NUR2200: Mental Health Care Across the Lifespan Assessment

Assessed Course Learning Outcomes

CLO1 – Explain the clinical manifestations associated with the major mental health disorders.
CLO2 – Apply evidence-based interventions that inform the development of targeted treatment planning across the lifespan, including culturally diverse consumers.
CLO3 – Analyse and apply the principles of the Recovery process in delivering specific care for individuals living with mental illness, while supporting the needs of carers and significant others.
CLO5 – Communicate effectively with consumers, including Indigenous populations, to conduct accurate mental state and risk assessments using standardised mental health assessment tools.

Rationale

Assessment is a fundamental skill for mental health nurses. Through structured and therapeutic assessment, the nurse gains an understanding of the consumer, forms a detailed plan of care, and contributes meaningfully to multidisciplinary decision making. Assessment establishes rapport with the consumer and begins the foundation of a therapeutic relationship.

Mental health assessments occur across varied settings and must follow person-centred, collaborative, and recovery-focused approaches. According to Muir-Cochrane & Birtle (2017), this process is systematic and structured to support critical thinking, accurate documentation, and ongoing evaluation of the consumer’s needs.

Continuity of care relies on clear, concise information flow between providers. Effective clinical handover improves safety and ensures the next clinician has a complete picture of the consumer’s mental state, risks, and care needs. Standardised tools commonly used include the Mental State Examination (MSE) and clinical risk assessment tools, alongside others used for data gathering in clinical environments.

Task Instructions

You are required to use the MSE Assessment Template to complete this task. Ensure you include relevant personal and demographic details from the consumer’s profile.

1. Review the History and Assessment

• Access the person’s profile from the StudyDesk.

• View the person’s assessment video.

Mental State Examination

2. Complete the MSE

Using findings from the assessment video:

• Document observations using dot points or short paragraphs.

• Substantiate all statements with evidence seen in the video.

• Use correct mental health terminology and structure.

Risk Screen Tool

3. Complete All Risk Assessment Sections

Use information from:

• The assessment video

• The person’s profile/history

Identify risks such as:

• Self-harm or suicide

• Harm to others

• Vulnerability

• Substance use

• Environmental or situational risks

Provide clear, concise, and clinically supported observations.

Recovery and Care Plan

4. Identify Three (3) Personal Recovery Goals

Based on the profile and assessment video, document three personalised recovery goals.

5. Identify Three (3) Symptoms or Concerns

For each goal, identify one related symptom or risk concern based on:

• Findings from your MSE

• Risk Screen Tool

• Profile and video information

6. Provide Two (2) Evidence-Based Nursing Interventions per Symptom

You must propose a total of six interventions, supported by six scholarly references (one reference per intervention).

7. Provide Rationale

Explain how each intervention supports the consumer’s recovery and addresses the identified symptom or risk.

Reference Requirements

• Six scholarly references (peer-reviewed, up to 6 years old unless seminal).

• APA 7th edition referencing.

• In-text citations required for all evidence-based content.

Nursing Handover

Complete the SHARED Format Handover

Include relevant findings from:

• The MSE

• Risk Screen Tool

• Recovery and Care Plan

• Consumer’s profile and assessment video

The handover should be concise, structured, accurate, and clinically appropriate.

No references are needed in the handover as it reflects your own clinical findings.

Acceptable AI Use

AI use for this assessment is strictly limited to:
Level 1 – AI Assisted Structure Checking Only

This means:

• AI cannot generate assessment content.

• AI may only help check structure or formatting.

• All written work must be original and student-produced.

Academic misconduct rules apply if AI is used beyond allowed limits.

Academic Integrity Requirements

Students must comply with the University’s Academic Integrity Policy.

• Completion of the mandatory Academic Integrity module is required.

• All work must be original, properly referenced, and not plagiarized.

Relevant Resources

• Six scholarly references required for nursing interventions

• APA 7th Edition Reference List

• Examples available on StudyDesk

• UniSQ academic writing support available online

• Do not adjust formatting of the provided template

• Variety of acceptable fonts per APA 7 (Calibri 11, Arial 11, Times New Roman 12, etc.)

