Overview
Mental health nursing is a specialised area of nursing that focuses on the care of people with mental health challenges. Nurses who work within the mental health care framework operate from a strengths-based approach to assist people in their recovery to emotional health and physical wellbeing. In this unit, you will learn about your nursing role in mental health care and recovery. You will develop your skills in establishing a therapeutic relationship in the clinical setting. You will apply the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) Registered nurse standards for practice (2016). You will continue to explore the importance of the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards (2017) to all nursing practice in Australia and use the Patient Safety Competency Framework (PSCF) (Levett-Jones et al., 2017) in your practice as a nursing student. You will be expected to identify risk and recognise and respond appropriately in the simulated and clinical environment. You will work within your scope of practice using the decision-making framework (DMF) (NMBA, 2020). You will participate in a compulsory two (2) day residential school prior to attending professional experience placement for this unit. This unit includes a 80 hour block professional experience placement in a mental health care setting. You must meet specific mandatory health, safety and security requirements to be eligible to attend each professional experience placement. Professional experience placements may be limited in your community and you may be placed in other locations. Please be prepared financially and personally to cover the costs to relocate for placements. Due to the limited availability of placements, some block placements have to start and/or end on dates that fall outside standard term dates.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Pre-requisites: BIOH12011 Pathophysiology and Pharmacology 1 or BIOH11006 Advanced Anatomy and Physiology and NURS12154 Pharmacology for Nursing Practice NURS11170 Professional Experience Placement 1 or NURS11161 Clinical Nursing Practice 1 Co-requisite: BIOH12012 Pathophysiology and Pharmacology 2 or BIOH12008 Human Pathophysiology NURS12161 Professional Experience Placement 2 or NURS12158 Clinical Nursing Practice 2
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 2 - 2024
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a pass/fail (non-graded) unit. To pass the unit, you must pass all of the individual assessment tasks shown in the table above.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from SUTE
At the Res School watching the interview for the MSE written assignment was very helpful to see how the professionals deal with mental health consumers and more of this would be very beneficial. This is a very important aspect of nursing and I believe the mental health placement should really be longer than 2 weeks, maybe like 4-5 weeks ideally. Mental health it seems is only going to become a bigger problem so the more educated we students can be in regards to this, the better. Great unit, loved my mental health placement and theory and the unit coordinators are a wealth of knowledge.
Unit Coordinators will continue to enhance the evidence-informed content and learning activities pertaining to the Mental State Examination (MSE) assessment within the 2-Day Residential School. Unit Coordinators will request the Bachelor of Nursing Head of Course (BN-HOC) and Deputy Dean Teaching and Learning (DDLT) to consider increasing the 2-Day Residential School to 3-Days and increasing the duration of the mental health nursing clinical placements from 80 hours to 160 hours.
Feedback from SUTE
The coordinators for this unit are by far my favourite that I have come across so far. Steve Haines, Craig Morris and Shunil Raina are absolutely wonderful, they are understanding and understanding of life's difficulties making them amazing teachers and mentors. They are the most approachable, understanding and caring teachers, they have made my mental health unit enjoyable and exciting to learn. A few coordinators from other units need to take notes from these guys in order for a great CQU learning experience is met along with less stressful timelines. I think the res school needs to be a bit longer, but overall it's been my favourite subject so far. I loved it. The unit coordinators were INCREDIBLE.
Unit Coordinators will continue to apply evidence-informed diverse teaching, learning and assessment philosophies and methods that are person-centred/student-focused, culturally sensitive and thus enhance individual students’ motivation, commitment and ability to successfully meet the unit requirements and aligned learning outcomes.
Feedback from SUTE
This unit has enlightened me and assisted me in understanding Mental Health nursing better and has taught me how to deal effectively with mental health patients in an empathetic way. All teaching staff from MH subject have been very supportive and accommodating to situations I have been going through and with helping my learning. I felt very supported with my learning in this unit and the teachers were very respectful and helpful. I have nothing to fault. Res school was insightful and extremely motivating. I thoroughly enjoyed this unit. I found it incredibly interesting and have gained skills that can be used throughout my nursing career regardless of where I end up in the future. The unit is well thought out and the assignments are very useful in preparing us for real-world mental health nursing scenarios.
