92476 Introduction to Specialty Practice: Mental Health Nursing
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Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 6 cp
Subject level:
Undergraduate
Result type: Grade and marksRequisite(s): (92438 Medical Surgical Nursing OR 92450 Medical Surgical Nursing (Graduate Entry) OR 92024 Medical Surgical Nursing (Graduate Entry) OR 92322 Medical Surgical Nursing OR 92454 Medical Surgical Nursing)) OR ((93211 Clinical Practice 2B OR 93225 Clinical Practice 2B) AND (93207 Foundations of Nursing Practice 2A OR 93200 Foundations of Nursing Practice 2A) AND (93224 Foundations of Nursing Practice 2B OR 93210 Foundations of Nursing Practice 2B) AND (93214c Foundations of Nursing Practice 3A OR 93228c Foundations of Nursing Practice 3A)
The lower case 'c' after the subject code indicates that the subject is a corequisite. See definitions for details.
Description
In this subject students develop competence to practice as a registered nurse in a mental health care setting. The national frameworks of recovery-focused mental health care that situate people who have a mental illness as central to their own recovery, and inform mental health nursing practice and service provision, are examined. Students expand their knowledge of and skills in: development of therapeutic nurse–consumer relationships; therapeutic communication in assessment; and strengths-based, recovery-focused and trauma-informed mental health nursing. Students apply their knowledge and skills to practice collaborative and supportive mental health nursing with mental health consumers, their families and carers in a range of health care settings.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
| A. | Identify the dimensions and scope of specialty mental health nursing practice (RN Standards of Practice 1,3,5,6 & 7) |
|---|---|
| B. | Critically examine the framework of recovery-focused mental health nursing care and the concepts of clinical and personal recovery from mental illness (RN Standards of Practice 1,3,5,6, & 7) |
| C. | Develop the skills of recovery-focused therapeutic communication with and assessment of mental health consumers (RN Standards of Practice 2,3,4,6, & 7) |
| D. | Apply recovery- focused approaches to mental health nursing care of consumers and support of their families and carers (RN Standards of Practice 2,3,4,6, & 7) |
| E. | Demonstrate the ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with consumers, families, carers and the interdisciplinary team (RN Standards of Practice 2,3,4,6, & 7) |
| F. | Critically reflect upon consumers’ experiences of mental health services and nursing practice and its contribution to their overall health and wellbeing (RN Standards of Practice 1,3,5,6, & 7) |
| G. | Demonstrate the ability to reflect on one’s own mental health nursing practice and identify areas for development (RN Standards of Practice 1,3,5,6, & 7) |
| H. | Develop competence to begin practice as a Registered Nurse in a mental health care setting (RN Standards of Practice 1,2,3,4,5,6, & 7) |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
This subject also contributes specifically to the following graduate attributes:
- The ability to plan and provide care that is respectful of each individuals’ needs, values and life experiences (1.0)
- The embodiment of a professional disposition committed to ethical, equitable and legal nursing practice (2.0)
- The ability to communicate and collaborate safely, compassionately and respectfully. (3.0)
- The ability to provide patient care premised on the best available evidence (4.0)
- Professional cultural competence that contributes to the health and well-being of Indigenous Australians, inclusive of their physical, social, emotional and spiritual wellbeing (5.0)
Teaching and learning strategies
In this subject, you will participate in a range of teaching and learning strategies that are designed to encourage you to engage with recovery-focused mental health nursing.
Information Technologies
Information technologies will be used by students to access relevant evidence based guidelines related to recovery-focused mental health nursing in addition to resources suitable for encouraging consumer participation in health management.
Online Learning Module
An online progressive activity will unfold at the student’s pace, with immediate feedback provided to develop students' communication, reasoning and problem-solving skills. This module incorporates the development of professional and therapeutic communication skills required for recovery-focused nursing practice.
Online Lectures
This subject benefits from replayable online lectures to enable students to quickly clarify complex descriptions and terminology. Much of the content is supported by other online work.
Live Simulation
The simulation will involve interactions with mental health experts by experience, related to their understandings and experiences of recovery and mental illness. In pairs, students take on the role of nurse or observer and, with guidance, practise therapeutic engagement and communication skills, such as active listening and empathic responding. The experts will provide immediate feedback to the student-pairs.
Clinical Placement
In this subject students complete 80 hours of clinical placement. Placements are provided in a range of healthcare facilities in mostly metropolitan locations. Students provide nursing care within their scope of practice alongside multidisciplinary teams to develop and consolidate their knowledge, skills and attributes relevant to the clinical field.
All clinical placements are managed under the UTS Internships Management Policy and students must comply and act in accordance with the Student Rules, the Student Rights and Responsibilities Policy and the Equity, Inclusion and Respect Policy.
