Psychiatric Nursing Courses
PNUR 1101 Psychiatric Nursing Concepts I (4.5 credits)
This course examines the student's personal meaning of health and relationships in relation to the individual, family and groups. Health assessment & promotion, roles & responsibilities within the profession of psychiatric nursing will be introduced. Health care trends related to primary health care, determinants of health and wellness are examined. The Neuman Systems Model of nursing will be introduced. A review of human physiology and an introduction to the concepts of pathophysiology will be presented. Basic principles of pharmacology will also be integrated within this course. Concepts of crisis, comfort, hope, loss, power, resiliency and integrity will be introduced.
Prerequisites: Nil
PNUR 1121 Therapeutic Relations I (1.5 credits)
This course will introduce students to communication within the context of the nurse-client relationship. Therapeutic communication skills will include warmth, respect, genuineness, empathy, concreteness and assertiveness. Students will focus on developing self-awareness and therapeutic use of self. Professional documentation as it relates to therapeutic communication is introduced.
Prerequisites: Nil
PNUR 1130 Clinical Procedures I (1.5 credits)
Students are introduced to theory and principles associated with foundational skills of psychiatric nursing practice. These include assisting clients with their activities of daily living (personal care), body mechanics involved with caring for individuals and an introduction to principles of medication administration.
Prerequisites: Nil
PNUR 1141 Group Theory I (1.5 credits)
This course will introduce students to group theory and group process. Students examine the history of the development of groups at a basic level. Students explore their beliefs and values pertaining to groups and discover the relevance of this to their own learning and practice. Students examine groups in relation to types, roles, aims, barriers and opportunities as they work in groups, both in the classroom and in clinical settings.
Prerequisites: Nil
PNUR 1201 Psychiatric Nursing Concepts II (3.0 credits)
This course examines a person's experience with ongoing variances in wellness throughout the life cycle and their impact on client system stability and harmony. Health care trends related to primary prevention are built upon from Semester I. The Douglas College Department of Psychiatric Nursing conceptual framework is expanded upon and applied to the health assessment of the individual client. Human pathophysiology and pharmacological management related to selected exemplars will be discussed. Ongoing exploration of legal and ethical issues of psychiatric nursing practice will occur.
Prerequisites: PNUR 1101, PNUR 1141, PNUR 1121, PNUR 1130
PNUR 1221 Therapeutic Relations II (1.5 credits)
This course will build upon application of communication within the context of the nurse-client relationship as introduced in semester I. The student will continue to develop the communication skills of warmth, respect, genuineness, empathy and concreteness. Communication skill development will focus on the effective use of listening, self-disclosure, and humour. Therapeutic communication is intended to enhance cultural competence will be introduced. Continued understanding of professional documentation as relates to therapeutic communication will be emphasized.
Prerequisites: PNUR 1121, PNUR 1101, PNUR 1141, PNUR 1130
PNUR 1230 Clinical Procedures II (1.5 credits)
Students will continue to build on and are introduced to theory and principles associated with foundational skills of psychiatric nursing practice. This will include skills relevant to the clinical practice setting.
Prerequisites: PNUR 1130, PNUR 1101, PNUR 1141, PNUR 1121
PNUR 1250 Psychiatric Nursing Pharmacology I (1.5 credits)
Students are introduced to the theory and principles of pharmacology as they relate to psychiatric nursing practice. Students will develop a beginning knowledge base of medications and develop critical thinking in their holistic application of knowledge and pharmacological principles when caring for clients with chronic health variances across the lifespan. Students will examine health promotion issues related to pharmacology in the context of primary prevention as intervention. Students will develop an understanding of the legal implications related to pharmacological management as they pertain to psychiatric nursing practice. Students will focus on understanding the classification of medications used in the management of chronic health variances and will incorporate the nursing process to examine the relationship between medications and the variables of the person.
