NURS 3116
Nursing Practice and Clinical Reasoning III:
Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing
(2 credits lecture, 1 credit clinical)
Clinical Handbook
1
,Clinical Practicum
The clinical practicum component of NURS 3116 provides opportunities for students to apply
scientific principles and use the nursing process to assess, plan, and evaluate nursing
interventions in the care of clients and develop therapeutic communication skills, critical
reasoning, analytical and perform nursing skills to promote the highest level of wellness of each
client through learning experiences in the acute and/or community-based psychiatric health care
settings.
Clinical Practicum Objectives:
1. Demonstrate ability to perform a nursing assessment and client centered interview.
2. Develop a nursing care plan for clients experiencing selected psychiatric disorders.
3. Use the nursing process to provide care for clients experiencing selected psychiatric
disorders.
4. Explain nursing interventions for clients experiencing selected psychiatric disorders.
5. Use critical thinking skills to determine appropriate communication techniques with
clients experiencing selected psychiatric disorders.
6. Analyze systematically collected information when providing, safe, quality, client-
centered care.
7. Identify evidence-based client-centered teaching and learning.
8. Identify appropriate community resources for mental health care.
9. Demonstrate clinical competency as outlined in the BSN Clinical Evaluation Tool and
exhibit professional behaviors that enhance quality care consistent with the ANA
standards of care.
10. Interrelate characteristics of culture to promote congruence and facilitate the delivery of
culturally competent care. Demonstrate ability to communicate effectively with members
of the multidisciplinary healthcare team in meeting the needs of the client with a mental
health problem.
Clinical Practicum Requirements
• Skills Lab Practicum (5 hours total: 4 hours face to face/1hour preparation outside
of class): Basic Learning and Skills Training (BLAST) for psychiatric mental-health
nursing, participate in simulated clinical scenarios involving standardized patients
depicting ‘real life’ situations, demonstrations, practice and de-briefing. The Skills lab is
considered a clinical practicum experience.
• Clinical Practicum (40 hours): Successful completion of placement in psychiatric
mental health clinical and/or community settings, and completion of all clinical written
assignments and learning activities with an overall grade of satisfactory (satisfactory
grade=2) on the clinical evaluation tool.
• Nursing Process: Students are expected to use the nursing process in assessing, planning,
implementing and evaluating the care of selected clients in the clinical agency.
2
, Teaching/Learning Strategies
• Guided clinical learning experiences, pre and post individual and group conferences,
demonstration, simulation, interactive role play, small and large group discussions,
written and online learning activities. Students may be assigned pre and post conference
learning activities, including audio visuals, case studies, community support group
meeting such as AA, NA meeting as assigned by clinical instructor.
• Medication Administration. Students do not administer medications in the psychiatric
clinical setting. However, students are expected to review all medications prescribed for
their assigned client, complete medication worksheets as part of the care plan and observe
an RN administering medications if an opportunity can be arranged by the clinical
instructor.
Components of the Final Clinical Grade
The clinical component of this course is graded as “Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory.”
To pass the clinical practicum you must achieve a grade of “Satisfactory” (=2) in all components
as follows:
Grading Scale
Clinical Components Grade
Satisfactory Unsatisfactory
One Class/Clinical Experience Paper 2 0 or 1
Two Nursing Care Plans 2 0 or 1
Five Weekly Reflective Journals 2 0 or 1
One Community Support Group Report 2 0 or 1
Clinical Performance Evaluation 2 0 or 1
➢ A grade of ‘2’ in all sections of the Clinical
Performance Evaluation Tool
➢ Satisfactory completion of all written
assignments, submitted on time.
➢ Satisfactory attendance and punctuality
Attention: You must achieve a passing grade in the lecture and clinical components to
progress to the next semester If you fail to meet one of the criterion listed above, you will be
required to re-take the entire course, including the lecture, skills lab and clinical practicum.
3
Nursing Practice and Clinical Reasoning III:
Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing
(2 credits lecture, 1 credit clinical)
Clinical Handbook
1
,Clinical Practicum
The clinical practicum component of NURS 3116 provides opportunities for students to apply
scientific principles and use the nursing process to assess, plan, and evaluate nursing
interventions in the care of clients and develop therapeutic communication skills, critical
reasoning, analytical and perform nursing skills to promote the highest level of wellness of each
client through learning experiences in the acute and/or community-based psychiatric health care
settings.
Clinical Practicum Objectives:
1. Demonstrate ability to perform a nursing assessment and client centered interview.
2. Develop a nursing care plan for clients experiencing selected psychiatric disorders.
3. Use the nursing process to provide care for clients experiencing selected psychiatric
disorders.
4. Explain nursing interventions for clients experiencing selected psychiatric disorders.
5. Use critical thinking skills to determine appropriate communication techniques with
clients experiencing selected psychiatric disorders.
6. Analyze systematically collected information when providing, safe, quality, client-
centered care.
7. Identify evidence-based client-centered teaching and learning.
8. Identify appropriate community resources for mental health care.
9. Demonstrate clinical competency as outlined in the BSN Clinical Evaluation Tool and
exhibit professional behaviors that enhance quality care consistent with the ANA
standards of care.
10. Interrelate characteristics of culture to promote congruence and facilitate the delivery of
culturally competent care. Demonstrate ability to communicate effectively with members
of the multidisciplinary healthcare team in meeting the needs of the client with a mental
health problem.
Clinical Practicum Requirements
• Skills Lab Practicum (5 hours total: 4 hours face to face/1hour preparation outside
of class): Basic Learning and Skills Training (BLAST) for psychiatric mental-health
nursing, participate in simulated clinical scenarios involving standardized patients
depicting ‘real life’ situations, demonstrations, practice and de-briefing. The Skills lab is
considered a clinical practicum experience.
• Clinical Practicum (40 hours): Successful completion of placement in psychiatric
mental health clinical and/or community settings, and completion of all clinical written
assignments and learning activities with an overall grade of satisfactory (satisfactory
grade=2) on the clinical evaluation tool.
• Nursing Process: Students are expected to use the nursing process in assessing, planning,
implementing and evaluating the care of selected clients in the clinical agency.
2
, Teaching/Learning Strategies
• Guided clinical learning experiences, pre and post individual and group conferences,
demonstration, simulation, interactive role play, small and large group discussions,
written and online learning activities. Students may be assigned pre and post conference
learning activities, including audio visuals, case studies, community support group
meeting such as AA, NA meeting as assigned by clinical instructor.
• Medication Administration. Students do not administer medications in the psychiatric
clinical setting. However, students are expected to review all medications prescribed for
their assigned client, complete medication worksheets as part of the care plan and observe
an RN administering medications if an opportunity can be arranged by the clinical
instructor.
Components of the Final Clinical Grade
The clinical component of this course is graded as “Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory.”
To pass the clinical practicum you must achieve a grade of “Satisfactory” (=2) in all components
as follows:
Grading Scale
Clinical Components Grade
Satisfactory Unsatisfactory
One Class/Clinical Experience Paper 2 0 or 1
Two Nursing Care Plans 2 0 or 1
Five Weekly Reflective Journals 2 0 or 1
One Community Support Group Report 2 0 or 1
Clinical Performance Evaluation 2 0 or 1
➢ A grade of ‘2’ in all sections of the Clinical
Performance Evaluation Tool
➢ Satisfactory completion of all written
assignments, submitted on time.
➢ Satisfactory attendance and punctuality
Attention: You must achieve a passing grade in the lecture and clinical components to
progress to the next semester If you fail to meet one of the criterion listed above, you will be
required to re-take the entire course, including the lecture, skills lab and clinical practicum.
3
