Mental Health Nursing Practice BSc (Hons)

Deliver restorative interventions to those experiencing mental distress and illness. Develop interpersonal therapeutic skills to promote recovery and positive mental wellbeing. Graduate ready to deliver effective and sincere person-centred care.

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Overview

The BSc (Hons) Mental Health Nursing Practice degree will lead to registration as a qualified nurse in mental health. You'll graduate ready to actively participate and engage with a cutting-edge workforce delivering caring, compassionate and restorative interventions to those experiencing mental distress and illness. As a critical thinker, you'll deliver effective and sincere person-centred care based upon a contemporary evidence-base, which will be administered and applied within a spectrum of clinical skills to include physical health monitoring and promotion, and interpersonal therapeutic skills to promote recovery and positive mental wellbeing.

You will be competent and confident in working with and supporting a ‘whole-systems’ approach in diverse settings, ensuring the mental wellbeing of families and carers with a relative experiencing mental distress. Partnership working with multi-professionals and services will ensure the very best care and outcomes for those experiencing mental illness.

Why us?

The Mental Health Nursing Practice course has been developed in collaboration with two local NHS health care providers – Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear Foundation Trust (CNTW) and Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys Foundation Trust (TEWV) – who have directly informed the content of the curriculum
Have opportunities to collaborate in an interprofessional learning capacity with other healthcare courses including Pharmacy, Paramedic Science, Medicine, Biomedical Science, Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy
A distinctive partnership with 251 Medical Squadron provides you with innovative experiences to develop your team building and leadership skills

On successful completion of this Mental Health Nursing degree, you'll be guaranteed an interview with your placement Trust for a Staff Nurse post (NHS band 5)
Join the Nursing and Midwifery Society which supports your learning experience in theory and practice, and includes social events

Course structure

We use various methods of teaching on the Mental Health Nursing Practice course including:

Problem-based learning
Seminar groups and interactive workshop sessions
Inter-professional experiential learning
Consolidation sessions
The role of simulation in the development of competence
Webcasts
Clinical skills sessions
Patient and professional contact
Inter-professional learning
Self-directed study
The University of Sunderland Virtual Learning Environment
The Nurse Navigator System

Assessment methods include written reports, essays, examinations, oral presentations, portfolios, clinical reflection diaries, competency logs, patient care plans, and case studies.

Year 1 (national level 4):

Critical Enquiry for Nursing Practice (10 credits)

Develop the required skills for evidence-based practice. Gain insight into engagement with learning styles, teaching methods and the assessment process. Practise using source materials for the purpose of referencing and citation. Present work to a variety of audiences, for example, peers, academic staff, practice colleagues, and Patient, Carer and Public Involvement (PCPI) participants.

Bio-psychosocial Principles of Health and Wellbeing (20 credits)

Learn through a systems-based approach to anatomy and physiology, psychology and microbiology using patient journeys as illustrations to enhance learning. Explore human health and wellbeing in the context of public health and symptoms of disease. Learn to communicate complex medical terminology to both colleagues and patients in an understandable manner. Develop your understanding of the physiological processes, anatomical and cognitive structures of the human body. Explore overarching themes in anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, and neurology.

Foundations of Mental Health Nursing Practice (30 credits)

Explore the core skills of nursing and take a holistic view of the individual focusing on health promotion, comprehensive assessment and the application of evidence-based practice. Understand models of reflective practice to support professional development while building effective relationships with clients and others involved in the provision of healthcare. Focus on core elements that reflect the competence, professionalism and underpinning knowledge which characterise a high-quality nursing workforce. Gain psychomotor skills to perform essential nursing practice through interactive clinical sessions with PCPIs. Explore the consequences of negligence in a risk-free environment through simulated experience.

Practice Placement 1 (60 credits)

Apply theoretical components to clinical practice. Study models of reflective practice together with an overview of interprofessional working. Gain experience and insight into lived patient experience. Understand the importance of respecting an individual’s autonomy and right to make decisions about their own health and wellbeing.

