School: Nursing and Midwifery

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

  • Unit Title

    Mental Health and Wellness Nursing
  • Unit Code

    NSI2307
  • Year

    2026
  • Enrolment Period

    1
  • Version

    1
  • Credit Points

    15
  • Full Year Unit

    N
  • Mode of Delivery

  • Unit Coordinator

    Dr Carol CREVACORE

Description

This unit introduces students to the nursing and midwifery care of individuals with mental health and wellbeing concerns, including affective, stress, psychotic disorders and personality disorders. Students will gain knowledge of the pharmacological benefits and therapeutic interventions in treating mental illness. Ethical issues, the law and the rights of people with mental illness will be applied to the clinical context. Principles of undertaking a mental health and risk assessment and analysis of determinants of health and wellbeing will also be explored.

Non Standard Timetable Requirements

Block teaching may occur in some locations depending on regulatory requirements Classes may be scheduled for the weekend

Prerequisite Rule

Only students enrolled in Y61 - Bachelor of Science (Nursing Studies) - can enrol in this unit.

Equivalent Rule

Unit was previously coded {NCS2102, NUM2307}

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Explain the concepts and terminology used in the mental health field with regards to the treatment, support and management of clients experiencing mental illness.
  2. Develop strategies to meet the needs of clients, groups, and families in relationship to psychosocial problems.
  3. Identify different mental health conditions, their symptoms and evidence-based treatment approaches.
  4. Discuss legal and ethical considerations when caring for clients with altered mental health status.
  5. Analyse the collaborative approach to the care of clients with altered mental health status and their families.
  6. Describe country specific management of the older person with chronic illness including the importance of an inter-professional approach to care.

Unit Content

  1. Mental health and illness presentations including depression, anxiety, psychosis, mood disorders, personality disorders and substance misuse.
  2. Physical, risk and mental health assessments.
  3. The Mental Health Act and legal and ethical issues associated with mental health clients.
  4. Person and family centred care in the context of mental health.
  5. Biopsychosocial model and stress vulnerability models.
  6. Trauma informed care.
  7. Interprofessional approaches to mental health care.
  8. De-escalation techniques in mental health settings.
  9. The trajectory of care to the promotion of self-determination.

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

ON CAMPUS
TypeDescriptionValue
AssignmentExercise50%
VivaViva Voce50%

Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), inherent requirements for this subject are articulated in the Unit Description, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the support for students with disabilities or medical conditions can be found at the Access and Inclusion website.

Assessment

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. Informal vivas may be conducted as part of an assessment task, where staff require further information to confirm the learning outcomes have been met. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

Academic Integrity

Integrity is a core value at Edith Cowan University, and it is expected that ECU students complete their assessment tasks honestly and with acknowledgement of other people's work as well as any generative artificial intelligence tools that may have been used. This means that assessment tasks must be completed individually (unless it is an authorised group assessment task) and any sources used must be referenced.

Breaches of academic integrity can include:

Plagiarism

Copying the words, ideas or creative works of other people or generative artificial intelligence tools, without referencing in accordance with stated University requirements. Students need to seek approval from the Unit Coordinator within the first week of study if they intend to use some of their previous work in an assessment task (self-plagiarism).

Unauthorised collaboration (collusion)

Working with other students and submitting the same or substantially similar work or portions of work when an individual submission was required. This includes students knowingly providing others with copies of their own work to use in the same or similar assessment task(s).

Contract cheating

Organising a friend, a family member, another student or an external person or organisation (e.g. through an online website) to complete or substantially edit or refine part or all of an assessment task(s) on their behalf.

Cheating in an exam

Using or having access to unauthorised materials in an exam or test.

Serious outcomes may be imposed if a student is found to have committed one of these breaches, up to and including expulsion from the University for repeated or serious acts.

ECU's policies and more information about academic integrity can be found on the student academic integrity website.

All commencing ECU students are required to complete the Academic Integrity Module.

Assessment Extension

In some circumstances, Students may apply to their Unit Coordinator to extend the due date of their Assessment Task(s) in accordance with ECU's Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000001386.

Special Consideration

Students may apply for Special Consideration in respect of a final unit grade, where their achievement was affected by Exceptional Circumstances as set out in the Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000003318.

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