BNURSE 362 - Applied Critical Thinking in Mental Health Nursing

1. Synthesize knowledge from the art and sciences in the provision of holistic psychiatric-mental health care of individuals, families, and groups.
2. Analyze selected nursing and psychological theories used in psychiatric/mental health care settings.
3. Analyze the role of the nurse using clinical reasoning, evidence-based practice, and family centered care when caring for the client with a mental health disorder.
4. Explain systems-based practice to enhance collaboration to coordinate and manage mental health care that promotes health and prevents illness.
5. Describe the application of clinical judgment in the nursing care of a client with a psychiatric-mental health disorder.
6. Examine the indications, implications, side effects, contraindications, patient teaching and safety precautions for clients receiving medication and non-pharmacological treatments related to course theory content.
7. Evaluate the pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, diagnostic tests, medical and nursing management of mental health conditions experienced by clients across the lifespan.
8. Implement health promotion and disease amelioration activities related to mental health conditions experienced across the lifespan taking into account relevant social determinants of health.
9. Describe therapeutic communication techniques and effective interpersonal skills in the provision of psychiatric-mental health care of individuals, families, and groups.

1. Integrate knowledge from the arts and sciences to manage the care of clients across the life span using evidence-based practice and clinical reasoning to inform decision making. 
2. Provide holistic, person-centered, population health care to diverse populations including community and public health. 
3. Utilize research information to improve health of diverse clients across the life span. 
4. Minimize harm to clients through quality assurance and improvement. 
5. Use systems-based practice to coordinate and manage care to provide safe, quality, and equitable care. 
6. Integrate informatics and other healthcare technologies to inform decision making when managing and delivering safe, high-quality, and efficient health care in accordance with best practice and professional and regulatory standards. 
7. Demonstrate accountability for personal and professional development, including the professional identity of a bachelor of science prepared registered nurse, and life long learning. 
8. Apply leadership principles and quality improvement when intentionally collaborating with the interdisciplinary health care team to provide evidence-based, safe quality nursing care. 

• Critical Thinking - Critical thinking finds expression in all disciplines and everyday life. It is characterized by an ability to reflect upon thinking patterns, including the role of emotions on thoughts, and to rigorously assess the quality of thought through its work products. Critical thinkers routinely evaluate thinking processes and alter them, as necessary, to facilitate an improvement in their thinking and potentially foster certain dispositions or intellectual traits over time.
• Diversity and Equity - In order to advance equity and social justice, students will be able to examine their own and others’ identities, behaviors, and/or cultural perspectives as they connect to power, privilege, and/or resistance.
• Responsibility - Responsibility encompasses those behaviors and dispositions necessary for students to be effective members of a community. This outcome is designed to help students recognize the value of a commitment to those responsibilities which will enable them to work successfully individually and with others.
• Quantitative and Symbolic Reasoning - Quantitative Reasoning encompasses abilities necessary for a student to become literate in today’s technological world. Quantitative reasoning begins with basic skills and extends to problem solving.