VNSG 1138

VNSG 1138
I.
Levelland
Campus
COURSE SYLLABUS
COURSE TITLE: Mental Illness, VNSG 1138
INSTRUCTOR: Jennifer Ponto, R.N., B.S.N
OFFICE LOCATION AND PHONE/E-MAIL:
Room, 806 716 2471 Email: jponto@southplainscollege.edu
OFFICE HOURS: By Appointment
SOUTH PLAINS COLLEGE IMPROVES EACH STUDENT’S LIFE
GENERAL COURSE INFORMATION
A.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Study of human behavior with emphasis on emotional and mental abnormalities and modes of treatment incorporating the nursing process.
B.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES :
DECS:
1.
Identify current trends of therapy for the emotionally ill.
2.
Utilize the nursing process in developing a plan of care for an individual with a psychiatric diagnosis in clinical settings.
3.
Discuss the legal and ethical responsibilities of health care workers in caring for emotionally ill patients.
WECM:
1.
Identify common mental illness and maladaptive behavior.
2.
Utilize the nursing process to assist in planning care for the individual with mental illness or maladaptive behavior.
3.
Discuss trends in the management of the individual requiring psychotherapeutic treatment.

VNSG 1138
Specific Goals/ Objectives of this course are to:
1.
Provide appropriate nursing care of individuals with mental illness, to include those with thought disorders, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, personality disorders, and substance abuse.
SEE CHAPTER OBJECTIVES IN THE TEXTBOOKS.
C.
COURSE COMPETENCIES:
Grading Scale:
A (100-93)
B
C
( 92-83)
( 82-77)
Below 77 is failing
D.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:
Please refer to SPC Catalog and Vocational Nursing Student Handbook.
E.
SCANS AND FOUNDATION SKILLS:
C1, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 14, 17
F1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 17
F.
VERIFICATION OF WORKPLACE COMPETENCIES:
No external learning experiences provided. Successful completion of the DECS
Competency Statements at the level specified by the course (Level Objectives) will allow the student to continue to advance within the program. Upon successful completion of the program, students will be eligible to take the state board exam
(NCLEX) for vocational nurse licensure.
II.
SPECIFIC COURSE/INSTRUCTOR REQUIREMENTS
A.
REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS:
1.
Womble, D. (2011) Introductory Mental Health Nursing. (2 nd Ed.). Wolters
Kluwer/LWW.
2.
Deglin, J.P. & Vallerard, A. (2012). Davis Drug Guide for Nurses, (13 th Ed.).
Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis.
3.
White, L Medical-Surgical Nursing (3 rd Edition) Delmar 2011).

VNSG 1138
B.
ATTENDANCE POLICY:
(16 contact hours) Please see SPC catalogue and Vocational Nursing Student
Handbook. Students are expected to attend all classes and to remain for the entire class period. Attendance will be taken at the beginning of class. Students not responding to roll are marked absent in the attendance record. A student who misses more than 2 hours will be withdrawn from the course. Three tardies constitute one hour’s absence. A tardy is more than 5 minutes late or leaving before class is ended.
C.
ASSIGNMENT POLICY:
All assignments are to be turned in by 8:00 a.m. on the due date assigned.
Assignments turned in after 8:00 a.m. will be counted late and 10 points will be deducted each day after the due date. Failure to complete assignments will result in a grade of INCOMPLETE. Please refer to the Student Handbook for vocational nursing
D.
GRADING POLICY/METHODS OF EVALUATION:
Unit I Exam
Unit II Exam
Unit III Exam
25%
25%
25%
25% Unit IV Exam
E.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:
Students are expected to read the assigned chapters prior to lecture time. There will be an exam after the completion of each unit. A make up exam may be given at the time specified by the instructor. An essay or alternate type of exam may be substituted at the discretion of the instructor.
III.
COURSE OUTLINE
Required Readings:
Texts as stated above, chapter(s) as assigned. It is required that the students read the assigned chapter(s) prior to the first lecture hour. The student is responsible for completing the learning objectives and learning the key terms at the beginning of the chapter.

Unit I
Mood Disorders Chapter 10
Meds for Mood disorders Chapter 5
“ Davis Drug Guide
Med Surg Textbook, pages 1228-1240, 1244-1247
Unit II
Unit III
Psychotic Disorders Chapter 11
Meds for Psychotic disorders Chapter 5
“ Davis Drug Guide
Med Surg Textbook, pages 1240-1244
Substance Abuse Chapter 15
Substance Abuse Chapter 66 Med/Surg Textbook
Films Substance Abuse
Unit IV
Personality Disorders Chapter 12
Somatoform Disorders Chapter 13
Dissociative Disorders Chapter 14
Eating Disorders
Sexual Disorders
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Disorders of Children,
Adolescents Chapter 18
Disorders of Older Adults Chapter 19
VNSG 1138

