Post Graduate education in Psychiatric Nursing in Norway

Post Graduate education in Psychiatric Nursing/psychiatric nursing as continuing education by Roger Almvik

Acknowledgement Siri Blesvik at the HiO

The course is open to state registered nurses (RN) with minimum one-year full time practice as RN.

Duration: Full time study; 1 (one) year. Part time study; 2 (two) years.

Both courses give 20 credits. A credit is equivalent to 2 weeks of 40 hours study. The whole program consists of 40 weeks i.e. 28 weeks of theoretical studies and 12 weeks of clinical studies.

The art science of nursing is the basis of the course. There is an emphasis on experimental and participative learning as well as the idea of holism indicating that man functions as an integrated being; physically, mentally, spiritually and environmentally in a continuous interaction.

Understanding of psychiatric nursing in the context of a dynamic and complex society often calls for a broader view. Since knowledge of psychiatric nursing often is derived from other sciences, such as education, philosophy, psychology, psychiatry and sociology, these sciences can give a possibility to answer questions raised.

Another important basic issues the belief that a human being basically is able to be active and responsible a solving his own health related problems. This belief should lead to a relationship between patient and nurse which is based on collaboration and equality.

OBJECTIVES:

The course aims at giving the student in-depth knowledge of the subject psychiatric nursing. The registered psychiatric nurse is under an obligation to meet demands of society for psychiatric nursing.

Students can acquire:

Insight, competence and skills in general and special functions and responsibilities of the psychiatric nurse.
Knowledge of and insight in mental health services, its place and tasks in the society's mental health programme.
Insight in the importance of useful and helpful co-operation with clients / patients, their families, and within the health service.
Insights in how mental health service are dependent on and operate together with other sectors in the society.
Insight in personal responsibility for professional growth and development.

This implies that students after complete studies:

Have sufficient knowledge and ability to practice the therapeutic function of psychiatric nursing.
Act accordingly to human rights and prevailing ethical codes for RN's.
Act accordingly to principles of co-operation.
Have knowledge of, insight in and abilities to teach and to guide patients / clients and their families, as well as own colleagues and students in their daily work.
Act accordingly to principles of management.
Understand the significance of commitment in ongoing mental health discussions in society, and to participate in the planning and shaping of the mental health service within society.
acknowledge the necessity to work with own emotional reactions in order to exercise
Excellent psychiatric nursing.

A GENERALVIEW OF THE CONTENT IN THE POST GRADUATE EDUCATION IN PSYCHIATRIC NURSING:


MAIN TOPIC A General Basic Subjects 4 credits	MAIN TOPIC C The Client Domain 4 credits	MAIN TOPIC C The Client Nurse Domain 4 credits	MAIN TOPIC D The Exercise of Psychiatric Nursing 7 credits	MAIN TOPIC E The Environmental-, Cultural and Society Domain 2 credits
A 1 Theory of Science, and Knowledge Theory	B 1 General Knowledge of Central Concepts in Psychiatric Nursing	C 1 Communication	D1 The Therapeutic Function	E 1 History
A 2 Philosophy of Caring	B 2 Mental Disorders, Treatments and Psychiatric Nursing	C 2 Group Processes	D 2 The Educational Function	E 2 The Organisation of The Mental Health Care System
A 3 Ethics	B 3 Psychology		D 3 The Function of Administration and Management	E 3 Individual, Group and Society
A 4 Nursing Theory			D 4 The Professional Responsibility for Development of the Nursing Branch of Knowledge
A 5 Research and Professional Development			D 5 The legal Protection of the Client
			D 6 Clinical Studies

WORKING METHODS

During the course, students are responsible for their own learning. All teaching is obligatory. The teaching methods alternate between lectures and work in different guided groups. The study emphasise student active working methods, which are:

Study groups: Every student belongs to a study group, which have a teacher for guidance. The intention of the group is to contribute to the study-social anchoring.

Problem based learning groups: The group meets 2 hours once a week and work with different tasks. Knowledge-acquiring. Problem solving and integration of knowledge are central. The members and teacher of this group and study group are identical.

Guidance groups: The group meets 2 hours once a week, and the member and teacher are different than the previous groups. The intention is to promote students' own professional development; to reflect on different aspects of psychiatric nursing and to promote understanding of group-processes.

Project-work: This working method can be used within a group or individualised in relation to clinical studies and chosen in-depth studies.

CHOSEN IN-DEPTH STUDIES:

Students have an opportunity to choose between one of four topics for in-depth studies during av three weeks period. They can choose among:

Clinical methods in-groups and psychiatric nursing.
Migration-problems in larger urban areas.
Aesthetics in psychiatric nursing.
Open in-depth studies.

CLINICAL STUDIES:

Clinical studies consist of three continuous phases over 12 weeks, all with different content and aims.

Phase I; One week preparing course. The intention is to prepare students mentally and practically for the coming weeks.

Phase II; One week study, where students get to know the community and clinical setting.
Students compose a written project-report on the information collected.

Phase III; Ten weeks working term is the main clinical period. The focus is on the client / patient - nurse relationship. The intention is to acquire new knowledge and experiences in a clinical setting, to integrate theoretical and clinical knowledge and to gain further competence and skills in psychiatric nursing.

Students write a diary during the clinical period and compose two short situation reports.

FORMS OF ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION:

Project-work and papers done in relation to chosen in-depth studies and phase II in clinical studies.
Both formative and summative assessments take place in the clinical setting.
After completing clinical studies, students individually writes a paper as home-examination on nursing and related to own clinical experience during a three to four weeks period. The paper has to be about a central subject within psychiatric nursing.
There is also a one day individually written examination in psychiatric nursing.

For further information on this paper please contact the author E-mail Roger Almvik

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