Unit Coordinators will continue to develop and ensure the Moodle content/site, the 2-Day Residential School, and unit assessments are underpinned by current evidence-informed educationalist and mental health nursing knowledge and practice skills. Unit Coordinators will develop additional Moodle content such as weekly quizzes to enhance students' comprehension of mental health nursing knowledge and practice skills. This will assist students in completing the unit assessments and attaining the unit learning outcomes, and thus reduce the theory-to-practice void that exists within all mental health nursing and all other nursing disciplines.
Feedback from SUTE
Amazing unit and lecturer's, we need more mental health classes if anything. Incredible teachers. This placement unit was one of my favourites yet. The res school allowed me to be myself and express ourselves the way we wanted. I have always been more for being relaxed being yourself. communication plays a huge roll in nursing and this unit allowed us to actually put that therapeutic nursing side into action where clinical placements do not allow that. Our coordinator Craig Morris was very helpful and approachable. Very quick to respond to any queries. He is very knowledgeable in his field. Craig is an amazing teacher. Thank you, Craig. Cannot speak highly enough of Shunil his knowledge & experience that he shared was so valuable to my learning. He was very passionate about the MH field, extremely approachable, supportive & encouraging. I have learnt so much from Shunil & feel this has influenced my interest in furthering my career towards MH nursing.
Unit Coordinators will continue to apply diverse teaching, learning and assessment philosophies and methods that are aligned with Pedagogy, Andragogy, Bloom's taxonomy framework, Benner's concept relating to stages of clinical competence and principles of equality, diversity and inclusion. Unit Coordinators will continue to underpin their educationalist practice with recognised educational and mental health nursing theories and practice skills; Australian College of Mental Health Nursing (ACMHN) Standards of Practice and Scope of Practice; NMBA Standards and Codes; ICN Code of Ethics and importantly the CQUniversity Values (Engagement, Can do, Openness, Leadership, Inclusiveness).
- Demonstrate adherence to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) standards, codes and guidelines in the physical and psychosocial assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation to support mental health consumers, their carers and their significant others in the simulated and clinical environment.
- Apply a trauma-informed, recovery-oriented approach when collaborating with mental health consumers, their carers and significant others.
- Undertake comprehensive, holistic and culturally appropriate assessments to appraise plans that are responsive to the nursing needs of people with mental health challenges.
- Reflect on ethical, legal and professional issues that may influence the therapeutic relationship with mental health consumers, carers, and significant others.
Content in this unit incorporates a number of professional nursing requirements
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia decision-making framework (DMF) - nursing
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia Registered Nurse Standards for Practice
Thinks critically and analyses nursing practice
Engages in therapeutic and professional relationships
Maintains the capability for practice
Comprehensively conducts assessments
Develops a plan for nursing practice
Provides safe, appropriate and responsive quality nursing practice
Evaluates outcomes to inform nursing practice
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia Nursing Code of Conduct
Legal compliance
Person-centred practice
Cultural practice and respectful relationships
Professional behaviour
Research in health
Health and wellbeing
International Council of Nursing Code of Ethics for Nursing
Nurses and People
Nurses and Practice
Nurses and the Profession
Nurses and co-workers
National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards
Clinical governance
Partnering with consumers
Preventing and Controlling healthcare-associated infection
Medication safety
Comprehensive care
Communicating for safety
Recognising and responding to acute deterioration
Patient Safety Competency Framework
Person-centred care
Therapeutic communication
Cultural competence
Teamwork and collaborative practice
Clinical reasoning
Evidence-based practice
Preventing, minimising and responding to adverse events
Infection prevention and control
Medication safety
Aged Care Quality Standards
Consumer dignity and choice
Ongoing assessment and planning with consumers
Personal care and clinical care
Services and supports for daily living
Organisation’s service environment
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - In-class Test(s) - 0% | ||||
| 2 - Professional Practice Placement - 0% | ||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Communication | ||||
| 2 - Problem Solving | ||||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | ||||
| 4 - Information Literacy | ||||
| 5 - Team Work | ||||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | ||||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | ||||
| 8 - Ethical practice | ||||
| 9 - Social Innovation | ||||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- SONIA (Online)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 7th Edition (APA 7th edition)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
s.raina@cqu.edu.au
s.a.harris@cqu.edu.au
s.haines@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
- Residential Schools will occur from Week 1 to Week 5 across all campuses.
