Nurs 5363 Differential Diagnosis of Mental Disorders

NURS 5363 Differential Diagnosis for Mental Disorders
Summer 2022
Scheduled Class Days and Times: Online
Course Description: This course is designed for the education and development of advanced skills in the differential diagnosis of mental health disorders for the nurse practitioner. Case scenarios will apply this knowledge of observation and interviewing skills, use, and interpretation of screening tools, laboratory tests, and symptom assessments. Case studies will be based upon the current edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) and other appropriate methodologies for diagnosing mental health disorders. Prerequisites: Admission to the PMHNP program. Minimum grade point average of 3.0 for the last 60 semester credit hours of undergraduate work. A Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from a nationally accredited school. Current licensure as a Registered Nurse.
Student Learning Outcomes:
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
1) Identify and develop a working knowledge of the DSM-5 categories.

2) Discuss and determine an appropriate diagnosis while analyzing to rule out differential diagnoses based upon an evaluation of symptoms.

3) Describe how DSM-5 diagnoses contribute to ethical and efficacious assessment for treatment planning for both pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions.

4) Explain and compare the assumptions of the medical model, psychosocial models, and developmental models as related to human behavior and the improvement of whole-person health.

5) Understand the intended uses and benefits of the DSM-5 monoaxial system that recognizes social and physical diagnoses have an impact on the mental health of the whole individual.

Required Textbooks and Readings:
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). (DSM-5). American Psychiatric Association. ISBN 978-0-89042-555-8
Ruiz, P., & Sadock, V. A. & Sadock, B. J. (Eds.). (2015). Kaplan & Sadock’s synopsis of psychiatry: Behavioral sciences/clinical psychiatry (11th ed.). Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. ISBN: 978-1609139711
Additional literature is presented for reading within each module.
If you are in a clinical course, all students are required to have an active InPlace subscription.
Recommended Textbooks and Readings:
American Nurses Association (2015). Nursing: Scope and standards of practice (3rd ed). Nursingbooks.org. ISBN: 978-1558106192
American Psychiatric Nurses Association, International Society of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses, American Nurses Association. Psychiatric-mental health nursing: Scope and standards of practice (2nd ed.). Silver Spring, MD: ISBN
Carlat, D. (2017). The psychiatric interview. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Jameson, J., Fauci, A., Kasper, D., Hauser, S., Longo, D., & Loscalzo, J. (2018). Harrison’s principles of internal medicine (20th ed.). McGraw-Hill.
Johnson, K., & Vanderhof, D. (2016). Psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner: Nursing certification review manual continuing education resource clinical practice resource (4th ed.). American Nurses Credentialing Center. ISBN: 9781935213796
Stahl, S. (2017). The prescriber’s guide (6th ed.) Cambridge University Press. ISBN: 978-1316618134
Required Course Equipment:

Lab coat
UT Tyler student name badge ($15.00)
UT Tyler patch – purchased locally at CR Scrubs

Cell phone with internet access
WebCam for your computer
Special Course Notes:
1) Exams and Proctoring Notice: Exams (60% of total grade; 100 possible points per exam):

All four exams in the course will be given ONLINE, using a proctored service called ProctorU. You will need to have a webcam and microphone. If you are not able to provide these items, you must contact the instructor as soon as possible so it may be arranged for you to take your exam on campus. You must sign up with ProctorU at the beginning of the semester.
Exams must be taken during the time specifically designated unless other arrangements are made with instructors prior to the test and are determined on an as-needed basis. There is no guarantee that your request will be approved.
If you are unable to take the exam on the posted date, notify the course facilitator as soon as possible. If the course faculty decide that an alternate exam will be given, the format and times will be at the discretion of the course facilitator, and the exam will be comprised of essays and fill-in-the-blank questions.
Exam dates are listed in the Course Calendar.
Students must achieve an AVERAGE of 80 on all four exams to pass the course. Even though you may have enough percentage in other areas to raise your overall grade, you still will not pass the course without an 80 overall AVERAGE on all exams.
Each exam may be opened during the designated hours listed within Canvas, but you will only have 75-minutes to complete the exam—including the verified time with ProctorU. You must finish the exam by the end time established for the exam. Please pay strict attention to this time limit!
The module objectives and assigned readings will guide the selection of items for the tests. Emphasis will be on the application and synthesis of knowledge.

