Master of Nursing in Mental Health

Purpose

This qualification will contribute to the development of knowledge within the discipline of psychiatric nursing, with special reference to the contextual variables within mental health care settings. Learners will have research knowledge, skill, and an appreciation of the role of research in improving mental health care outcomes of individuals, groups and communities. More over the qualification will lead to learners who can reflect critically on theory and its application; and be able to build psychiatric nursing capacity within the public health care system to facilitate effective resolution of complex mental health issues. Learners completing this qualification are able to function with advanced practical competencies within psychiatric nursing; resulting in the ability to function as leaders, consultants, and specialist practitioners in providing evidence-based care.

Rationale

This qualification will provide a career path for Professional psychiatric nurses who would like to specialise within the field of psychiatric nursing. Students learning towards this qualification will become advanced nurse practitioners within the area of psychiatric nursing. The health sector needs advanced psychiatric nurse practitioners to facilitate the current agenda of deinstitutionalisation, rehabilitation and recovery. These advanced practitioners need in-depth knowledge and skills to respond to community mental health needs within a public health care system; that has a strong focus on integration of mental health care within primary health care, and the implementation of psychosocial rehabilitation. In addition, the program will prepare students to engage with the mental health needs of communities to improve mental health care outcomes through engagement with research and best.

Recognition of Prior Learning(RPL)

The institution accepts the principle underlying outcomes-based, source-based and life-long learning, in which considerations of articulation and mobility play a significant role, and subscribes to the view that Recognition of Prior Learning, whether acquired by formal education curricula at this or another institution or informally (by experience) is an indispensable element in deciding on admission to and awarding credits in an explicitly selected teaching-learning qualification of the institution.

An applicant who falls outside of the formal qualifications system, but who can demonstrate (through the production of substantial and satisfactory evidence) experiential or work-based learning or a non-formal qualification (or a combination), may be considered for admission and/or for the Recognition of Prior Learning for the achievement of the qualification in part or in full. An applicant who after such assessment, is deemed to have sufficient potential, but is in need of further academic development, must be directed to other suitable learning qualifications prior to admission or to parallel qualifications after admission.

Entry Requirements

The entry requirements for this qualification is the

• Bachelor's in Nursing Honours, National Qualifications Framework(NQF) Level 8.
• Postgraduate Diploma in Nursing, NQF Level 8.

This qualification consists of compulsory and elective modules at level 9 totalling 192 Credits

Compulsory Modules

• Advanced Psychiatric Skills, 16 Credits.
• Current Issues in Psychiatric Care, 16 Credits.
• Advanced Practice Nurse Role, 16 Credits.
• Nursing Research & Nursing Research Methods, 16 Credits.
• Introduction to Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 16 Credits.
• Psychosocial rehabilitation, 16 Credits.
• Nursing Research Project, 96 Credits.

1. Prepared for advanced and specialised professional employment in leadership positions within nursing education, research and clinical practice.
2. Function at a high level of theoretical engagement and intellectual independence.
3. Demonstrate critical reflection in the implementation and evaluation of national and local health care plans and policies such as deinstitutionalisation, psychosocial rehabilitation, and family, community practitioner collaboration.
4. Implement reflexive practice in relation to implementation of best practice benchmarks based on independent review, critique and synthesis of research outputs related to specialist therapies leading to improved mental health care outcomes for individuals, groups and communities.
5. Be able to engage families, groups and communities with the intention of collaborating and empowering groups to achieve positive mental health care outcomes.
6. Disseminate contextually relevant information not only within academic forums but also within community health care forums that represent key stakeholder within specific communities.
7. The teaching and learning methods that encourage active participation of students will be used in this qualification. The lecturer will be viewed as a facilitator of learning than the giver of information.
8. The teaching/learning methods will include Lectures and discussions to review models and their philosophical underpinnings.
9. Seminar presentations to facilitate independent review and critique of literature and dissemination of information within the academic environment.
10. Case presentation and discussion to facilitate synthesis of information and decision making process.

The following Associated Assessment Criteria will be used in an integrated manner across the Exit Level Outcomes

• Demonstrate the ability to base practice on adequate, relevant and contemporary theory from nursing, ethics and related sciences.
• Demonstrate competence in specialist skills in assessment, intervention and evaluation of care, with each competency including mastery of skills, teaching and researching it.
• Articulates professional role within his/her own specialist content area.
• Demonstrate functioning as a nurse scientist within her/his designated area.
• Demonstrated functioning as a qualification manager: assess community and service needs, plan and implement a qualification, and evaluate it.
• Demonstrate functioning as a consultant in a specialist field of practice.
• Shown competency in motivating for, initiating and stabilising change in a health service.
• Demonstrate developing nursing theory in a specialist area through practice and research.

Integrated Assessment

Case studies/Assignments and Seminars provide the opportunity for formative integrative assessment of knowledge, skills (cognitive and interpersonal) and attitudes. Formative theoretical assessments of accurate application of knowledge and skill with a high risk clients during pregnancy, labour and delivery, puerperium and neonatal period, on assessment, planning, intervention and evaluation while critically engaging with the different therapeutic approaches or schools of thought. Summative assessment in each module includes assessment of learners' ability to critique current knowledge from international; national and local sources. In addition summative assessments assess the students ability to use reflective practice and problem solving skills to assess, plan; implement and evaluate individual, family and community health interventions and practices aimed at improving maternal, neonatal, child and women s health care outcomes. The research project is a practical real life integrated assessment of the learners' application and integration of knowledge from this qualification.