Foundational Concepts: Health Promotion, Illness Prevention, and Diagnoses

This is 1 of 2 non-credit online courses covering adult mental health care in community settings. This course was developed primarily for nurse practitioners in Canada and the U.S. who want a deeper understanding of how to care for clients with mental health issues.

This course may also be of interest to anyone with some basic or formal health care education, including:

• registered nurses
• psychiatric nurses
• social workers
• psychologists
• pharmacists

The foundational and advanced courses can be taken according to individual learning need, or sequentially.

See the advanced concepts course

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Topics

Foundational Concepts: Health Promotion, Illness Prevention, and Diagnoses is designed to help you develop your knowledge and approach to:

• promoting mental health
• preventing mental illness
• diagnosing mental disorders using the DSM-V criteria and sound clinical judgment

This is an online course; learning is self-paced. You can start at any time. Topics are covered sequentially so learning builds continuously and integrates previous content.

The course is divided into units. Learning activities, video footage, audio recordings, and reflective exercises are offered at various intervals. Each unit has several short quizzes designed to reinforce critical knowledge. You may take the quizzes as many times as you wish.

You have 6 months to complete the course once you register. It is estimated that you will be able to complete the course in approximately 45 hours.

A certificate of completion is awarded when you have completed all the quizzes and learning activities.

When you have finished the course, you are invited to complete the course evaluation, which will inform future revisions.

Cost: C$200 + 5% GST ($10) = $210 (non-refundable)

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Course goals

This course builds on basic foundational knowledge of neurodevelopment, physiology, pharmacology, and some familiarity with the approach to care of the adult in the primary care or community setting.

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Learning outcomes

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

• identify factors that promote mental health and help prevent mental illness
• use diagnostic and screening tools to assess for, and evaluate, mental health and illness
• make a mental health diagnosis, based on the DSM-5 criteria, for common mental disorders

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Course materials

All learning materials are accessed through the online course. These include a study guide and links to articles, references, and websites.

There are no required textbooks for this course.

Recommended, but not supplied, is:

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596

• Available through Amazon
• eBook for purchase

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Technical requirements

To successfully complete this course, you must have ready access to a computer with reliable Internet access.

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Registration

To register, use the PD Modules Online Registration Form. Select Mental Health Modules: Part 1 from the Tickets page. You will need a valid credit card.

Further study

The second course in this series, Advanced Concepts: Medications, Therapies, and Special Populations, will further your studies in mental health care in the community.

This course reviews pharmacotherapeutics for each type of mental disorder based on neurobiological principles and current recommendations. Common psychotherapies are reviewed to assist those making referrals to other health care providers.

Additionally, the course provides a practical overview of specific mental disorders, including:

• pregnancy-related mental disorders
• Attention Deficit Disorder in adults
• addictions and dual diagnoses
• mental health issues common within prisons or the military

You will also learn how to identify mental health emergencies and respond appropriately.

If you have questions, please email fhd-pd@athabascau.ca.