Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Mental Health Nursing

Apply to Tullamore FET Centre

Overview

This programme is five years in duration. Year one of the programme will be offered in LOETB Tullamore FET Centre, with students who successfully complete that year being awarded an NFQ Level 5 QQI Major Award in Nursing Studies 5M4349.

Students will then progress to TUS Athlone where they will start in year one of a four-year degree programme leading to a BSc (Hons) in Mental Health Nursing.

The aim of the programme is to provide students with an opportunity to learn the essential knowledge, skills and competencies associated with mental health nursing. Students will develop fundamental nursing skills to enable them to provide care in a variety of healthcare environments.

Students who successfully complete this five-year programme will be eligible to apply for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI).

Provider Locations and Structure

Year 1 based in the following ETB location:

LOETB Tullamore FET Centre, Castle Buildings, Tara Street, Tullamore, Co Offaly, R35 E9K8

Years 2 to 5 based in the following TUS campus:

TUS, Athlone Campus, University Road, Athlone, Co. Westmeath, N37HD68

Course Content – For All Years

Year 1 – LOETB Tullamore FET Centre – Students will study modules leading to the following:

• Nursing Theory & Practice (5N4325)
• Human Growth & Development (5N1279)
• Anatomy & Physiology (5N0749)
• Care Skills (5N2770)
• Care Support (5N0758)
• Team Working (5N1367)
• Work Experience (5N1356)
• Understanding Mental Health 5N3772
• Recovery in Mental Health 5N3773

Additional training
• Patient Moving & Handling
• Cardiac First Responder (CFR)
• HIQA Standards
• Dementia Awareness
• Safeguarding the Vulnerable Adult at Risk of Abuse
• Tusla Child Protection
• Risk and Restrictive Practice in Healthcare.
• Various HSeLanD training Modules.

In order to progress from Tullamore FET Centre to TUS Athlone, students must successfully achieve the NFQ Level 5 QQI Major Award in Nursing Studies 5M4349, achieving a Distinction grade in at least five modules, that must include Distinction grades in:
• Anatomy and Physiology 5N0749
and
• Nursing Theory & Practice 5N4325 or Care Support 5N0758

Year 2 – TUS Athlone – Students will study the following:
Semester 1
• Anatomy, Physiology & Microbiology
• Evidence Based Practice for Healthcare
• Preparation for Practice (Mental Health Nursing)
• Principles & Practice of Mental Health Nursing Care
• Psychology and Communication
• Clinical Placement I

Semester 2
• Anatomy, Physiology & Pharmacology
• Child and Adolescent Mental Health
• Professional Legal and Ethical Issues in Mental Health Nursing
• Sociology and Health
• Community Mental Health Nursing
• Clinical Placement II

Year 3 – TUS Athlone – Students will study the following:
Semester 1
• Mood and Emotional Disorders
• Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders
• Health Studies
• Care of the Older Person (Mental Health Nursing)
• Care of the Adult in the General Hospital
• Clinical Placement III (Mental Health Nursing)

Semester 2
• Specialist Adult Care Groups
• Enduring Mental Health Difficulties
• Groups and Group Therapies
• Emergency Care in Mental Health Nursing
• Clinical Placement IV (Mental Health Nursing)

Year 4 – TUS Athlone – Students will study the following:
Semester 1
• Physical Health and Mental Illness
• Bereavement and Loss
• Therapeutic Approaches and Counselling Skills
• Research Appreciation
• Clinical Placement V (Mental Health Nursing)

Semester 2
• Sociology and Psychology Applied to Mental Health Nursing
• Personality and Personality Disorder
• Biomedical Treatments in Mental Illness
• Challenging Legal and Ethical Issues in Mental Health Nursing
• Clinical Placement VI (Mental Health Nursing)
• Social and Community Engagement (Elective Module)
• Coping Strategies for Confinement (Elective Module)
• Nursing Healthcare Informatics (Elective Module)
• Recovery Narratives (or Education) in Action (Elective Module)

Year 5 – TUS Athlone – Students will study the following:
Semester 1
• Health and Social Policy
• Integrated Mental Health Nursing Practice
• Clinical Placement VII (Mental Health Nursing Pre-internship)
• Preparation for Internship (Mental Health Nursing)
• Leadership, Management, Educational and Professional Issues in Mental Health Nursing

Semester 2
• Clinical Placement VIII (Mental Health Nursing Internship)

Accreditation, Embedded and Step Back Awards

This tertiary programme is designed to support academic success over a five-year period. However, if a student leaves before completing the final year, this programme offers embedded awards that formally recognise learning achieved during time on the programme.

The following are the embedded awards associated with this programme:

After successfully completing Year 1 of 5
NFQ Level 5 QQI Major Award in Nursing Studies 5M4349, 120 FET Credits.

After successfully completing Year 3 of 5
NFQ Level 6 Higher Certificate in Mental Health Studies, 120 ECTS Credits from TUS.

After successfully completing Year 4 of 5
NFQ Level 7 BSc in Mental Health Studies, 180 ECTS Credits from TUS.

After successfully completing Year 5 of 5
The final NFQ Level 8 BSc (Hons) in Mental Health Nursing is awarded by TUS and based on 240 ECTS Credits.

Planned Intake (Number of Places)

5 Places

Entry Requirements and Eligibility

Prospective students wishing to be accepted onto this programme must meet the following minimum entry criteria:

Education: Students must have previously achieved at least an NFQ Level 4 Major Award, or equivalent.

English Language Requirement: All applicants whose first language is not English and who have not been educated through the medium of English must demonstrate CEFR proficiency at B2 for access. An Irish Leaving Certificate/Leaving Certificate Applied/QQI qualification achieved through English meets this requirement.

Those who do not have English as their first language and who have not been educated through the medium of English must demonstrate CEFR proficiency at B2 for access. An Irish leaving certificate/Leaving certificate applied/QQI qualification achieved through English meets this requirement.

Mature Students: Those that do not meet the minimum entry requirements and who are aged 23 years or over (on the 1 January of the calendar year they commence the programme) may be assessed on their merits, taking into account their life experience, work or community experience, and prior learning.

Non-EU/EEA Applicants: Additional requirements may apply to non-EU/EEA applicants, and they may be subject to full international fees. Further information relating to this is available from LOETB Offaly Guidance & Information Hub, High Street, Tullamore.

Additional Information:

Applicants to the programme will be invited to attend an online English language assessment prior to being invited for a short interview to ascertain their suitability for the programme. During the interview you will have an opportunity to ask questions about the programme, and explain why they would like to be a student starting their degree with Laois Offaly ETB.

During the interview the applicant will demonstrate their communication skills, ability to stay calm in stressful situations, ability to solve problems, be patient and emphatic towards others. These skills are all essential for those working in the Mental Health Services.

This programme requires students to be Garda Vetted; as a vetting disclosure is valid for three years only, over the course of the programme, students will be vetted more than once.

Onward Pathways

On successful completion of this programme, graduates may apply to register as a Psychiatric Nurse to the Nursing & Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI), the profession’s regulatory body.

After registration, graduates will be ready to start work as qualified psychiatric nurses in a variety of clinical settings including hospitals and community mental health facilities.

Further Study:
Students who successfully complete this programme may be eligible to continue their academic progression in other disciplines of nursing or undertake taught postgraduate studies with TUS or another HEIs providing they meet the requisite entry requirements.

Those who achieve a first or 2:1 honours degree may be eligible to undertake a PhD or MSc. by research within nursing or a similar discipline within the Faculty of Science and Health at TUS.