NURS13113 The Psychiatric Consumer

Caring for a person who is living with a mental illness is becoming more and more a focus within health care. In Australia, 1:5 people will at some stage in their lifespan have a mental illness; this is 20% of the population. Further to this, 98% of people with a mental illness live in the community. As a result of the prevalence of mental health disorders, nurses will come into contact with such persons in a variety of settings. The nature of mental illness also means that there is significant impact on carers, families and the community. This course will prepare students to work with patients and their significant others, who are experiencing mental illness and disorders. Students will develop skills suitable for exit at beginning practitioner level to work within this specialist field. It is a requirement of this course to have access to the CQU website and Internet. There is a compulsory 2 day on-campus workshop for this course.