Prerequisites: PNUR 1101, PNUR 1121, PNUR 1130, PNUR 1141
PNUR 1261 PNUR Clinical Practice I (5 credits)
Students will have opportunities to apply and integrate psychiatric and medical knowledge and skills in caring for persons, families and groups experiencing ongoing health challenges in intermediate, and mental health settings. This course introduces the student to the psychiatric nursing role. Students will focus on developing self-awareness. Students will begin to assess and set priorities to organize care with individuals in the context of family and groups. Clinical Group Discussions will assist with the integration of concepts and issues related to the clinical practice setting.
Prerequisites: PNUR 1101, PNUR 1130, PNUR 1121, PNUR 1141
PNUR 2301 Psychiatric Nursing Concepts III: Living with Episodic Health Challenges I (4.5 credits)
This course examines a person's experience with episodic variances in wellness throughout the life cycle and their impact on client system stability and harmony. Health care trends related to primary prevention are built upon from semester II. The Douglas College Department of Psychiatric Nursing conceptual framework is expanded upon and applied to the health assessment of the individual client. Human pathophysiology and pharmacological management related to selected exemplars will be integrated within this course. The course will provide opportunities for the ongoing development of professional relationships and for the understanding of legal and ethical issues of psychiatric nursing practice.
Prerequisites: PNUR 1201, PNUR 1221, PNUR 1230, PNUR 1250, PNUR 1261 (BIOL 1103, BIOL 1203 *Diploma)
PNUR 2321 Therapeutic Relations III (1.5 credits)
This course will build upon application of communication theory and skills introduced in semester II. The communication skills of self disclosure, concreteness, confrontation, immediacy, problem solving and conflict resolution are introduced. Students will focus on developing self awareness in relation to their way of being with each other and in offering critical feedback to peers. Students will have opportunities to participate in simulated role-plays with individuals experiencing health challenges in the context of a professional therapeutic relationship.
Prerequisites: PNUR 1221, PNUR 1201, PNUR 1230, PNUR 1250, PNUR 1261, BIOL 1103, BIOL 1203
PNUR 2330 Clinical Procedures III (1.5 credits)
Students will continue to develop and integrate foundational skills of psychiatric nursing practice and will be introduced to advanced practice skills relevant to the clinical practice setting.
Prerequisites: PNUR 1230, PNUR 1201, PNUR 1221, PNUR 1250, PNUR 1261
PNUR 2351 Psychiatric Nursing Pharmacology II (1.5 credits)
Students will continue to develop their understanding of the theory and principles of pharmacology as they relate to psychiatric nursing practice. Students will apply their knowledge of the pharmacodynamics, pharmacotherapeutics and pharmacokinetics of medications within the nursing process. Students will focus on understanding the classification of medications used in the management of acute health variances and will develop a holistic perspective in examining the relationship among medications, the variables of the person, and the environment. Students will examine health promotion issues related to pharmacology in context of secondary, tertiary prevention as intervention. Students will develop a comprehensive knowledge base of medications and use critical thinking in their application of knowledge and pharmacological principles when caring for clients with acute health variances across the lifespan.
Prerequisites: PNUR 1201, PNUR 1221, PNUR 1230, PNUR 1250, PNUR 1261
PNUR 2361 PNUR Clinical Practice II (Episodic Health Challenges I) (5 credits)
Students will have opportunities to integrate specialized psychiatric and medical knowledge and skills in caring for persons, families, and groups experiencing episodic health challenges in medical-surgical and acute mental health care settings. The professional psychiatric nursing role will continue to be developed and strengthened. Clinical group discussions will assist with the integration of concepts and issues related to the clinical practice setting.
Prerequisites: PNUR 1201, PNUR 1230, PNUR 1261, PNUR 1221, PNUR 1250, BIOL 1103, BIOL 1203
PNUR 2401 Psychiatric Nursing Concepts IV (Living with Episodic Health Challenges II) (4.5 credits)
This course continues an examination of a person's experience with episodic variances in wellness throughout the life cycle and their impact on client system stability and harmony. The Douglas College Department of Psychiatric Nursing conceptual framework is expanded upon and applied to the health assessment of the individual client. Emphasis is on the integration and application of the concepts related to episodic variances in wellness on previous concepts and patterns to broaden the scope of practice. Human pathophysiology and pharmacological management related to selected exemplars of acute variances in wellness will be presented. Professional relationships, ethical and legal issues and trends in health care will be critically examined.
