Units / NUR5006
NUR5006 · Mental health nursing in contemporary practice
2026 Handbook6 credit pointsLevel 5School of Nursing and Midwifery
Last checked: 23 Aug 2026 UTCOverview
This unit builds on concepts learned in Contemporary Nursing Practice 1 and 2, and will introduce new knowledge for developing your clinical nursing skills when working with people experiencing mental health conditions. People experiencing mental health conditions can present to any healthcare setting, therefore nurses require the skills to engage in meaningful therapeutic relationships to work effectively with people with a mental health condition, carers, families and their supporters. You will develop therapeutic skills to support holistic assessment and identify appropriate interventions used in providing person-centred and recovery focused care to promote positive outcomes for service users. Clinical placement will provide you with the opportunity for translation of theory to the clinical practice environment.
Offerings
| Campus | Teaching period | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Clayton | First semester | Teaching mostly conducted outside of a classroom/campus environment (IMMERSIVE) |
| Clayton | Second semester | Teaching mostly conducted outside of a classroom/campus environment (IMMERSIVE) |
Assessment
The Handbook lists an examination for this unit.
| # | Assessment | Type | Weight | Hurdle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Case Study analysis (2,000 words) | Written | 30% | — |
| 2 | Final scheduled assessment (2 hours and 10 minutes) | Examination | 40% | Competency |
| 3 | Clinical performance (120 hours) | Work integrated | 30% | Competency |
Assessment in this unit includes hurdle assessment tasks. Failure of any hurdle assessment task may result in failure of the unit.
Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.
Requisites
prerequisite
corequisite
prohibitions
- NUR5003 — Contemporary nursing practice 3
Learning outcomes
- Examine factors that impact a person’s mental health and identify barriers to receiving care.
- Apply relevant mental health legislation when caring for people with mental health conditions.
- Plan and prioritise person-centred nursing interventions for people who are experiencing mental health conditions.
- Identify and explain the communication skills and qualities required to develop and maintain a therapeutic relationship
- Demonstrate practice at a beginning level in accordance with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) Registered nurse standards for practice, Code of conduct for nurses and the International Council of Nurses (ICN) Code of ethics for nurses.
Workload
8 hours per week of teacher facilitated and self-directed learning including tutorials, simulation tutorials and online activities. Please refer to Moodle for tutorial types and requirements.
| Activity | Duration |
|---|---|
| Tutorials | 30 hours |
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