Mental Health: Contemporary Nursing Practice PG (11667.1)
| Available teaching periods | Delivery mode | Location |
|---|---|---|
| View teaching periods | On-campus |
Bruce, Canberra |
| EFTSL | Credit points | Faculty |
| 0.125 | 3 | Faculty Of Health |
| Discipline | Study level | HECS Bands |
| Nursing | Post Graduate Level | Band 1 2021 (Commenced After 1 Jan 2021) Band 1 2021 (Commenced Before 1 Jan 2021) |
Learning outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:1. Articulate nursing principles and scope of practice in relation to mental health and mental illness across the life span;
2. Identify the developmental stages that increase a person's vulnerability to mental health problems;
3. Demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of the continuum of mental health practice from promotion and prevention through to recovery models of care; and the relationship between physical and mental health;
4. Implement safe provision and quality nursing care in relation to mental health consumers; conduct appropriate mental health assessments and identify risk; and
5. Critically appraise psychological and pharmacological interventions to promote mental health and well being.
Graduate attributes
1. UC graduates are professional - communicate effectively1. UC graduates are professional - display initiative and drive, and use their organisation skills to plan and manage their workload
1. UC graduates are professional - employ up-to-date and relevant knowledge and skills
1. UC graduates are professional - use creativity, critical thinking, analysis and research skills to solve theoretical and real-world problems
1. UC graduates are professional - work collaboratively as part of a team, negotiate, and resolve conflict
2. UC graduates are global citizens - communicate effectively in diverse cultural and social settings
2. UC graduates are global citizens - make creative use of technology in their learning and professional lives
2. UC graduates are global citizens - think globally about issues in their profession
2. UC graduates are global citizens - understand issues in their profession from the perspective of other cultures
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - reflect on their own practice, updating and adapting their knowledge and skills for continual professional and academic development
4. UC graduates are able to demonstrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing - communicate and engage with Indigenous Australians in ethical and culturally respectful ways
Prerequisites
11665 Professional and Therapeutic Communication PGCorequisites
Must be enrolled in HLM601 Master of Nursing Practice (Graduate Entry).Incompatible units
None.Equivalent units
None.Assumed knowledge
None.| Year | Location | Teaching period | Teaching start date | Delivery mode | Unit convener |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Bruce, Canberra | Semester 1 | 16 February 2026 | On-campus | Dr Mary-Ellen Hooper |
| 2027 | Bruce, Canberra | Semester 1 | 15 February 2027 | On-campus | Dr Mary-Ellen Hooper |
Required texts
No required texts for this unit.
Recommended Texts/Resources
Foster, K., Marks, P., O'Brien, A., & Raeburn, T. (2024). Mental Health in Nursing: Theory and Practice for Clinical Settings. 6th ed. Elsevier Health Sciences.
O'Kane, D. (2021). Mental Health A Pocket Guide. 4th ed. Elsevier Health Sciences.
Harris, P,. Nagy, S., & Vardaxis, N. (2024). Mosby's medical dictionary of medicine, nursing and health professions. (4th ANZ Ed). Elsevier
American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). American Psychological Association
- All UC nursing courses use APA 7th Edition for referencing and writing style.
- Students may choose to either purchase this text or access a copy from the library to support their learning throughout the semester.
- Use of a referencing text is beneficial and can be used throughout your program of study.
- The UC Library also has a referencing guide which can be found here: https://canberra.libguides.com/c.php?g=599301&p=4148716
Submission of assessment items
Extensions & Late submissions
Students are strongly encouraged to submit their assessment during business hours to ensure access to Student Support Services including IT Service Desk and the Library. It is important to note that personal network/computer/technical problems are generally not considered acceptable grounds or reasons for an extension to the due date. Students who are experiencing difficulty uploading a submission are strongly encouraged to take a screenshot of any error messages, including the date and time, and contact Service Desk for technical support.