Prerequisites: PNUR 2301, PNUR 2321, PNUR 2330, PNUR 3341, PNUR 2351, PNUR 2361
PNUR 2421 Therapeutic Relations IV (1.5 credits)
This course will build upon application of therapeutic communication within the context of the nurse-client relationship as introduced in Semester III. The student will continue to develop the advanced communication skills of empathy, therapeutic confrontation and immediacy. The focus will be on communicating assertively with distressed and aggressive clients; using therapeutic communication skills and application of psychiatric nursing concepts in effective problem solving and conflict resolution. Therapeutic communication issues related to cultural competence will continue to be developed. Professional documentation and sharing of information in the context of client, as individual and family will be introduced.
Prerequisites: PNUR 2321, PNUR 2301, PNUR 2330, PNUR 3341, PNUR 2351, PNUR 2361
PNUR 2430 Clinical Procedures IV (1.5 credits)
Students will continue to integrate all previously learned skills and will develop abilities to carry out procedures related to caring for clients with complex health challenges. In addition, students will practice advanced assessment skills within a laboratory setting.
Prerequisites: PNUR 2330, PNUR 2301, PNUR 2321, PNUR 3341, PNUR 2351
PNUR 2461 PNUR Clinical Practice III (Episodic Health Challenges II) (5 credits)
Students will have opportunities to integrate specialized psychiatric and medical knowledge and skills in caring for persons, families, and groups experiencing episodic health challenges in medical-surgical and acute mental health care settings. The professional psychiatric nursing role will continue to be developed and strengthened. Clinical Group Discussions will assist with the integration of concepts and issues related to the clinical practice setting.
Prerequisites: PNUR 2301, PNUR 2330, PNUR 2361, PNUR 2321, PNUR 3341, PNUR 2351
PNUR 3171 Family Health Promotion for Psychiatric Nursing Practice (3 credits)
In this course learners will be introduced to theoretical frameworks used to guide family health promotion in the context of primary health care delivery systems. Learners will examine family development, structure, and process concepts and review their historical underpinnings from family theory. Learners will have opportunities to apply the Neuman Systems Model assessment tool for families to a selected family and develop strategies to promote optimal family system stability and wellness.
Prerequisites: All Year 1 Associate Studies Courses
PNUR 3272 Psychiatric Nursing Community Concepts (3 credits)
Students will examine community from a systems theory perspective and in relationship to community mental health. Systems theory, key community and community mental health concepts within the context of primary health delivery systems will be addressed. The history of the evolution of mental health services will be included. There will be application of community concepts to client population by using selected assessment tools.
Prerequisites: PNUR 1101, PNUR 1121, PNUR 1130, PNUR 1141, PNUR 3171
PNUR 3341 Group Theory & Process II (1.5 credits)
This course is intended to add to the students' knowledge of group work. Students expand their knowledge of the history and development of groups. Students further enhance their knowledge and skill related to group structure and functioning. Students revisit the integration of therapeutic relationship skills to group work. Students learn to establish goals and objectives for groups, continue to explore their beliefs and values pertaining to groups, and discover and apply the underpinnings of specific group theories. Phases of group development are taught and applied as well as diagnosing problems in groups and examining ethical issues related to group work. Students further learn how to conduct groups with specific populations; the purpose and focus of selected modalities. Students will conduct, analyze and evaluate groups at a higher level than in Group Theory I.
Prerequisites: PNUR 1141
PNUR 3700 Professional Psychiatric Nursing Concepts (3 credits)
This distance learning course provided either online or by regular distance, facilitates the exploration of the self concept of the individual student as a psychiatric nurse. It examines the role and practice within a broad historical, developmental and current context of psychiatric nursing as practised in a changing mental health care system. The opportunity to analyze similarities and differences in nursing models and concepts and to apply to individual student psychiatric nursing practices is provided.
