An introductory course designed for beginning nursing 
students to develop knowledge and skills with concepts such as: 
therapeutic environment, therapeutic communication, therapeutic 
relationships and additional foundations for safe and effective 
care. Studies will encompass legal and ethical issues of the nurse, 
including Florida Statutes, and the concept of professional 
boundaries.

• Varcarolis, E.M. & Halter, M.J.. Essentials of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing: A Communication Approach to Evidence-Based Care, 2nd ed., Saunders-Elsevier, 2013. ISBN: 9781455706617
• Potter, R.A. & Perry, A.G.. Fundamentals of Nursing, 8th ed., Elsevier-Mosby, 2013. ISBN: 9780323079334
• Varcarolis, E.M.. Manuel of Psychiatric Nursing Care Plans, 4th ed., Saunders-Elsevier, 2011. ISBN: 9781437717822

Program Outcome 1: Patient-Centered Care
Advocate for patients, recognizing the patient or designee as the 
source of control and full partner in providing compassionate and 
coordinated care based on respect for patient’s preferences, values, 
and needs.



Program Outcome 2: Teamwork and Collaboration
Collaborate effectively within nursing and inter-professional teams, 
fostering open communication, mutual respect, and shared decision-
making to achieve quality patient care.

 


Program Outcome 3:Evidence-Based Practice (EBP)
Use nursing judgment based on best current evidence to provide safe 
care for patients and families across the lifespan.



Program Outcome 4: Quality Improvement (QI)
Apply principles of quality improvement to monitor the outcomes of 
care and minimize risk of harm to patients and providers.



Program Outcome 5: Safety
Employ practices to ensure safety of patients and improve outcomes 
of care.



PROGRAM OUTCOME 6: Informatics
Use information and technology to communicate, document care, 
minimize error, and support decision making.



PROGRAM OUTCOME 7: Professionalism
Demonstrate professionalism in the implementation of the role of the 
registered nurse.

Patient Centered Care

1. Explore ethical and legal implication of patient-centered care, 
describe the limits and boundaries of therapeutic patient-centered 
care or relationships and facilitate informed patient consent for 
care.

Team Work and Collaboration

2. Communicate with team members, adapting style of communicating to 
needs of the team and the situation, demonstrating commitment to 
team goals and actions to resolve conflicts.

Evidence Based Practice

3. Use reliable sources for locating evidence reports related to 
clinical practice topics and guidelines.

Quality Improvement

4. Use tools to that explain the importance of variation and 
measurement in assessing quality of care.

Safety
5. Communicate observations or concerns related to hazards and 
errors to patients, families and the health care team and use 
organizational error reporting systems for near miss and error 
reporting.

Informatics

6. Apply technology and information management tools to support safe 
processes of care.

Professionalism

7. Maintain professional behavior and appearance.

8.Comply with the Nursing Code of Ethics, Standards of Practice, and 
policies and procedures of Pensacola State College, Department of 
Nursing, and clinical agencies.

9.Accept individual responsibility and accountability for nursing 
interventions, outcomes, and other actions.

Evaluation of student progress towards achieving the stated learning 
outcomes and performance objectives is the responsibility of the 
instructor, within the policies of the College and the department.  
Detailed explanations are included in the expanded Syllabus 
developed by the instructor for each section being taught.

Learning activities may include: online lecture-discussion, 
activities, and multi-media learning support materials, written 
assignments and online exams, and required and suggested reading 
assignments. In addition to the assigned learning activities, 
students are encouraged to explore multimedia resources provided on 
the LMS related to the nursing care of patients in mental health 
settings.