- Clinical placements will occur from Week 1 to Week 12. Certain clinical placements may occur outside of Term 2.
- Module: What is mental health?
Chapter
- Before attending the Residential School, please complete all the Pre-brief and Mental Illness: An Overview and Mental Health Medication Safety learning activities in NURS12162 Moodle site.
- Complete all learning activities in Module: What is mental health? (Flexible learning)
Events and Submissions/Topic
- Residential School: Complete Assessment 1-Medication Safety In-class Test (Online quiz) and all learning activities.
- Complete Assessment 2-Mental Health Professional Experience Placement.
Module/Topic
- Residential Schools will occur from Week 1 to Week 5 across all campuses.
- Clinical placements will occur from Week 1 to Week 12. Certain clinical placements may occur outside of Term 2.
- Module: History of mental illness and mental health nursing.
Chapter
- Before attending the Residential School, please complete all the Pre-brief and Mental Illness: An Overview and Mental Health Medication Safety learning activities in NURS12162 Moodle site.
- Complete all learning activities in Module: History of mental illness and mental health nursing. (Flexible learning)
Events and Submissions/Topic
- Residential School: Complete Assessment 1-Medication Safety In-class Test (Online quiz) and all learning activities.
- Complete Assessment 2-Mental Health Professional Experience Placement.
Module/Topic
- Residential Schools will occur from Week 1 to Week 5 across all campuses.
- Clinical placements will occur from Week 1 to Week 12. Certain clinical placements may occur outside of Term 2.
- Module: Stigma.
Chapter
- Before attending the Residential School, please complete all the Pre-brief and Mental Illness: An Overview and Mental Health Medication Safety learning activities in NURS12162 Moodle site.
- Complete all learning activities in Module: Stigma. (Flexible study)
Events and Submissions/Topic
- Residential School: Complete Assessment 1-Medication Safety In-class Test (Online quiz) and all learning activities.
- Complete Assessment 2-Mental Health Professional Experience Placement.
Module/Topic
- Residential Schools will occur from Week 1 to Week 5 across all campuses.
- Clinical placements will occur from Week 1 to Week 12. Certain clinical placements may occur outside of Term 2.
- Module: Trauma.
Chapter
- Before attending the Residential School, please complete all the Pre-brief and Mental Illness: An Overview and Mental Health Medication Safety learning activities in NURS12162 Moodle site.
- Complete all learning activities in Module: Trauma. (Flexible study)
Events and Submissions/Topic
- Residential School: Complete Assessment 1-Medication Safety In-class Test (Online quiz) and all learning activities.
- Complete Assessment 2-Mental Health Professional Experience Placement.
Module/Topic
- Residential Schools will occur from Week 1 to Week 5 across all campuses.
- Clinical placements will occur from Week 1 to Week 12. Certain clinical placements may occur outside of Term 2.
- Module: Recovery.
Chapter
- Before attending the Residential School, please complete all the Pre-brief and Mental Illness: An Overview and Mental Health Medication Safety learning activities in NURS12162 Moodle site.
- Complete all learning activities in Module: Recovery. (Flexible study)
Events and Submissions/Topic
- Residential School: Complete Assessment 1-Medication Safety In-class Test (Online quiz) and all learning activities.
- Complete Assessment 2-Mental Health Professional Experience Placement.
Module/Topic
- Vacation Week.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
- Clinical placements will occur from Week 1 to Week 12. Certain clinical placements may occur outside of Term 2.
- Module: Therapeutic connections.
Chapter
- Complete all learning activities in Module: Therapeutic connections. (Flexible study)
Events and Submissions/Topic
- Complete Assessment 2-Mental Health Professional Experience Placement.
- Drop-in-session (Zoom): Wednesday (1pm - 2pm AEST/Brisbane).
Module/Topic
- Clinical placements will occur from Week 1 to Week 12. Certain clinical placements may occur outside of Term 2.
