Professional Psychiatric Nursing Concepts

Course content includes:

The Professional Psychiatric Nurse:

• Characteristics of a profession
• Importance of professional status
• Ways in which an individual's practice reflects characteristics of a profession
• Past or present challenges to professionalization which may influence the development of the psychiatric nursing profession
• Growth opportunities for the psychiatric nursing profession within the context of ongoing development of the profession
• Psychiatric nursing practice with regard to ways in which your own practice reflects characteristics of a profession

Evolution of Psychiatric Nursing Profession:

• Significant events in the history of psychiatric nursing in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States
• Significant scientific, social, economic, and political factors that shaped the development of the psychiatric nursing profession
• Nursing pioneers contribution to the development of the psychiatric nursing profession
• Strides forward that have taken place in the modern era in relation to mental health care and psychiatric nursing practice
• Vision for psychiatric nursing practice and further development of the professional era considering historical and current influences

Development of a Professional Self Concept:

• Dimensions of a professional self-concept and the process by which a professional self-concept develops
• Personal self influences the development of the professional self
• Historical and contemporary public images of nurses may affect the psychiatric nurse’s professional self-concept
• Professional status may impact the psychiatric nurse’s professional self-concept
• Influence of nursing knowledge on professional self-concept
• Role models and mentors to professional socialization and growth and development of a professional self-concept
• Multiple professional roles of the psychiatric nurse which are foundational to the development of a professional self-concept
• Stage of development as a practitioner on professional self-concept 
• Individual professional self-concept development
• Strategies to promote ongoing development of the professional self
• Importance of developing a personal psychiatric nursing philosophy

Nursing Models and Theories and Douglas College Psychiatric Nursing Conceptual Framework and Philosophy:

• Evolution of nursing knowledge and nursing science and their relationship to the evolution of the psychiatric nursing profession
• Concepts, theories, theoretical frameworks, and nursing conceptual models contribution to the development of nursing knowledge and science
• Concepts of nursing known as nursing’s “metaparadigm” or the “domains” of nursing
• World views that are used to categorize nursing conceptual models
• Major concepts as defined in selected nursing conceptual models
• Major concepts of the Neuman Systems Model and the Douglas College Psychiatric Nursing Conceptual Framework
• Similarities and differences between these two models and other nursing conceptual models
• Nursing conceptual models influences professional psychiatric nurse approach to the nursing process
• Value of nursing conceptual models for professional psychiatric nursing practice and the further development of nursing knowledge and nursing science
• Use of a nursing conceptual model and individual psychiatric nursing practice

Context of Professional Psychiatric Nursing Practice:

• Common challenges that all health care delivery systems in the world experience
• Historical development, current structure, and funding of the Canadian health care system
• Five key principles of the Canadian health care system
• Mental health care system within a provincial and regional context
• Proposed framework for a mental health strategy for Canada
• Professional psychiatric nursing practice as influenced by the current mental health care system 
• Psychiatric nurses possible contribution to significant transformation of the Canadian mental health system

Leadership in Professional Psychiatric Nursing Practice:

• Differences between leadership and management and formal and informal leaders
• Concepts of empowerment and transformation as they relate to leadership within the psychiatric nursing profession
• Similarities and differences between a variety of contemporary leadership theories
• Relevance of leadership theories for professional psychiatric nursing practice
• Key leadership skills for nurses
• Leadership skills and approaches valued in others
• Individual leadership strengths and areas for further development 
• Possible future leadership opportunities for student