Students must submit their own original work that has not been previously submitted for assessment at the University of Canberra. Self-plagiarism is grounds for referral for academic misconduct. In this context the student is being assessed as an individual.
Students must ensure that when applying for an extension to the due date that their application meets the requirements as per the University of Canberra Assessment Procedures. This means that students must ensure that when applying for an extension all required components are submitted to the assessment extension application prior to the assessment due date. It is the student's individual responsibility to ensure that applications are completed in full and in a timely manner.
In the event that a student experiences significant extenuating circumstances the unit convenor may seek guidance from the MNP Convenor to support the student's progression and participation across enrolled units of study within the same teaching period. Please see the extension section of this unit outline and the dedicated page on the MNP Canvas site for more information.
To pass this unit, students must:
- Submit all assessment items including formative activities as instructed, and
- Attend 80% of scheduled workshops/tutorials, and
- Achieve 50% overall
Artificial intelligence
The use of GenAI is NOT allowed in completing the assessment tasks in this unit. More detailed information can be found at GenAI and Assessment at UC
Students will need to submit a GenAI Acknowledgement Statement with each assssessment task submission, acknowledging they have not used GenAI to complete the assessment task.
Across the School of Nursing and Midwifery programs, the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) should be approached with transparency and clear acknowledgment to uphold academic integrity and maintain trust within the academic community.
Students are encouraged to engage with AI tools responsibly, using them as aids in research, learning, and clinical problem-solving rather than as replacements for critical thinking or professional judgment. It is critically important that student knowledge is assessed to verify their achievement of unit and course level outcomes for the integrity of the profession and the safety of the public. It is essential that any contributions or insights generated by AI, including but not limited to summaries, text generation, image generation, or data analysis, be transparently referenced in accordance with academic standards to ensure clarity regarding the sources of information and to avoid any misrepresentation of authorship.
Please see the UC student guide RE AI use
This practice not only promotes ethical standards but also aligns with recent guidelines emphasising transparency in AI use in educational and clinical contexts (e.g., International Council of Nurses, position statement 2023 and the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency).
https://www.teqsa.gov.au/guides-resources/higher-education-good-practice-hub/artificial-intelligence
Special assessment requirements
Moderation
Moderation will be undertaken for assessment items to ensure that marking is fair and consistent. Moderation processes are in line with the Faculty of Health guidelines and the University Assessment Procedures
Illness
It is strongly advised that students do not submit an assessment or sit an exam if they are ill or hold a current medical certificate. No consideration will be given for illness when the assessment or examination is marked.
In the event students are ill they are strongly advised to apply for an extension to the due date of an assessment, as outlined on the unit Canvas site and/or contact their unit convenor to arrange a deferred exam, prior to the due date of the assessment/exam.
Students must apply academic integrity in their learning and research activities at UC. This includes submitting authentic and original work for assessments and properly acknowledging any sources used.
Academic integrity involves the ethical, honest and responsible use, creation and sharing of information. It is critical to the quality of higher education. Our academic integrity values are honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage.
UC students have to complete the Academic Integrity Module annually to learn about academic integrity and to understand the consequences of academic integrity breaches (or academic misconduct).
UC uses various strategies and systems, including detection software, to identify potential breaches of academic integrity. Suspected breaches may be investigated, and action can be taken when misconduct is found to have occurred.
Information is provided in the Academic Integrity Policy, Academic Integrity Procedure, and University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023. For further advice, visit Study Skills.
Learner engagement
All pre-registration nursing students are expected to undertake a minimum of five (5) hours per week per unit of directed/self-directed learning (SDL), related to content engagement, assessment preparation, clinical learning, or revision, in addition to their timetabled unit contact (i.e., lectures, workshops, tutorials).
In nursing where PEP is a requirement for professional registration, hours expected for engagement and to meet the unit requirements are necessarily adjusted and may fluctuate during the teaching period.
Inclusion and engagement
Any student with a reasonable adjustment plan (RAP) is asked to contact inclusion@canberra.edu.au to discuss any reasonable adjustments that may be required for PEP. A RAP cannot be automatically applied to PEP and students must seek a Placement Support Letter from the inclusion team in addition to their RAP.
