In this unit students will integrate and extend their knowledge and skills in health settings where mental health knowledge is required. Students will develop their understanding of the facilitators and barriers to supported decision making, and consumer choice and dignity. Students will apply critical thinking and clinical reasoning to formulate nursing management of people with selected mental health conditions across the lifespan. Underpinned by lived experience knowledge, human rights and a biopsychosocial framework, students will further develop their knowledge and skills in mental health assessment, planning and evaluation of care to facilitate consumers and their families as active partners in decision-making and treatment planning. The complexity of co-morbidity and psychosocial disability across the lifespan will be explored, and students will develop the ability to critique issues of access and equity in mental health care. Students will explore pharmacotherapeutics and quality use of medicines in the administration of psychotropic medications. Using a lifespan approach, students will learn how concepts of population health, pathophysiology, neurobiology and digital health impact on the delivery of evidence based, person centred nursing care in mental health settings. Students will apply this knowledge and skills in selected treatment modalities, in nursing simulation and workshops.
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
The assessment tasks link the learning outcomes and graduate capabilities. In the first task students will undertake two online tests. The second assessment is portfolio with two parts, in part A, students will develop a medication diary related to pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and the quality use of psychotropic medicines. Portfolio Part B, applies a case-study with the formation of an evidenced based recovery care plan. The final summative assessment will be an Observed Structured Clinical Assessment (OSCA) of a mental health nursing intervention based on a case study.
Required readings will be made available on VU Collaborate.
This unit is studied as part of the following course(s):