Southern State Community College
Curriculum Committee – October 2014
NURS 2205: Psychiatric Nursing
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COURSE TITLE:
Psychiatric Nursing
COURSE NUMBER: 2205
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CATALOG PREFIX: NURS
PRE-REQUISITES:
NURS 2201, NURS 2210, NURS 2220, and PSYC 1110
CO-REQUISITES:
General elective (non-technical), NURS 1107, and NURS 2221
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CREDIT HOURS:
3
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COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Special emphasis centers on teaching the student to use the nursing process to manage the nursing
care for patients whose health conditions indicate acute or chronic psychiatric disturbances.
Mental health promotion for all patients is stressed. Areas that will be included in the course
content for the professional nurse include communication with the other members of the heath care
team to improve the quality of care provided to patients with mental health disorders. The
pharmacological aspects of the nursing care are integrated throughout the course. The need for safe
patient-centered care is incorporated into all aspects of the theory and clinical practice of the
course.
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GRADING:
To satisfactorily complete this course, the student must achieve a grade of B or above according to
the following system:
LECTURE HOURS: 2.5
CLINICAL HOURS: 0.50 (1.5 clock hours)
90 – 100 = A
80 – 89 = B
0 – 79 = F
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ADOPTED TEXT(S):
Townsend, Mary C. (2015). Psychiatric mental health nursing: Concepts of care in evidencebased practice, (8th), Philadelphia: F.A. Davis. ISBN: 978-0-8036-4092-4
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COURSE OBJECTIVES:
Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:
1. Develop personal behaviors which demonstrate an understanding of the roles of the nurse and
the patient in the teaching-learning process related to mental health.
2. Use the nursing process effectively to assess, plan, implement and evaluate the care of
individuals and families experiencing alterations in mental health and psychosocial
functioning in acute care and community settings.
3. Synthesize knowledge of basic physical psychological and spiritual needs of patients
throughout the lifespan in planning the care of patients with alterations in mental health and
psychosocial functioning.
NURS 2205: Psychiatric Nursing, Spring 2015
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4. Analyze personal communication skills to promote effective therapeutic relationships within
the diverse cultures and ethnicities the nurse will encounter within his/her practice, with a
focus on the nursing care of patients with alterations in mental health.
5. Apply legal and ethical codes in making decisions for care of patients with alterations in
mental health.
6. Apply appropriate knowledge of pharmacology in the care of patients to promote maximum
mental health.
7. Identify specific nursing implications related to safety for patients with alterations in mental
health.
8. Apply knowledge of nutrition to the needs of patients with alterations in mental health.
9. Identify how current research is intended to promote maximum mental health.
10. Develop knowledge in the nursing care of the patient with alterations in mental health and
those appropriate therapies which assist in the promotion of maximum mental health
throughout the lifespan.
11. Identify the role of the professional nurse as a part of the health care team in improvement of
the processes of patient centered care related to the mental health of patients and communities
in their service area.
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COURSE METHODOLOGY:
May include but not limited to lecture, discussion, written and computer tests, hand-in assignments,
self-evaluation, reference readings, audio-visual materials, process paper or mental health project
which will incorporate current research and clinical practice assignments.
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COURSE OUTLINE:
Instructor will include the concepts of patient-centered care, safety, communication,
professionalism, quality improvement and clinical judgment while teaching the following topics:
 Introduction to Psych Nursing Historical and theoretical concepts
 Cultural, spiritual and Ethnic Considerations mental health nursing
 Therapeutic approaches in psychiatric nursing care: Communication, Nursing Process, NursePatient Relationship, the therapeutic milieu, foundations of theory and the different therapies
used with mental health patients
 Treatment modalities which include Individual, Family, Group Therapy, Complementary,
Somatic Therapies and pharmacology (integrated with each of the mental health disorders)
 Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing in the care of the patient with alterations in mental health.
 Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing of special populations
Sample course schedule - Weekly topics
Week:
1-3 Introduction to psychiatric/mental health nursing, cultural, spiritual and ethnic
considerations
4-5 Therapeutic approaches in psychiatric nursing care: Therapeutic Communication, Nursing
Process, Nurse-Patient Relationship, the therapeutic milieu, foundations of theory and the
different therapies used with mental health patients
6-11 Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing in the care of the patient with alterations in mental health
12-15 Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing of special populations
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OTHER REQUIRED TEXTS, SOFTWARE AND MATERIALS:
All textbooks from prior nursing classes may be used as references in either clinical or classroom.
NURS 2205: Psychiatric Nursing, Spring 2015
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Uniform for clinical practice will be casual dress according to individual clinical facility
requirements. If attire is deemed inappropriate by your clinical instructor, students will be sent
home, an unsatisfactory grade for the day will be given and the clinical day will have to be made
up in order to successfully complete clinical practice objectives.
Student’s ID badge must be worn at all times in clinical practice sites. Policies of each facility
must be followed.
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EVALUATION:
Theory is evaluated by written examination and assessment of completeness and accuracy of any
additional class related work, including essays, worksheets, quizzes and class participation, as
determined by the classroom instructor. Students will be informed of the specific evaluation tools
and their respective percentage values on the first day of class.
Please note that the student must achieve a grade of satisfactory in each clinical practice objective
to successfully complete the course. If a student fails to achieve a satisfactory in clinical practice,
regardless of lecture grade, the student will receive a grade of “F” for the course.
Clinical practice is evaluated by student knowledge and application of that knowledge in the
clinical setting and in clinically related written work. Students are to demonstrate progress toward
course objectives as evidenced by specific behaviors noted in the clinical evaluation tool for this
course.
Use of ATI will be directed per the standardized testing policy.
Instructors reserve the right to modify timing of exams or presentation of units to meet class
objectives.
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SPECIFIC MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS:
Students are responsible for all materials covered in the course outline whether or not they are
discussed within the classroom setting.
Students must have access to the internet, which may be achieved with the use of open labs on any
SSCC campus
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OTHER INFORMATION:
FERPA: Students need to understand that your work may be seen by others. Others may see your
work when being distributed, during group project work, or if it is chosen for demonstration
purposes.
Students also need to know that there is a strong possibility that your work may be submitted to
other entities for the purpose of plagiarism checks.
DISABILITIES: Students with disabilities must contact the Disabilities Service Office at
800.628.7722 or 937.393.3431 before arrangements can be made for them in the classroom or
clinical setting.