Practice Placement 1

The practice placement in year 1 provides the student with early exposure to the practice setting. The student begins socialisation into the mental health nursing profession. The student will acquire skills in the cognitive, psychomotor and affective domains, whilst integrating theory and knowledge into practice. The aim of the practice placement is to provide the student with orientation to the clinical environment and to introduce the student to fundamental skills necessary for the provision of holistic care to patients/service users. To be successful in this module students must pass each
assessment independent of each other.

This first practice module will enable the student mental health nurse to commence the process of attaining competency in mental health nursing through exposure to and participation in all aspects of practice on placement, and to enable competency assessment at Novice Level to be undertaken under direct supervision of a registered nurse.

Competence encompasses six domains of practice:

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 that underpin 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.

1. Successfully complete programmes in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation training, Safe Moving and Handling and Safety Intervention training, Children First.

2. Read and understand the policies, procedures, protocols, and guidelines documents that are relevant to practice placements.

3. Demonstrate professional behaviour in practice as advised by NMBI (2021), ATU Fitness to Practice Policy and ATU Mayo Fitness to Practice Procedures and MMHS Policy and Procedures.

4. Understanding the mandatory regulations that are relevant in practice e.g. reporting relationships, returning accurate records and occupational health screening, safeguarding vulnerable patients - identifying vulnerable individuals and implementing safe-guarding intervention.

5. Achieve competency at Novice Level and complete and submit the National Competency Assessment Document

6. Achieve the minimum standard of Dependent in the domains of competence, for a 1st year nursing student, as required by The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland:
   Domain 1: Professional values and conduct of the nurse competences

7. Achieve the minimum standard of Dependent in the domains of competence, for a 1st year nursing student, as required by The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland:
   Domain 2: Nursing practice and clinical decision-making competences.

8. Achieve the minimum standard of Dependent in the domains of competence, for a 1st year nursing student, as required by The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland:
   Domain 3: Knowledge and cognitive competences.
   
   

9. Achieve the minimum standard of Dependent in the domains of competence, for a 1st year nursing student, as required by The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland:
   Domain 4: Communication and interpersonal competences.

10. Achieve the minimum standard of Dependent in the domains of competence, for a 1st year nursing student, as required by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland:
    Domain 5: Management and team competences.
    
    

11. Achieve the minimum standard of Dependent in the domains of competence, for a 1st year nursing student, as required by the Nursing andMidwifery Board of Ireland:
    Domain 6: Leadership potential and professional scholarship competences.