In this subject, the following students are not required to complete a clinical placement for the Introduction to Specialty Practice subject:
- Students enrolled in the STM91471 Bachelor of Nursing Standard Program in 2021 or thereafter
- Students enrolled in the STM91472 Bachelor of Nursing Enrolled Nurse Accelerated program in 2022 or thereafter
Content (topics)
Content will include: The dimensions and scope of mental health nursing practice; Standards of mental health nursing practice and the practice standards for the mental health workforce; Models of mental health service delivery; Framework for recovery-focused mental health services; Consumers’ experiences of recovery from mental illness; Recovery-focused mental health nursing practice; Live simulation with mental health consumers to develop therapeutic communication, interviewing and assessment skills; Collaborative practice with consumers, families, carers and interdisciplinary team members; Reflection on mental health nursing practice.
Assessment
Assessment task 1: In-class Instant Feedback Quiz
| Intent: | This assessment will support you to understand current frameworks for mental health nursing practice, including recovery-oriented, trauma-informed, and lived experience perspectives. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): B, F and H This assessment task contributes to the development of graduate attribute(s): 2.0, 4.0 and 5.0 |
| Type: | Quiz/test |
| Groupwork: | Group, individually assessed |
| Weight: | 30% |
| Length: | 30 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) over 30 minutes per quiz. |
Assessment task 2: In-class team clinical skills challenge
| Intent: | This assessment item challenges students to work in teams to practice using course concepts to solve authentic, real-world mental health nursing problems and develop team workplace learning skills. It will require students to understand frameworks for mental health nursing practice, recovery-oriented, trauma-informed and collaborative approaches, and lived experience perspectives on health services. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): A, B, C, D and E This assessment task contributes to the development of graduate attribute(s): 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0 |
| Groupwork: | Group, group assessed |
| Weight: | 20% |
| Length: | Poster format during tutorial class time |
| Criteria: | See UTS Canvas for Marking Criteria and further details. |
Assessment task 3: Essay
| Intent: | This provides students with an opportunity to critically reflect on subject content and consider barriers and enablers to recovery-oriented practice in health services, and how these barriers might be negotiated. Students will need to draw on subject materials, as well as the wider literature, to support thier arguments. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): F and G This assessment task contributes to the development of graduate attribute(s): 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0 |
| Type: | Essay |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 50% |
| Length: | 1500 words +/- 10% |
| Criteria: | See UTS Canvas for Marking Criteria and further details. |
Assessment task 4: Clinical placement
| Intent: | Students undertake a facilitated, clinical placement experience in a mental health service to prepare them for graduate practice in the nursing workforce, responsive to the mental health needs of health care consumers. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H This assessment task contributes to the development of graduate attribute(s): 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0 and 5.0 |
| Type: | Laboratory/practical |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | Mandatory task that does not contribute to subject mark |
| Length: | 80 hours |
References
Resources utilised in preparation for this subject can be found on the Canvas site.
Other resources
UTS Student Centre
Building 10
Monday to Friday: 9am - 5pm
Tel: 1300 ASK UTS (1300 275 887)
Details for student centres: www.uts.edu.au/current-students/contacts/general-contacts
For other resources/ information refer to the Faculty of Health website (www.uts.edu.au/about/faculty-health) and Canvas at: https://canvas.uts.edu.au/.
UTS Library
The Library has a wide range of resources, facilities and services to support you including textbooks, subject readings, health literature databases, workshops and bookable study rooms. There is also a team of librarians to help you with your questions available via online chat, phone and in person. W: lhttps://www.lib.uts.edu.au/, Facebook: utslibrary, Twitter: @utslibrary Tel: (02) 9514 3666.
Improve your academic and English language skills
Marks for all assessment tasks such as assignments and examinations are given not only for what you write but also for how you write. If you would like the opportunity to improve your academic and English language skills, make an appointment with the HELPS (Higher Education Language & Presentation Support) Service in Student Services.
HELPS (Higher Education Language & Presentation Support)
HELPS provides assistance with English language proficiency and academic language. Students who need to develop their written and/or spoken English should make use of the free services offered by HELPS, including academic language workshops, vacation intensive courses, drop-in consultations, individual appointments and Conversations@UTS (www.ssu.uts.edu.au/helps). HELPS staff are also available for drop-in consultations at the UTS Library. Phone (02) 9514 9733.
Please see www.uts.edu.au for additional information on other resources provided to students by UTS.
The Accessibility and Financial Assistance Service
The Accessibility Service can support students with disabilities, medical or mental health conditions, including temporary injuries (e.g., broken limbs). The Accessibility Service works with Academic Liaison Officers in each Faculty to provide ‘reasonable adjustments’ such as exam provisions, assistive technology, requests and strategies for managing your studies alongside your health condition. If you’re unsure whether you need assistance, we recommend getting in touch early and we can provide advice on how our service can assist you. Make an appointment with an Accessibility Consultant (AC) on +61 2 9514 1177 or Accessibility@uts.edu.au.
The Financial Assistance Service can assist you with financial aspects of life at university, including Centrelink information, tax returns and budgeting, interest-free student loans and grants to assist with course-related costs. Check eligibility and apply online and make an appointment on +61 2 9514 1177 or Financial.assistance@uts.edu.au.