Course Description
This course will provide psychiatric nursing students with current knowledge related to working with clients with substance use disorders including concurrent disordered clients. 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 substance use disorders. Identification, screening and assessment techniques are explored using the Psychiatric Nursing Conceptual Framework. Common co-occurring physiological disorders associated with substance use disorders will be presented including the role for Harm Reduction, recovery model and the trans-theoretical change model when assessing and planning psychiatric nursing care for individuals with substance use disorders. The roles and responsibilities of the psychiatric nurse in caring with diverse populations experiencing substance abuse will be explored. In addition, treatment models of substance use disorders will be discussed.
Course Content
Part 1: Attitudes, Knowledge and Skills for Psychiatric Nursing Practice in Addictions
- Self assessment related to learner’s attitude towards substance use disorders.
- Identify myths and stereotypes of substance use disorders.
- Historical and cultural concepts related to substance abuse, addictions and mental health disorders.
- Cultural messages associated with substance use disorders.
- Common terminology associated with substance use disorders.
- Holistic framework for viewing individuals experiencing substance use disorders using the Psychiatric Nursing Conceptual Framework.
- Impact of substance misuse disorders on society
- The role and responsibilities of the psychiatric nurse in supporting the clients within a interprofessional context of clinical practice.
Part 2: Apply the Psychiatric Nursing Conceptual Framework to clients and Families experiencing substance use disorders
- Utilizing the Psychiatric Nursing Conceptual Framework to assess and provide care to clients and families experiencing substance abuse including specialized populations with substance use disorders including: adolescent population, geriatric population , health care professionals, women, families, clients with history of trauma, clients from Aboriginal community, clients from gay lesbian and transgender community, clients with acute and chronic pain syndromes, homeless clients and concurrent disordered clients.
- Interrelationships of the five variables in the Psychiatric Nursing Conceptual Framework as they apply to the clients with substance use disorders.
- Utilizing the nursing process within the Psychiatric Nursing Conceptual Framework to provide psychiatric care to clients experiencing substance use disorders including interventions related to intoxication and withdrawal syndromes.
Part 3: Analyze the Psychiatric Nurse’s Role in client assessment Strategies
- Developing communication skills and strategies related to intervening and assessing with substance use disorders.
- Principles, techniques and concepts related to working with substance misuse disorder populations for assessment and intervention strategies.
- Moral and ethical duties/responsibilities of the psychiatric nurse related to the rights of individual/family members experiencing substance use disorders.
- Developing assessment techniques related to trauma informed substance use disorders assessmennt and psychiatric nursing treatment planning.
Part 4: Apply Individual/Family Systems Theory Intervention as Prevention Strategies
- Intervention strategies for clients/families experiencing substance use disorders using the Psychiatric Nursing Conceptual Framework.
- Primary, Secondary and Tertiary points of intervention for psychiatric nurses with individuals/families experiencing substance use disorders.
- Teaching/learning needs of clients/families experiencing substance use disorders.
- Community resources and interdisciplinary nursing care planning for individuals and families living with addictions/concurrent disorders.
- Clinical approaches for specific populations including Aboriginal community and clients with history of trauma.
- Development of a substance abuse reference resource for personal use in individual and family system assessment, prevention and treatment
Learning Activities
It is the intent of faculty to facilitate student learning, to foster ways of knowing and promote critical thinking through a variety of teaching/learning methods including lecture, audio-visual aids, round table discussions, case study analysis, group and/or individual research papers and presentations.
Means of Assessment
The course evaluation is consistent with Douglas College evaluation policy. An evaluation schedule is presented at the beginning of the course.
This is a graded course.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the course the learner will be able to:
- Compare and contrast selected theoretical models for viewing substance use disorders.
- Describe the attitudes, knowledge and skills needed in psychiatric nursing clinical practice with individuals experiencing substance use disorders
- Describe the historical and cultural diversity concepts related to substance abuse and addiction
- Describe the cultural messages associated with concurrent disorders
- Explain the theory and principles of identification, screening and assessment using the Psychiatric Nursing Conceptual Framework.
- Identify the needs and approaches working with specific populations of clients suffering from substance use disorders including: adolescent, geriatric, health care professionals, women, families, aboriginal community, clients with history of trauma, clients with acute and chronic pain syndromes, homeless clients, clients who belong to the gay lesbian and transgendered community and concurrent disordered clients
- Identify and explain common co-occurring physiological disorders associated with substance use disorders.
- Demonstrate knowledge related to Harm Reduction, recovery model and the change model in working with populations suffering from substance use disorders.
- Describe treatment modalities and basic intervention strategies for clients experiencing substance use disorders including 12 step interventions, groups, residential treatment and pharmacological treatment.
- Explore and analyze the psychiatric nurse’s moral and ethical duties and responsibilities in relation to working with individuals dealing with substance misuse disorders including concurrent disordered client and other specialized populations.
- Examine the risk and treatment needs associated with health care professionals risk for substance use disorders including nurses
- Describe the psychiatric nurses’ role in integrated models of intervention.
- Describe common substances of abuse, its intoxication and withdrawal syndromes and related psychiatric nursing assessment, diagnoses and interventions.
Textbook Materials
Textbooks and Materials to be Purchased by Students:
A list of required and optional resources for students is supplied at the beginning of each semester.