NS5311:03
Contemporary Issues in Mental Health Practice
Townsville
30 contact hours, 10 hours of self-directed study. Block mode. First semester.
Available to students who have registration as a nurse; preferably with Bachelor’s preparation in nursing or a related discipline, and who have undertaken, or co-enrolled, in NS5310.
Staff: Dr K Usher.
This subject provides students with an opportunity to critically examine the historical and contemporary issues affecting current practice and impacting on the role of mental health nurses today. Pertinent issues addressed are changes in providers of care, changes in practice settings, changes in the nature of care, changes in the foci of care and changes to the health care system itself. Modules include professional nursing organisations, the role of deinstitutionalisation and the continuum of care, case management, managed care, professional performance standards, reflective practice, and mentorship.
Learning Objectives:
- discuss the nature,
scope and setting of contemporary mental health nursing including
(a) historical factors which have influenced the development of mental health nursing; and
(b) the changing role of the mental health nurse; - identify the social and economic trends affecting the current organisation of mental health care;
- describe the current nursing/medical diagnosis classification systems and discuss the cultural appropriateness of these systems;
- explore the issues of interdependence, participation, autonomy and accountability in relation to contemporary mental health nursing practice;
- explore the concepts of mentorship, preceptorship and supervision.
Assessment by written assignment; class presentations.
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