- Module: Psychosis.
Chapter
- Complete all learning activities in Module: Psychosis. (Flexible study)
Events and Submissions/Topic
- Complete Assessment 2-Mental Health Professional Experience Placement.
- Drop-in-session (Zoom): Wednesday (1pm - 2pm AEST/Brisbane).
Module/Topic
- Clinical placements will occur from Week 1 to Week 12. Certain clinical placements may occur outside of Term 2.
- Module: Anxiety.
Chapter
- Complete all learning activities in Module: Anxiety. (Flexible study)
Events and Submissions/Topic
- Complete Assessment 2-Mental Health Professional Experience Placement.
- Drop-in-session (Zoom): Wednesday (1pm - 2pm AEST/Brisbane).
Module/Topic
- Clinical placements will occur from Week 1 to Week 12. Certain clinical placements may occur outside of Term 2.
- Module: Mood disorders.
Chapter
- Complete all learning activities in Module: Mood disorders. (Flexible study)
Events and Submissions/Topic
- Complete Assessment 2-Mental Health Professional Experience Placement.
- Drop-in-session (Zoom): Wednesday (1pm - 2pm AEST/Brisbane).
Module/Topic
- Clinical placements will occur from Week 1 to Week 12. Certain clinical placements may occur outside of Term 2.
- Module: Eating disorders.
Chapter
- Complete all learning activities in Module: Eating disorders. (Flexible study)
Events and Submissions/Topic
- Complete Assessment 2-Mental Health Professional Experience Placement.
- Drop-in-session (Zoom): Wednesday (1pm - 2pm AEST/Brisbane).
Module/Topic
- Clinical placements will occur from Week 1 to Week 12. Certain clinical placements may occur outside of Term 2.
- Module: Addiction.
Chapter
- Complete all learning activities in Module: Addiction. (Flexible study)
Events and Submissions/Topic
- Complete Assessment 2-Mental Health Professional Experience Placement.
- Drop-in-session (Zoom): Wednesday (1pm - 2pm AEST/Brisbane).
Module/Topic
- Clinical placements will occur from Week 1 to Week 12. Certain clinical placements may occur outside of Term 2.
- Module: Mental health first aid.
Chapter
- Complete all learning activities in Module: Mental health first aid. (Flexible study)
Events and Submissions/Topic
- Complete Assessment 2-Mental Health Professional Experience Placement.
- Drop-in-session (Zoom): Wednesday (1pm - 2pm AEST/Brisbane).
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 In-class Test(s)
Instructions
- The quiz is to be completed on the NURS12162 Moodle site only on your laptop computer or internet access device, or on a university computer.
- The quiz will consist of 10 randomised multi-choice questions and is to be completed on the first day of your Residential School. A reattempt will be accommodated on the second day of the Residential School if required.
- You will complete the quiz in one sitting, under the supervision of a Lecturer.
- Once you have started the quiz, you cannot log out of the NURS12162 Moodle site and start again. Please do not refresh or reload your screen as this may close the quiz and record your result at the time of closure.
- Once you begin the quiz, you will have 30 minutes to complete your attempt and submit your responses. A timer will indicate the time remaining to complete the quiz. After 30 minutes, you will be locked out of your attempt and any responses up until that point will be submitted as your attempt.
- A result of 100% is required to achieve a pass grade for this assessment.
- You will have a maximum of three attempts to complete the quiz during the Residential School.
- Failure to achieve 100% after three attempts may result in a fail grade for this assessment and you may not be able to progress to your clinical placement.
- Any suspected breaches in academic integrity may result in an academic integrity investigation.
During Residential School.
Results available on the NURS12162 Moodle site after submission.
- Result of 100% is required to obtain a pass grade for Assessment 1, and progress to your clinical placement.
- Maximum of three attempts to achieve a result of 100%.
- Please note you must achieve a pass grade for all NURS12162 assessments to achieve an overall pass non-grade (PN) for NURS12162.
- Demonstrate adherence to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) standards, codes and guidelines in the physical and psychosocial assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation to support mental health consumers, their carers and their significant others in the simulated and clinical environment.
