Assessment in Mental Health Nursing (NURS90078)

Intended learning outcomes

On successful completion of this subject students will demonstrate theoretical knowledge and practical skills in mental health nursing by:

• Developing foundational knowledge in the principles of mental health nursing assessment and care planning including substance use and first episode psychosis
• Applying knowledge and skills learnt in the subject to plan specialist mental health nursing care utilising principles of case-formulation
• Selecting and evaluating nursing interventions for mental health service users with high and low prevalence conditions
• Establishing the role of mental health nursing in the risk of suicide, self-harm and occupational violence
• Incorporating recovery focussed care and strengths focus into mental health nursing practice
• A capacity to engage with issues in contemporary society that impact on and are impacted by specialist mental health nursing practice

Generic skills

On completion of the subject students should have developed the following generic skills of the Melbourne graduate and postgraduate coursework student:
1. A capacity to articulate their knowledge and understanding in oral and written modes of communication.
2. A capacity to manage competing demands on time, including self-directed project work.
3. Advanced competencies in areas of professional expertise and/or scholarship.
4. Advanced skills and techniques applicable to the discipline.
5. Well-developed problem-solving abilities in the discipline area, characterised by flexibility of approach.
6. An ability to evaluate and synthesise the research and professional literature in the discipline.
7. An appreciation of the ways in which advanced knowledge equips the student to offer leadership in the specialist area.