Submission Instructions

• Submit a Microsoft Word (.docx) document

• Naming format:
  Surname_InitialORStudentnumber_Coursecode_A2.docx

• Upload to the Assessment Two – Case Study link via Turnitin

• Contact ICT if Turnitin report does not generate

Summary of Assessment Requirements

The assessment requires students to complete a detailed mental health case study using the MSE Assessment Template. Students must review the consumer’s profile and assessment video to complete a series of structured clinical documents. The task involves conducting a Mental State Examination, completing a Risk Screen Tool, formulating a personalised Recovery and Care Plan, and preparing a SHARED-format Nursing Handover. The assessment requires evidence-based reasoning supported by six scholarly sources, all presented in APA 7th style. Students must adhere to Level 1 AI use guidelines and maintain academic integrity. The final submission must be prepared in Microsoft Word and uploaded through Turnitin.

Explanation of the Step-by-Step Approach Used by the Academic Mentor

To support the student, the academic mentor followed a structured and progressive approach, ensuring each section was understood and completed appropriately.

1. Understanding the Case Materials

The mentor first ensured the student accessed and reviewed the consumer’s profile and assessment video. The student was guided to identify key demographic details, mental health history, current symptoms, and contextual information, as these form the basis of all subsequent sections.

2. Guidance on Completing the Mental State Examination (MSE)

The mentor demonstrated how to observe and document appearance, behaviour, speech, affect, mood, thought processes, cognition, perception, and insight. The student was instructed to use mental health terminology and link each observation to what was seen in the video. Particular emphasis was placed on objectivity, clarity, and evidence-based interpretation.

3. Completing the Risk Screen Tool

The student was shown how to identify risks by integrating assessment video observations with historical information from the consumer’s profile. The mentor explained how to assess risk factors related to self-harm, harm to others, vulnerability, substance use, and environmental risk. The student was taught to phrase risk statements clinically and provide concise justification.

4. Developing the Recovery and Care Plan

The mentor supported the student in identifying three personal recovery goals based on the consumer’s preferences and current challenges. For each goal, the student identified one related symptom or risk concern derived from the MSE and Risk Screen Tool. The mentor then guided the student in selecting two evidence-based nursing interventions per concern, ensuring scholarly support from peer-reviewed literature. Each intervention was accompanied by a clear rationale demonstrating how it contributes to the consumer’s recovery.

5. Preparing the SHARED Format Nursing Handover

The mentor explained the SHARED acronym and demonstrated how to synthesise key findings from all previous sections into a structured, clinically relevant handover. The student was taught to maintain a clear, factual, objective tone and avoid adding new information not supported by prior assessments.

6. Ensuring Academic Integrity and APA Referencing

The mentor reviewed how to use APA 7th edition for in-text citations and reference list entries. The student was reminded of the Level 1 AI use guideline, ensuring the work remained original and student-authored. The mentor ensured the student understood how to comply with academic integrity expectations.

7. Final Review and Submission Preparation

The mentor assisted the student with reviewing document formatting, checking section completeness, and verifying scholarly sources. The student was guided to save the document using the required naming format and prepare it for upload to Turnitin.

Outcome and Learning Objectives Covered

Through this guided approach, the student successfully completed all components of the case study assessment in alignment with the requirements. The process enabled the student to:

• Address CLO1, by identifying and explaining clinical manifestations of mental health disorders through the MSE.

• Meet CLO2, by applying six evidence-based interventions aligned with symptoms and recovery goals.

• Fulfil CLO3, by integrating recovery-oriented principles into the care plan and understanding how carers and significant others may be involved.

• Demonstrate CLO5, by producing an accurate mental state assessment, conducting structured risk analysis, and communicating clearly through a clinically sound SHARED handover.

The assessment process reinforced essential mental health nursing skills including critical thinking, clinical reasoning, assessment accuracy, risk identification, person-centred care planning, and effective communication.

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