Students within the Master of Nursing Practice (Graduate Entry) program must ensure that they meet the Inherent Requirements relevant to the profession of nursing – it is each students responsibility to read and understand these UC Nursing Inherent Requirements statements. For support in meeting the inherent requirements, please make a time with InclusionUC and your Course Convenor.
Participation requirements
Attendance
It is expected that students will participate in all learning opportunities in this unit. This is inclusive of all timetabled activities. Assessment items are linked to the unit learning outcomes, the NMBA Registered Nurse standards for practice and professional codes. Therefore, all students are required to attend and actively participate in all learning activities scheduled for this unit. Students can self-select their preferred classes via the Allocate+ system. All students are reminded that it is an ANMAC requirement that students complete their studies onshore, in Australia. This applies to both domestic and international students. If you are scheduled to undertake a unit of study in the upcoming teaching period and are experiencing extenuating circumstances preventing you from remaining on shore, please contact the International Nursing Student Convenor or the Master of Nursing Practice (Graduate Entry) convenor to discuss your ongoing course progression.
Students are expected to attend their allocated weekly workshop/tutorial (and seminar in NP units). It is the student's own responsibility to ensure they have read and understood the attendance requirements for this unit of study. Failure to meet the attendance requirements of this unit will result in a NN grade. In the event that a student experiences extenuating circumstances impacting on their ability to attend their allocated workshop the student must notify the unit convenor via the unit email and provide documentary evidence to support their absence.
Approved absences, opportunity to clarify learning and make up requirements – All units
Approved absences, supported by documentary evidence, will be determined at the discretion of the unit convenor, in line with the information available on the individual unit Canvas site.
It is the responsibility of the individual student to seek clarification if they have questions related to the content missed. In the first instance students are expected to post their question on the available discussion boards and await a response from the teaching/convening team or their peers.
Ongoing points requiring clarification are to be addressed in the available drop-in and/or make-up sessions. Students are also afforded the opportunity to contact the convening team via the unit email address as required.
Approved absences are not considered grounds for appeal.
Non-clinical units
As stipulated in this unit outline students are required to attend 80% of the scheduled timetable activities for this unit.
Where an approved absence is granted, the student will be expected to:
- revise any content missed, inclusive of:
- workshop/tutorial/seminar activities
- required readings
- Canvas activities
AND
- attend available drop-in session/s scheduled in weeks 8 and/or week 12 or 13 in the semester.
- Students will be advised of the available session/s via the unit Canvas site.
If students identify further clarification is required, it is expected that they will attend a drop-in session/s available within the individual unit.
The theoretical underpinning of caring science is fundamental to ensure safe nursing practice. Completion of all learning modules, including directed and self-directed study, and active participation in workshops is expected. Participating in workshop discussions to clarify concepts and to develop confidence with professional communication and verbally expressing ideas can be helpful for students and also supports the learning of student peers (see NMBA RN standards for practice 2016 - specifically Standard 2) https://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Codes-Guidelines-Statements/Professional-standards/registered-nurse-standards-for-practice.aspx)
Required IT skills
Please note the materials required for this unit section. You will require computer skills to access the internet upload to the Canvas university site submissions in various formats. This unit may involve online meetings in real time using a virtual room. To participate verbally, rather than just typing, you will need a microphone. For best audio quality we recommend a microphone and speaker headset. For more information and to test your computer, please visit the UCLearn Student Help link.
Students undertaking units where there are assessment items conducted online are strongly encouraged to test their setup during the semester. Where support for troubleshooting technical issues is identified by students, students are encouraged to seek support from Service Desk.
In-unit costs
Costs
The following costs are expected with this unit:
- Self-printing of any electronic material provided.
- Potential costs associated with remote learning activities and/or assessments (e.g., reliable computer and internet connection).
Work placement, internships or practicums
None
