Vanguard University

This theory course provides the opportunity to learn and practice skills necessary to perform a complete and age appropriate health assessment. Emphasis is placed on assessing physical, emotional, spiritual, social, and cultural needs of the patient. The nursing process will be used in prioritizing patient health care needs. The integration of disease prevention, health promotion, and risk assessment is introduced.

This course is an exploration of both the research process and methodologies. The content includes both quantitative and qualitative designs. Emphasis will be placed on the first phase of the thesis project design and development. Students will have the opportunity to prepare the first three chapters of the project report.

In this course students learn and apply contemporary evidence-based psychotherapiesthat promote and support client stabilization, rehabilitation, and recovery. The client as a collaborating decision-making consumer and the client-clinician therapeutic alliance are central to this course. Students increase competence in assessment of psychiatric mental health illnesses, differential diagnoses, and disease management, implementation of psychotherapy (individual, group, family), medication management (includes content essential for the Psychiatric MHNP to furnish/prescribe appropriate pharmacologic treatment), and health promotion interventions, including motivational interviewing. Student competence in developing and facilitating therapeutic groups as a recovery modality are included in the course. The role of the psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner in the integration and coordination of support services that impact mental health and illness is also included. Students practice verbal psychotherapeutic skills that motivate and facilitate client self-management and progression toward recovery.