Some modules have prerequisites. Read more about what this means in our Help and Advice article.

Year 2 (national level 5):

Application of Evidence Based Practice for Nurses (20 credits)

Develop an understanding of the key issues related to healthcare practice informed by the best available evidence to support shared decision making. Gain critical appraisal skills and debate how best available evidence can be integrated into healthcare practice and policy. Debate the ethical issues that underpin best practice including consent and risk management. Use a range of research methods and explore their merits and appropriate use. Explore the nature of clinical judgment and research integration.

Holistic Nursing for Altered Physiology to Promote Well Being (40 credits)

Gain knowledge of major pathological and physiological changes in the human body, occurring as a result of common diseases and disease processes. Explore the manifestations, impacts and interventions of illness and disease. Build on your knowledge of physical and human sciences and explore altered pathological and physiological change. Use a range of teaching and learning strategies to explore the impact of these changes and define the implications for nursing practice. Study co-morbidity and medico pharmaceutical treatments and modalities in order to enhance wellbeing and recovery, within the context of ethical and professional frameworks.

Practice Placement 2 (60 credits)

Develop knowledge and the application of nursing practice interventions to provide evidence-based, safe, and compassionate physical and psychological care. Effectively assess, plan and implement care and demonstrate a range of nursing interventions. Develop skills and knowledge to formulate a nursing plan of care and undertake observations and clinical interventions with less direct supervision.

Year 3 (national level 6):

Dissertation (40 credits)

Explore the evidence base of nursing practice and the range and hierarchy of evidence for particular healthcare issues. Select a particular area in your field of nursing and develop your ability to make informed use of published research and other sources of evidence to apply findings to enhance your practice. Enable your production of an independent, negotiated project that analyses an aspect of your discipline.

Leadership and Interprofessional Learning (20 credits)

Develop your knowledge of self-awareness, improving healthcare and working with others. Gain an understanding of key leadership theories and models. Explore your application to healthcare and reflect on your personal strengths along with areas for development. Examine the role of service improvement techniques and consider roles and responsibilities of all professionals alongside the values of team work in interprofessional care. Explore carer and user perspectives in interprofessional care settings to illuminate personal experiences of interprofessional care. Study ethical issues in the context of interprofessional working to gain insight into challenges faced from a variety of viewpoints. Study the impact of information technology, healthcare informatics and issues in transcultural healthcare provision.

Practice Placement 3 (60 credits)

Develop your knowledge and application of nursing to practice within a range of clinical settings. Study care provision across the human lifespan including the health and wellbeing continuum. Learn biological, psychological and sociological theory in the context of person-centred care. Focus on individuals with complex health needs with emphasis on the concept of co-morbidity and the implications for care this entails. Explore pharmacological principles and concordance.

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View our AccessAble accessibility guide for Fleming Building.
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British National Formulary:
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The British Pharmacopoeia:
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CINAHL:
CINAHL with Full Text is the world’s most comprehensive source of full text for nursing and allied health journals, providing full text for more than 600 journals indexed in CINAHL.

The Cochrane Library:
The Cochrane Library is a collection of databases that contain high-quality, independent evidence to inform healthcare decision-making.

PubMed Central:
PubMed Central is a service of the US National Library of Medicine that includes over 25 million citations from MEDLINE and other life science journals for biomedical articles and includes links to full text articles and other related resources.

ScienceDirect:
ScienceDirect is a leading full-text scientific database offering journal articles and book chapters covering physical sciences, life sciences, health sciences, and social sciences and humanities.
Library Services - pharmacy, health and wellbeing
The Mental Health Ward is designed to feel like a real Mental Health Ward, with bedrooms, a day room, seclusion room and treatment room, and is suitable to run a range of mental health scenarios.

View our AccessAble accessibility guides for Helen McArdle House.
Mental Health Ward
Mental Health Ward 360
Mock Hospital Ward 360
OSCE Suite 360
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Map and directions

Facilities

The University of Sunderland offers modern and well-equipped facilities at our Sciences Complex.