Course

Health Assessment: Community Health & Mental Health

Faculty
Health Sciences
Department
Nursing
Course Code
NURS 3412
Credits
2.50
Semester Length
15
Max Class Size
24
Method(s) Of Instruction
Lab
Typically Offered
To be determined

Overview

Course Description
In this course, students learn the holistic assessment of adults with mental health challenges and/or substance use disorders. They also learn the holistic assessment of individuals, families and groups in a variety of community settings. In addition, students learn a variety of psychomotor skills commonly used in mental health and community health nursing practice. Knowledge development occurs through active participation in a variety of experiential learning strategies.
Course Content

In this course, the holistic health assessment of clients experiencing mental health challenges and/or substance use disorders and clients in a variety of community settings are the foci for discussion. In addition, a variety of psychomotor skills commonly used in nursing practice with clients in mental health and community health nursing settings are addressed. Concepts and essential content that will be addressed relative to these topics are listed below.  In addition, the core curriculum concepts are integrated in this course.   

Holistic health assessment of adult clients with mental health challenges and/or substance use disorders, and in community settings

  • Comprehensive assessment
  • Focused systems assessment
  • Screening for vulnerabilities and resilience
  • Risk assessment
  • Mental status exam
  • Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol (CIWA)
  • Intoxication and withdrawal states
  • Assessing for movement disorders
  • HEADSS assessment
  • Intimate partner violence
  • Human trafficking
  • Community assessment

Nursing skills and application of theoretical knowledge commonly used in nursing practice with adult clients with mental health challenges and/or substance use disorders

  • Establishment of therapeutic relationships
  • Therapeutic communication
  • Active listening
  • Setting up an interview
  • Crisis planning
  • Non-violent crisis intervention
  • Recovery model
  • Pharmacological considerations

Nursing skills and application of theoretical knowledge commonly used in nursing practice with adult clients in community settings

  • Therapeutic communication
  • Motivational interviewing
  • Reporting communicable diseases
  • Immunization principles and health promotion
  • Sexually transmitted infection health promotion and prevention
  • Informed consent and mature minor consent
  • Nutrition across the lifespan

Safety

  • Personal safety
  • Safety planning and suicide precautions
  • Limit setting and professional boundaries
  • Cultural safety
  • Stigma
  • Harm reduction

Nurse's role

  • Various contexts of practice for community health nurses
  • Collaborative partners
  • Professional image
  • Advocacy and social justice
  • Cultural humility

Concepts relative to health assessment to be explored include:

  • Purpose
  • Principles
  • Engaging with clients
  • Planning
  • Rationale
  • Implementation
  • Evaluation
  • Preventing complications   
Learning Activities

It is the intent of faculty to facilitate student learning, and promote critical inquiry, reflection and analytical reasoning through a variety of learning processes such as simulation, practice, observation and demonstration.

Means of Assessment

The course evaluation is consistent with Douglas College Evaluation Policy.  A course evaluation schedule and other course evaluation information are provided on the Instructor’s Course Outline which is available to students at the beginning of each semester.  This is a graded course. 

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this course, the successful student will be able to:

  • Demonstrate the knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary for holistic, comprehensive and focused assessment of clients with mental health challenges and/or substance use disorders.
  • Demonstrate the knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary for holistic, comprehensive and focused assessment of clients in a variety of community settings.
  • Demonstrate the knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary for the safe implementation of a variety of relational and other psychomotor skills commonly used in mental health and community health nursing practice.
  • Demonstrate the consolidation, integration and application of knowledge in simulated nursing practice experiences.
Textbook Materials

Textbooks and Materials to be Purchased by Students:

A list of recommended textbooks and materials is provided on the Instructor’s Course Outline which is available to students at the beginning of each semester. 

Requisites

Course Guidelines

Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

Course Transfers

These are for current course guidelines only. For a full list of archived courses please see https://www.bctransferguide.ca

Institution Transfer Details for NURS 3412
There are no applicable transfer credits for this course.

Course Offerings

Summer 2024