Practice Placement 3
Description
Clinical practice represents 50% of the undergraduate nursing programme and the development of skills, knowledge, professional behaviour and attitudes represents a key component in the undergraduate nursing students’ attainment of competence to practice as a registered nurse (NMBI, 2017). The NMBI (2016) defines competence as the attainment of knowledge, intellectual capacities, practice skills, integrity and professional and ethical values required for safe, accountable and effective practice as a Registered Nurse. Thus the aim of this module is to enable the student psychiatric mental health nurse to continue the process of attaining competency in psychiatric/mental health nursing under indirect supervision of a registered nurse through the process of Identification by taking more responsibility for their own learning and participation and by initiating appropriate nursing action and evaluating same (NMBI, 2018). The module further aims to enable competency assessment at Advanced Beginner Level to be undertaken.
Competence encompasses six domains of practice:
Domain 1: Professional values and conduct of the nurse competences
Knowledge and appreciation of the virtues of caring, compassion, integrity, honesty, respect and empathy as a basis for upholding the professional values of nursing and identity as a nurse.
Domain 2: Nursing practice and clinical decision making competences
Knowledge and understanding of the principles of delivering safe and effective nursing care through the adoption of a systematic and problem-solving approach to developing and delivering a person-centred plan of care based on an explicit partnership with the person and his/her primary carer.
Domain 3: Knowledge and cognitive competences
Knowledge and understanding of the health continuum, life and behavioural sciences and their applied principles that underpin a competent knowledge base for nursing and healthcare practice.
Domain 4: Communication and interpersonal competences
Knowledge, appreciation and development of empathic communication skills and techniques for effective interpersonal relationships with people and other professionals in health care settings.
Domain 5: Management and team competences
Using management and team competences in working for the person’s wellbeing, recovery, independence and safety through recognition of the collaborative partnership between the person, family and multidisciplinary health care team.
Domain 6: Leadership and professional scholarship competences
Developing professional scholarship through self-directed learning skills, critical questioning/ reasoning skills and decision-making skills in nursing as the foundation for lifelong professional education, maintaining competency and career development.
Learning Outcomes
Identify and utilise all individual learning opportunities available in the practice placement area and contribute to the teaching and learning of colleagues and peers in the practice placement area
Participate in the assessment, planning, delivery and evaluation of person centred psychiatric mental health nursing and provide a rationale for own actions
Access the policy and procedures, protocols and guidelines portfolio in the practice placement area and apply same to own practice
Define one's scope of practice, develop strengths and plan to meet learning needs.
Identify the needs of service users and their supporters in practice and begin to adopt a problem solving approach to the provision of safe psychiatric mental health nursing care
Demonstrate and apply the principles of safe moving and handling, cardiopulmonary resuscitation training, the management of actual and potential aggression training, facilitating WRAP and ASSIST training as required
Demonstrate recovery focused practice skills
Undertake HSE online MHA training and submit certification with competency documentation
Actively participate in reflection on and in practice. Achieve competency at Advanced Beginner level and complete and submit the National Competency Assessment Document