This course examines the principles involved in the care of clients with anxiety, somatoform, dissociative and personality disorders.  Threads in this course are the nursing process and the partnership in care.

This course introduces the learner to the theoretical perspectives of mental health and examines current trends in psychiatry.  It relates biopsychosocial factors to mental illness and well-being, as well as to the dynamics of nursing practice.  The course content includes communication, nurse-client relationship, roles of the psychiatric nurse and of the mental health team.  The nursing process is emphasized throughout the course in order to enhance students’ understanding of the principles of psychiatric nursing care and to prepare students for related clinical practice.

This course is designed to help the learner relate the concepts of pharmacology to the nursing care of patients with psychiatric disorders. The course covers the principles and categories of drugs administered to patients with psychiatric problems as it seeks to develop students’ ability to apply their knowledge of pathophysiology, psychopathology and adult nursing to the care of patients with psychiatric disorders. It also assists the student in the acquisition of knowledge and the development of skills necessary for the administration of drugs and emphasizes the role of the nurse in the treatment of patients with psychiatric disorders.

This course examines the principles involved in caring for clients with challenges in thought disorders, mood disorders and cognitive disorders. It draws on knowledge related to the therapeutic modalities, and it utilizes the nursing process and partnership-in-care concepts.