VNSG 1138
IV.
ACCOMMODATION
South Plains College strives to accommodate the individual needs of all students in order to enhance their opportunities for success in the context of a comprehensive community college setting. It is the policy of South Plains College to offer all educational and employment opportunities without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, gender, disability or age (SPC Equal Opportunity Policy – General Catalog). Students with known disabilities or requiring special considerations are encouraged to contact the instructor to review options and make arrangements for necessary accommodations, as soon as possible. Students may also contact the South Plains
College Special Services Office and/or Counseling Center for individualized assistance.
Diversity: In this class, the teacher will establish and support an environment that values and nurtures individual and group differences and encourages engagement and interaction.
Understanding and respecting multiple experiences and perspectives will serve to challenge and stimulate all of us to learn about others, about the larger world and about ourselves. By promoting diversity and intellectual exchange, we will not only mirror society as it is, but also model society as it should and can be.

WARNING SIGNS OF CHEMICAL DEPENDENCY IN HEALTH CARE
JOB PERFORMANCE:
Excessive sick time, especially following days off -- most common in alcohol dependency
Absence without notice or last minute requests for time off
Excessive breaks or lunch hours
Frequent or unexplained disappearance from the unit
Does minimum work necessary for the job
Cannot meet deadlines or schedules
Sloppy or illogical charting
Frequent mistakes, errors of judgment, medication errors
Smell of alcohol on breath OR excessive use of breath mints, chewing gum, mouthwash
Elaborate, implausible excuses for behavior
PERSONALITY AND MENTAL STATUS:
Emotional liability, mood swings
Snapping at colleagues, uncontrolled verbal or emotional responses
Diminished alertness, dazed or preoccupied, confusion, memory lapses
Isolates self from unit/group activities, requests night or weekend shifts
DIVERSION OF MEDICATIONS
Consistently volunteers to be "med nurse"
Signs out more controlled drugs than co-workers
Frequently reports "spillage or wastes"
Fails to obtain required co-signatures
Excessive use of PRN meds for patients assigned
Discrepancies in end of shift medication counts
Evidence of tampering of vials or drug containers
Being alone to open narcotic box; disappears into bathroom after opening box
Patient complaints of unrelieved pain
Defensiveness when questioned about medication errors
Coming in early and staying late
Volunteering to work with patients who receive large amounts of pain medication

2.
What to do if you suspect a co-worker of substance abuse:
1. Make private notes of observations -- stick to facts/dates/time. "Sept 8, MJ absent from unit 8 pm to 8:45 pm, did not explain absence. At 9 pm, noted odor of alcohol on breath" NOT "I think MJ left unit to drink"
ALSO: "at 2 pm, Pat at nurses station dozing off, could not state patient's last BP when questioned. Nurses notes state patient in room 131 medicated for pain at 1:30 pm for headache with Demerol 50 mg IM. Patient states did not receive injection at 1:30 pm."
Report to supervisor. (Even if you don't have written notes). Report immediately, if person has strong odor of alcohol, slurred speech, shakiness, hand tremors, etc.
3. If no response from immediate supervisor, discuss you concerns with the supervisor's manager or director.
What will happen to the employee?
HOPEFULLY . . . Formal measures will be taken.
Intervention with trained counselors, referral to an employee assistance program
or consultant with the state nurse assistance program (TPAPN).
Employee is USUALLY not terminated from employment unless refuses to submit to drug screening/counseling/treatment.
Licensed employees are not usually reported to the licensing board unless they do not submit
to voluntary assistance and intervention, or if they relapse under certain conditions.
Employee CAN be prosecuted for drug diversion, and can be held liable for civil acts, such as
patient injury.
Employee should receive treatment for withdrawal from addicting substances. Should adhere to 12-step program such as AA or NA, or nurse support groups.
After treatment completed, may be allowed to work under certain restrictions, such as limited
access to narcotics, documented attendance at prescribed group meetings, random drug
screens, and restrictions on practice, such as day shift duty only, or work only under
supervision.

WHAT NOT TO DO IF CHEMICAL DEPENDENCY SUSPECTED:
DON'T "excuse" the employee, such as "maybe they're having a 'bad day'.
DON'T try to confront the individual yourself; instead, report to the appropriate supervisor.
DON'T cover for the individual by working extra shifts or taking additional responsibilities.
DON'T IGNORE THE BEHAVIOR. YOU WOULDN'T IGNORE A CO-WORKER’S SYMPTOMS OF A
BRAIN TUMOR. THIS IS JUST AS DEADLY.
Above from article in American Journal of Nursing, September, 1994. "Is Your Colleague
Chemically Dependent" by Tonda L. Hughes, RN, Phd, and Linda L. Smith, RN, MN, CAP