2 Professional Practice Placement
Instructions
- Prior to your clinical placement: Locate the Facilitator/Preceptor Notification form in SONIA.
- Day one of your clinical placement: Complete the Facilitator/Preceptor Notification form and submit it in SONIA.
- During your clinical placement, maintain an accurate Record of Attendance (Timesheet). Each shift should be co-signed by your Registered Nurse (RN)/preceptor/facilitator.
- Midway through your clinical placement: Complete a Formative ANSAT Assessment. This requires the following steps:
a) Complete the self-assessment within your ANSAT Formative Assessment found in SONIA. Submit/forward this to your RN/preceptor/facilitator.
b) After your RN/preceptor/facilitator has completed their feedback in your ANSAT Summative, discuss their feedback with them.
c) Your ANSAT Formative Assessment will be reviewed by your Unit Coordinator, and they may add feedback comments and will sign it. You will receive an email notification when this task is completed.
d) If you score below 3 in any of the ANSAT Formative Assessment criteria, a learning support plan may be implemented. This support plan will provide clear performance expectations and goals to work towards.
e) Review any comments/feedback from your Unit Coordinator. Complete the Student Declaration and Signature section at the end of your ANSAT Formative Assessment. Completing these steps will trigger the release of your ANSAT Summative Assessment in SONIA. - Towards the completion of your clinical placement: Complete your ANSAT Summative Assessment. This requires the following steps:
a) Complete the self-assessment in your ANSAT Summative Assessment. Submit/forward this to your RN/preceptor/facilitator.
b) After your RN/preceptor/facilitator has completed their feedback in the ANSAT Summative, discuss their feedback with them.
c) You will be notified by email to complete the Student Declaration and Signature section on your ANSAT Summative Assessment.
d) You will need to attain a score of 3 or higher for each ANSAT criterion in your ANSAT Summative Assessment to pass Assessment 2.
e) Your ANSAT Summative Assessment will be reviewed by your Unit Coordinator who will also check the hours recorded on your Record of Attendance (Timesheet). - Your finalised Record of Attendance (Timesheet) must be uploaded into SONIA within 3 days of completing your clinical placement. Your grade cannot be finalised until you have uploaded your Record of Attendance (Timesheet).
1. Facilitator/Preceptor Notification Form: Day one of your clinical placement. 2. ANSAT Formative Assessment: By/at the midway stage of your clinical placement. 3. ANSAT Summative Assessment: By/on the last day of your clinical placement. 4. Record of Attendance (Timesheet): No later than three days after completing your clinical placement.
Two weeks after the completion and submission of all required documentation.
- You are required to achieve a pass grade for Assessment 2.
- You must complete your clinical placement in its entirety and with a satisfactory ANSAT Summative Assessment outcome. A score of 3 or higher for each ANSAT criteria in the ANSAT Summative Assessment is required to pass Assessment 2. If you do not meet each ANSAT criteria at a 3 or above on your ANSAT Summative assessment, you may receive a fail grade for Assessment 2.
- Your clinical placement is assessed within the Australian Nurse Standards Assessment Tool (ANSAT). A copy of this is available to you through SONIA.
- An unsatisfactory performance that jeopardises the safety of people in your care or your non-adherence to Registered Nurse Standards for Practice (NMBA, 2016), Code of Conduct for Nurses in Australia (NMBA, 2018), ICN Code of Ethics for Nurses (ICN, 2021), and Social Media Policy, may result in you being removed from your clinical placement.
- Refer to ANSAT Formative and Summative Assessment criteria in SONIA and the NURS12162 Moodle site.
- Please note you must achieve a pass grade for all NURS12162 assessments to achieve an overall pass non-grade (PN) for NURS12162.
- Demonstrate adherence to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) standards, codes and guidelines in the physical and psychosocial assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation to support mental health consumers, their carers and their significant others in the simulated and clinical environment.
- Apply a trauma-informed, recovery-oriented approach when collaborating with mental health consumers, their carers and significant others.
- Undertake comprehensive, holistic and culturally appropriate assessments to appraise plans that are responsive to the nursing needs of people with mental health challenges.
- Reflect on ethical, legal and professional issues that may influence the therapeutic relationship with mental health consumers, carers, and significant others.
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
