Assessment and promotion of mental health for RN/RPN (PNRS 107)

Course Name

Assessment and Promotion of Mental Health for RNs and RPNs

Course Description

This course is designed for Registered Nurses (RN) and Registered Psychiatric Nurses (RPN) who wish to enhance their skills in working with clients experiencing mental health issues and their families.

This course presents topics pertinent to mental health and mental illness such as: mental health promotion, the cultural context, growth and development, self-concept, stress, grief and loss, and crisis and aggression. Mental Status Assessment and the Nursing Process in Mental Health Nursing are included.

RNs and RPNs may register for specific professional development purposes, or as part of the RN Mental Health Nursing or Psychiatric Nursing Refresher certificate programs. Students interested in completing a certificate program must apply for admission and be accepted into the program. Details of the required documents and program application forms are available on the program web page. Please note that a maximum of one course completed for professional development may be applied toward satisfaction of certificate program requirements.

Subject Code

PNRS 107

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, students will be able to

• define mental health;
• define mental illness;
• identify the influence of beliefs on conceptions of mental health and mental illness;
• build self-awareness about personal views of mental health and mental illness;
• describe mental health promotion;
• explore the history of the treatment of mental illness and of mental health/psychiatric nursing;
• define terminology associated with cultural diversity;
• identify ethnocentricity in nursing practice;
• differentiate among common cultural stumbling blocks;
• identify ways to integrate cultural awareness into own nursing practice; and
• build self-awareness of own cultural influences in own nursing practice.

Tuition

$504.00 (as of Fall semester 2021)

Textbooks not included in tuition fee. Contact the Douglas College Bookstore for prices and ordering information.

Pre-requisites

Completion of English 12 with a minimum grade of “C” or proof of equivalent.

Students who register are understood to be confirming successful completion of this requirement. Proof of successful completion is not required on registration but may be requested by Douglas College.

For course taken on a stand-alone basis:  proof of RPN license status and/or proof of RPN program completion with transcript or copy of diploma/degree.

Course Content

This course covers the following topics:

• assessment and promotion of mental health;
• growth and development, psychosocial theories;
• self-concept;
• stress;
• crisis, grief & loss, and aggression;
• mental status assessment; and
• ·nursing process in mental health nursing.

Learning Resources

Austin & Boyd, Psychiatric Nursing for Canadian Practice

Available through the Douglas College Bookstore

Instruction Method

Interactive online course in Blackboard

Due to the nature of an online delivery, the student will be expected be proficient in computer skills including email, adding attachments, navigating the internet etc. Resources for getting started with Blackboard are available online to help get the student comfortable in the Blackboard environment.

Assignments

• One assignment
• Mid-term exam
• Final exam

Grading

Minimum grade to pass is C (60%).

This course may be taken for professional development or as part of the RN Mental Health Nursing Certificate or Psychiatric Nursing Refresher Certificate programs.

Completion Timeframe

3 months (100 hours) from course start date.

Registration and Course Start

For RNs:

Please complete the CE-HS Registration Form and submit it to: cehsadmin@douglascollege.ca, with proof of completion of the pre-requisite requirements.

For RPNs: 

Please complete the CE-HS Registration Form and submit it to: cehs@douglascollege.ca, with proof of completion of the pre-requisite requirements.

Payment of the tuition fee must accompany registration.

Instructions on how to access your course materials will be emailed to you by the Program Assistant within five (5) business days prior to your chosen course start date.