NURSPRAC 719 : Clinical Practice in Mental Health and Addictions

Medical and Health Sciences

2024 Semester One (1243) (30 POINTS)

Course Prescription

A clinically based course focusing on history taking, assessment, formulation and nursing care planning. There is an emphasis on mental health, physical health and addictions assessment and the development of nursing formulation skills.

Course Overview

NURSPRAC 719 constitutes one of two courses required for the New Entry to Specialty Practice: Mental Health and Addictions Nursing (NESP) post-graduate certificate programme. Its purpose is to prepare both newly registered nurses and nurses who are new to the specialty of mental health and addiction to achieve Level 2 (competent) mental health and addiction nursing practice.  

This course addresses the complexities of clinical assessment, formulation and care planning in a specialty where knowledge is contested and a paradigm shift is underway.   In accordance with He Ara Oranga, the report arising from the Government Inquiry into Mental Health and Addiction (2018), assessment, formulation and care planning are undertaken in partnership with service users with a focus on least coercive practice and trauma informed care.  The course also  focuses on the social determinants of mental distress, the poor physical health and premature death of service  users and the promotion of their physical health and well being.

Course Requirements

No pre-requisites or restrictions

Course Contacts

COURSE DIRECTOR
Helen Butler   Email: h.butler@auckland.ac.nz
 Phone: 021864258

NESP NATIONAL CO‐ORDINATOR
Deborah Cracknell Email: deborah.cracknell@southerndhb.govt.nz
 Phone: 027 603 0541

COURSE ADMINISTRATOR
Betty Lin Email: betty.lin@auckland.ac.nz
 Phone: 09 3737599

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: People and Place
Capability 2: Sustainability
Capability 3: Knowledge and Practice
Capability 4: Critical Thinking
Capability 5: Solution Seeking
Capability 6: Communication
Capability 7: Collaboration
Capability 8: Ethics and Professionalism
Graduate Profile: Master of Nursing

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Understanding the place of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in mental health nursing practice. (Capability 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 2.1, 2.4, 3.1, 4.1 and 8.2)
  2. Understanding and critically analysis to mental health assessment and the practice of assessment as a person-centred process. (Capability 1.2, 2.1, 3.1, 3.3, 4.1, 4.2, 6.1, 6.2 and 7.1)
  3. Demonstrating an ability to contrast diverse discourses associated with mental health care. (Capability 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 4.1, 4.2 and 8.1)
  4. Understanding social determinants of health and their impact on people. (Capability 1.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 4.1, 5.1, 7.1 and 8.1)
  5. Critically analysing the DSM model of conceptualising mental distress (Capability 1.1, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 4.1 and 8.1)
  6. Applying diverse frameworks for mental health assessment. (Capability 1.2, 3.1, 3.2, 6.1 and 6.2)
  7. Integrating wellbeing and recovery concepts, and the whānau ora approach, into assessment, formulation and nursing care planning. (Capability 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 2.4, 3.1, 3.2, 6.1, 6.2 and 7.1)
  8. Integrating assessment of threat response and risk into mental health assessments. (Capability 1.3, 3.2, 6.1, 7.1 and 8.1)
  9. Implementing trauma informed care (Capability 1.1, 3.1, 5.1, 6.2 and 7.1)
  10. Understanding and practicing self-care (Capability 3.1, 3.2, 3.3 and 8.3)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Essay 35% Individual Coursework
Essay 35% Individual Coursework
Presentation 30% Individual Coursework
Assessment Type Learning Outcome Addressed
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Essay
Essay
Presentation

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 30 point course and students are expected to spend 15-20 hours per week involved in each 30 point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, you can expect 50 hours of lectures, 150 hours of reading and thinking about the content and 100 hours of work on assignments.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

This course is offered as a blended course delivery mode. The activities for the course are scheduled in 4 delivery blocks. The first, last and one of the middle block class days are on campus across 4 cohorts (Auckland A, Auckland B, Midland and Otago) and the other middle block is delivered online. 

Attendance is required at scheduled activities including all class days to complete components of the course.
Lectures will be available as recordings. Other learning activities including tutorials will be available as recordings.
The course will include live online events including group discussions.
Attendance on campus is required for the class days.
The activities for the course are scheduled as a block delivery.

Learning Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Readings are provided and are reviewed regularly to ensure currency. Readings and other learning resources are available on the course’s library website and on CANVAS.
Students are supplied with a set of clinical competency requirements which specify, guide and measure the development of knowledge and clinical skills.
Students are provided with assessment tools which give them the option of completing their assignments from generic, Māori or Pacific perspectives, using either a generic clinical assessment tool, a Whanau Ora tool or a Pacific Fonofale tool.
Individual tuition has been made available both from Student Learning Service, MAPAS and the course co-ordinators.  

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Student feedback was very positive for 2023. There are no proposed changes for 2024.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed for potential plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct, using computerised detection mechanisms.

Class Representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption, we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and course assessment continues to meet the principles of the University’s assessment policy. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator/director, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the university website for information about how to proceed.

The delivery mode may change depending on COVID restrictions. Any changes will be communicated through Canvas.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course students may be asked to submit coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. In exceptional circumstances changes to elements of this course may be necessary at short notice. Students enrolled in this course will be informed of any such changes and the reasons for them, as soon as possible, through Canvas.