Internship

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 the Internship module is to facilitate the student Mental Health Nurse in making the transition to the role of Registered Psychiatric nurse.  It aims to enable competency assessment at Competent Level at the end of Internship placement period.

Competence encompasses six domains of practice and these statements provide an enabling framework to facilitate acquisition and assessment of the intern Mental Health Nurse practice learning:

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 underpinning 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.

During internship, the student will be a rostered member of staff and will experience the 24-hour shift system.

To be successful in this module, the students must pass each assessment independent of each other.

1. Be familiar with and understand the policies, procedures, protocols, and guidelines documents that are relevant to the Internship placement.

2. Understand the mandatory regulations that are relevant in practice e.g. reporting relationships, returning accurate records etc.

3. Achieve the minimum standard at the level of Dissemination in the domains of competence, for an Internship nursing student, as required by The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland:
   Domain 1: Professional values and conduct of the nurse competences.
   
   

4. Achieve the minimum standard at the level of Dissemination in the domains of competence, for an Internship nursing student, as required by The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland:
   Domain 2: Nursing practice and clinical decision making competences.
   
   

5. Achieve the minimum standard at the level of Dissemination in the domains of competence, for an Internship nursing student, as required by The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland:
   Domain 3: Knowledge and cognitive competences.
   
   

6. Achieve the minimum standard at the level of Dissemination in the domains of competence, for an Internship nursing student, as required by The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland:
   Domain 4: Communication and inter personal competences.
   
   

7. Achieve the minimum standard at the level of Dissemination in the domains of competence, for an Internship nursing student, as required by The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland:
   Domain 5: Management and team competences.
   
   

8. Achieve the minimum standard at the level of Dissemination in the domains of competence, for an Internship nursing student, as required by The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland:
   Domain 6: Leadership potential and professional scholarship competences.