Prerequisites: Nil
PNUR 4503 Comprehensive Geriatric Theory (1.5 credits)
Students will develop an understanding of the complexity, rewards and challenges of working with the elderly in the context of primary health care delivery systems. Theories of aging and expected developmental paths, along with de-mystification of long-held beliefs about aging will be examined. Students will develop an understanding of the challenges faced by elders living in the community, as well as those residing in care facilities. In addition, students will acquire knowledge of treatment modalities and psychiatric nursing care related to mental health and physiological challenges facing the elderly with a focus on specific exemplars such as Alzheimer’s disease, depression, neglect and abuse, and pharmacology. The student will understand the significance of the family and loved ones in planning care for the elderly. The role of the psychiatric nurse in providing care for the elderly at all levels of intervention/prevention will be explored within the context of the Neuman Systems Model for Nursing and psychosocial rehabilitation concepts. Ethical and legal implications will be discussed as well as issues of caregiver support and the needs of individuals, families and friends, and nurses working with elderly patients confronting end-of-life concerns.
Prerequisites: PNUR 2401, PNUR 2421, PNUR 2430, PNUR 2461, BIOL 1103, BIOL 1203
PNUR 4521 Therapeutic Relations V (1.5 credits)
This course will continue to build on the application of therapeutic communication within the context of the nurse-client relationship as introduced in Semester IV. The student will continue to develop the communication skills and focus on application of skills with clients with complex health challenges. Students will be introduced to the skills of negotiation and motivational strategic interviewing. Students will further develop assertive communication skills within the context of therapeutic communication with clients and effective communication with colleagues. Therapeutic communication issues related to cultural competence will continue to be developed. Students will be introduced to therapeutic communication skills as relates to family and group. Professional documentation will continue to be developed.
Prerequisites: PNUR 1141, PNUR 3341, PNUR 2401, PNUR 2421, PNUR 2430, PNUR 2461, BIOL 1103, BIOL 1203
PNUR 4561 PNUR Clinical Practice IV (Complex Health Challenges) (5 credits)
Students will have the opportunity to integrate specialized psychiatric and medical knowledge and skills in caring for persons, families, groups, and communities across the lifespan experiencing complex ongoing health challenges within a variety of health settings. Students will have opportunities to work with individuals within the context of family, group, and community. The professional psychiatric nursing role will continue to be developed and strengthened within the context of the health care team. Clinical Group Discussions assist to integrate concepts and issues related to the practice settings.
Prerequisites: PNUR 2430, PNUR 2461, PNUR 2401, PNUR 2421
PNUR 4572 Psychiatric Nursing Community Concepts (3 credits)
The focus of this 3 credit course is to introduce the learner to concepts related to mental health practice in the community. The continuum of care is widely explored as well as the historical development, influencing factors, and theoretical underpinnings to providing population based nursing. Conceptual concepts provide a foundation for understanding community mental health nursing using a best practices approach. The course guides the learner to build on previous knowledge of nursing theory and experiences. It provides an overview using the Community as Partner Model as a guide both to psychiatric nursing theory and application for working with clients in community mental health as well as aggregate populations in the mental health community.
Prerequisites: PNUR 2401, PNUR 2421, PNUR 2430, PNUR 1141, PNUR 3341, PNUR 2461, BIOL 1103, BIOL 1203
PNUR 4573 Child & Adolescents (3 credits)
Students will explore child and adolescent mental health issues, differentiating them from adult mental health disorders. This course examines specific mental health disorders seen in children and adolescents from a holistic systems perspective utilizing the Neuman Systems Model of Nursing. The course content will also include developmental, social and cultural theories related to the causes and risk factors of selected child and adolescent mental health disorders. Course content will also include developmental, social and cultural theories that relate to the causes of mental health issues in children; risk factors in children; and adolescent mental health disorders. Psychiatric nursing assessment and interventions will be identified and will be discussed within the context of a multidisciplinary approach and will focus on primary, secondary and tertiary levels of prevention and health promotion strategies. The Neuman Systems Model of Nursing will guide the psychiatric nursing analysis.
