understanding
On completion of the course, students should be able to:

• demonstrate knowledge of evidence-based methods of nursing care for patients with mental illness
• demonstrate knowledge of the nursing process in relation to mental illness, with special attention to the perspectives of the patient/customer and the patient's family

Skills and abilities
On completion of the course, students should be able to:

• provide nursing care to patients based on the principle of health and care for all on an equal footing
• assess, plan, implement, document, and evaluate nursing care for individuals with mental illness and disease based on their individual need, resources and barriers to health
• work together with other nurses and other professions in the planning and carrying out of medical and nursing care of mental illness
• demonstrate the ability to apply and reflect on current laws, statutes and safety guidelines relevant to the care of patients with mental illness
• demonstrate knowledge of principles of pharmacological treatment of mental illness and disease as well as administer medications with a focus on patient safety, hygiene, sustainability and current statutes
• apply expertise in nursing care to handle different situations, phenomena and issues in the care of patients with mental illness based on individual and group needs

Values and perspectives
On completion of the course, students should be able to:

• apply an ethical attitude when caring for individuals with mental illness
• reflect on patient participation and the need for nursing care that is respectful of individuals' dignity and integrity
• reflect on their own professional development and be able to identify needs for additional knowledge and competence in the nursing care of individuals with mental illness

The course consists of three modules:

The course focuses on psychiatric nursing of patients with mental illness and disease based on ethical principles and respect for the whole person. The course will cover:

• concepts in nursing care of patients with mental illness including concepts of health and suffering
• nursing care processes in relation mental illness
• verbal and non-verbal communication
• mental illness and common psychiatric diseases
• symptoms of, treatment of and recovery from mental illness and common psychiatric diseases
• current research in psychiatric nursing
• ethics in connection with psychiatric nursing including problem-solving and reflection
• suicidality and self-harming behaviours
• threats and violence from patients with mental illness
• crisis and crisis management
• the use of behavioural science in the care of mental illness
• documentation and assessment instruments relevant to psychiatric nursing
• laws, statutes and safety guidelines relevant to psychiatric care
• the organisation of the psychiatric care

Training in and assessment of intramuscular injections.

The clinical placement covers:

• the planning, implementation and evaluation of nursing care of individuals with mental illness and disease.
• attitudes to patients and family, and the importance of relationships in the care of patients with mental illness
• patient and family participation in care
• the analysis and evaluation of ethical conflicts as well as reflection over problem-solving
• the application of a scientific attitude in psychiatric care
• teamwork, cooperation and continuity in the psychiatric nursing chain
• medical-technical components
• preparation and administration medications
• responsibility for one's own actions
• commonly occurring treatments for mental illness as well as methods of self-care
• interprofessional cooperation

The teaching is based on a problem-oriented and collaborative approach to learning in which assignments provide opportunities for students to take active responsibility for their learning. Teaching methods include lectures, clinical proficiency training at the CTC, seminars, group assignments, literature studies and clinical placement. Participation in seminars, group assignments, laboratory sessions, proficiency training and the clinical placement is compulsory.

The course coordinator decides if, and how, absence from compulsory parts can be compensated. Study results cannot be reported until the student has participated in compulsory course elements or compensated for any absence in accordance with instructions from the course coordinator. Absence from a compulsory course element could mean that the student can not retake the element until the next time the course is offered.

The course's components are integrated in order to support students'self-directed and collaborative learning and to train students in a scientific approach based on active knowledge acquisition, problem-solving and critical reflection.

The course includes a clinical placement at a facility that specializes in psychiatric care (psychiatric care, residential treatment, forensic psychiatry or community psychiatry). Students are supervised in the identification, assessment implementation and evaluation of psychiatric patients' nursing needs. Focus is on learning psychiatric nursing care methods within the overall nursing process.

The placement includes 40 hours/week (full-time studies) of which about 32 hours/week are in a clinical setting. The clinical placement can take place on days, evenings, nights and weekends, as well as on bank holidays. Student are not allowed to decrease the length of the clinical placement.

Distance learning is based on IT and on independent and collaborative learning. The course is based on a variety of teaching methods including individual study assignments, group assignments, virtual discussions, seminars, and lectures. Teacher support is offered via web-based learning management system.

Component 1 Nursing care of mental illness and disease, 4.0 credits, is assessed individually through a written take-home examination.

In Component 2 Clinically integrated learning: proficiency, 0.5 credits: intramuscular injection is assessed individually.

Component 3 Placement, 7.5 credits is assessed individually by a half-time assessment and a final assessment. The clinical supervisor and/or adjunct clinical lecturer assesses the intended learning outcomes by means of an established evaluation form for clinical placement. If a student is at risk of failure, the responsible university teacher in collaboration with the student supervisor and the student should establish a written plan for the rest of the placement, no later than at the half-time assessment.

For a Pass grade in the course, the student must pass course components 1,2 and 3, as well as participate actively in all mandatory course activities. Grades are decided by the examiner.

1. Examination:
Part 1 and 2
Students who do not pass a regular examination are entitled to re-sit the examination on five more occasions.
If the student has failed six examinations/tests, no additional examination is given. Each occasion the student participates in the same test counts as an examination. Submission of a blank exam paper is regarded as an examination. In case a student is registered for an examination but does not attend, this is not regarded as an examination.

Students without approved results after three examinations have the possibility of taking the course or parts of it once more, subject to availability. Being able to retake all or parts of the course is subject to availability

2. Placement:

The examiner may, with immediate effect, interrupt a student's clinical placement (or equivalent) if the student demonstrates such serious deficiencies in knowledge, skills or attitude that patient safety or patient confidence in healthcare is at risk. If a clinical placement is interrupted in this way the student is deemed to have failed that element and to have used up one clinical placement opportunity. In such cases, an individual action plan should be set up stating which activities and tests are required before the student is qualified for a new clinical placement on the course.

3. Placement in specific entry requirements:
Students who have failed the clinical placement due to deficiencies in knowledge, skills or attitudes serious enough to jeopardise patient security or patients' trust in healthcare can qualify for a new clinical placement only when an individual action plan has been completed. A failed clinical placement can be repeated only once.

If the course has ceased, changed considerably in content, or substantially changed its reading list, the student may take three additional tests (excluding regular test) on the earlier contents or the previous literature for up to one year after the course changes have been made.

The course evaluation will be conducted according to the guidelines that are established by the Committee for Higher Education.

The course will not be credited in a degree together with another course the student has completed and passed which completely or partly corresponds to the contents of this course.