NURSPRAC 726 : Mental Health Nursing Practicum

Medical and Health Sciences

2023 Semester One (1233) (30 POINTS)

Course Prescription

Extends mental health nurses’ knowledge and skills in clinical practice, scholarly activity, and leadership to improve health outcomes. Through guided learning experiences and support from clinical and academic mentors, students set and achieve individual learning goals. Focus is on the development of person-centred, reflective practice demonstrating understanding of the socio-political and cultural contexts of health and wellbeing.

Course Overview

This course aims to facilitate mental health nurses’ growth in clinical practice by developing skills and knowledge, leadership capabilities, and clinical decision-making. By setting individual goals and working with clinical and academic mentors, students will develop advancing person-centered, reflective nursing practice that focuses on improving health outcomes of service users. Through scholarly activity, students will gain a greater understanding of evidence-based practice and the socio-political and cultural contexts of health and wellbeing.
This is a synchronous online course, and as such the dates for online classes are set.  This enables students to book leave for the study days away from work. 

Course Requirements

Restriction: NURSING 744

Course Contacts

Course Coordinator Colette Adrian. Email: c.adrian@auckland.ac.nz  

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: Disciplinary Knowledge and Practice
Capability 2: Critical Thinking
Capability 3: Solution Seeking
Capability 4: Communication and Engagement
Capability 5: Independence and Integrity
Capability 6: Social and Environmental Responsibilities

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Participate in a continuous process of improvement for advancing own practice and improving service user outcomes (Capability 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6)
  2. Demonstrate recovery-focused clinical decision making based on evidence and sound rationale (Capability 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6)
  3. Critically reflect on own practice and demonstrate positive change in response to new insights (Capability 2, 3 and 5)
  4. Demonstrate effective collaboration with service users and whanau in health care planning and service development (Capability 4, 5 and 6)
  5. Demonstrate a commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and improving health outcomes for Maori (Capability 3, 4, 5 and 6)
  6. Demonstrate growth in leadership within the practice setting (Capability 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6)
  7. Identify opportunities to improve quality of service through evaluation of the clinical practice setting and collaborative processes of change (Capability 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6)
  8. Critique and analyse the socio-political and cultural contexts of healthcare provision and service development (Capability 1, 2, 4 and 6)
  9. Promote a culture of effectiveness to improve service user/whanau outcomes (Capability 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6)

Assessments

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

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 30 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, you can expect 42 hours of lectures, 3 x 1 hour tutorials, 80 hours of reading and thinking about the content and 80 hours of work on assignments and/or test preparation.

Delivery Mode

Online

Attendance is expected at scheduled online activities including tutorials to complete components of the course.
The course will include live online events including group discussions/tutorials/lectures and these will be recorded.
Attendance on campus is not required.
Where possible, study material will be released progressively throughout the course.
This course runs to the University semester timetable and all the associated completion dates and deadlines will apply.

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.

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.

A student commented that the main benefit of an online course was convenience.  The same student commented that it was a challenge to connect to peers in the online forum and suggested that connecting outside of class via What's App (for example), may have fostered the social learning element of the course.  This was suggested but declined by the group so as not to exclude group members who did not use social media.  Using social media to connect outside of class will be strongly encouraged in 2023.
A suggestion was made for more 1-1 time with teaching staff, this will be actioned in 2023. 

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 against online source material 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.

Published on 16/02/2023 09:09 a.m.