Prerequisites: PNUR 2401, PNUR 2421, PNUR 2430, PNUR 2461
PNUR 4575 Psychiatric Nursing Research (3.0 credits)
Students will begin to understand and critique psychiatric nursing research in such a way as to begin to demonstrate the ability to integrate research and practice from an evidenced based paradigm. In addition, students will develop a beginning understanding of the various research methodologies used in conducting research which informs evidenced based psychiatric nursing practice.
Prerequisites: Nil
PNUR 4585 Concurrent Disorders (3 credits)
This course will provide psychiatric nursing students with current knowledge related to concurrent disorders. Included in this course are the historical and cultural contexts of addiction, the co-occurrence of mental health disorders with substance abuse, theoretical paradigms and principles of concurrent disorders. Identification, screening and assessment techniques are explored using a systems framework (Neuman Systems Model of Nursing). Common co-occurring physiological disorders associated with addictions will be presented. The roles and responsibilities of the psychiatric nurse in caring for individuals experiencing substance abuse/concurrent disorders will be explored as well as various integrated models of intervention. Communications skills required by psychiatric nurses to care for this population will also be addressed.
Prerequisites: PNUR 1141; PNUR 1121; PNUR 1130; PNUR 1201; PNUR 1221; PNUR 1230; PNUR 1250; PNUR 1261
PNUR 4601 Leadership Trends & Issues (3.0 credits)
The focus of this course is to introduce the learner to concepts of leadership and management theory as they relate to health care delivery systems. The learner will gain an understanding of theory and research associated with leadership and management used to support clinical psychiatric nursing practice. Course concepts are addressed in the context of primary health care, health promotion, psychosocial rehabilitation, and the Neuman Systems Model of nursing.
Prerequisites: PNUR 4503, PNUR 4573, PNUR 4521, PNUR 4575, PNUR 4561
PNUR 4661 Degree/Diploma Clinical Practice V: Preceptorship Experience(9.0 credits)
This practicum course is a preceptorship experience where students demonstrate integration, synthesis, and application of program theoretical concepts to clinical practice in a selected clinical focus area /agency. Using critical thinking and clinical judgment, emphasis is placed on analysis of professional practice roles and functions, leadership, primary health care trends and issues, health promotion, power and change theories, systems interrelationships, use of research, advanced therapeutic relationship and communication skills.
Prerequisites: PNUR 4503, PNUR 4573 , PNUR 4521, PNUR 4575, PNUR 4561, PNUR 4572
PNUR 4710 Adjunctive Therapies: Issues and Interventions in Psychiatric Nursing Practice (3 credits)
Students will develop an understanding of the most relevant therapeutic approach for clients through examination and analysis of selected current therapeutic approaches and issues related to psychiatric nursing practice. Self growth-orientated techniques, therapeutic environments, crisis intervention and advanced pharmacology related to different age groups are addressed. Issues related to health beliefs and health care system complexity, legal and ethical considerations and strategies, which influence the decision-making process, are discussed. There will be opportunity to apply the concepts to psychiatric nursing practice within the context of primary health care delivery systems.
Prerequisites: PNUR 4503 or PNUR 4561, PNUR 4521, PNUR 4573, PNUR 4575, PNUR 4511
PNUR 4724 Psychiatric Nursing within the Criminal Justice System (3 credits)
Students will be introduced to the concept of nursing within the Criminal Justice System from a Canadian provincial and federal context of practice. The course will examine practice nursing roles in the context of federal and provincial correctional and forensic institutions. Expanded practice roles include: nursing leadership in correctional and forensic health units, expanded scope of nursing practice in working with individuals living with episodic and ongoing health challenges, crisis intervention, risk assessment and management in secure and community settings, infectious disease prevalence, incidence, monitoring and treatment modalities, and health promotion interventions are addressed. Legal and ethical issues and frameworks will be explored in accordance with the Criminal Code of Canada, provincial legislative acts, Health Professions Act governing nursing practice, as well as emerging trends and issues in the field of correctional and forensic mental health nursing.
Prerequisites: PNUR 4503, PNUR 4573, PNUR 4521, PNUR 4575, PNUR 4511, PNUR 4561