1. Exam 1 will cover Modules 1, 2, & 3
2. Exam 2 will cover Modules 4, 5, & 6
3. Exam 3 will cover Modules 7, 8, & 9
4. Exam 4 will cover Modules 10, 11, 12

Absolute integrity is expected from every student in all aspects of the course and students may be dismissed from the program for violations.  Cheating on exams will not be tolerated. All persons involved in Academic Dishonesty will be disciplined in accordance with University Regulations and Procedures. You are responsible for reading and following the student guidelines on academic integrity in the Handbook of Operating Procedures (Links to an external site) for UT Tyler.
Exams are Not open book.  No notes, books, papers, or other aids are to be used during any exam.  Students are to work individually and submit the test within the allotted time.
The only access the student will have to the exam will be immediately afterward during which you will be allowed to review your test and see which questions were missed once the exam is submitted. You should do this while still online with and under the supervision of ProctorU. Do not disconnect from ProctorU until you are given specific permission to do so. Otherwise, an incident report will be issued, and an investigation will be pursuant. There will not be a second look at the exam itself. Do not copy questions, take screenshots, or copy the exam questions by any other method.

When your test is completed, you must disconnect from the test in Canvas PRIOR TO disconnecting from ProctorU for test security purposes. Any attempts to copy the examination will be viewed as cheating.
The Discussion Board in Canvas will offer several days post-test to challenge test questions with pertinent rationale, references, and the page number. Only those challenges supported by a rationale and reference will be reviewed. This will be monitored by the faculty.
If necessary, opportunities for individual review of questions regarding the exam will be allowed within 1 week of the administration of the exam. After that timeframe, the exam will no longer be reviewed.
Any adjustment to exam grades will be at the discretion of the faculty.
Grades will be posted on Canvas but should not be considered the official grade for the course until all exams have been taken and final grades have been posted.

2) Estimated Time Commitment Required for Assignments:
Every student is responsible for completing the recommended reading, and completing the course module components, assignments, quizzes, and exams according to due dates in the course calendar. Reading assignments consist of associated materials in the course textbooks and this list may be viewed on the course calendar and in each module. All assignments are made with the assumption that required reading assignments will be completed prior to completion of the assignments. Reading professional materials (books, journals, etc.) is an integral aspect of role development as a nurse practitioner. It is recommended that students engage a minimum of 2-hours daily for materials related to assigned readings, clinical topics, and professional issues associated with the NP role and competencies. Note that considerably more additional hours may be necessary to fully comprehend the didactic content as well as the clinical skills that will be required to fulfill practice as a PMHNP.
Assignment Information and Weights/Point Values:

1. Exams (four exams at 15% each)                     60%

*The average of your exams must be greater than or equal to 80 to pass the course. Even if you have enough points to pass otherwise, you will not pass the course without making an 80 average on the four exams. This is to prepare you to sit for state boards.

2. Weekly Module Quizzes                                     10%

There will be a short Quiz given during each course module. These quizzes will remain open until the night before the corresponding exam date so you may review them. Be prepared to complete each quiz once it is opened or your grade will be automatically reflected as 0.

3. 4 Case Studies                                                     20%

The rubric for assessment of the Case Study is in Canvas. Please read and follow the rubric exactly. These are to be written thoroughly and with clarity in a logical process, but do not require a formal APA style.

4. Required Engagement                                       10%

Preparation and engagement through class Zoom meetings held on Monday evening 7-9 pm are required at least 50% of the time so students may interact with other students and educators. Such interaction supports the interpersonal skills necessary for a professional Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner and the discussion will add to the knowledge application. As this engagement is paramount for balancing an online process within a relational profession, your participation will be evaluated for 10% of your grade and do not support muting your camera during the Zoom.
Grading Scale:  Grades will not be rounded when calculating the average (79.5 is not rounded to 80 and 89.5 is not rounded to 90).
Specific guidelines and grading criteria for all assignments are in the Modules. Final grades for the course will be determined based on the following point assignments:
A     90-100
B     80-89  EXAMS MUST HAVE an average of 80% to pass the course
C     70-79
D     60-69
F     Below 60
Exam and homework materials, questions, and problems are the intellectual property of faculty, UT Tyler, or publishers.

These materials may not be distributed without permission.
Distributing them or uploading them to online resources destroys the integrity of the assignment and the course, allowing others an unfair advantage by letting them view the materials.
Uploading these materials to online resources is a violation of UT Tyler’s academic misconduct policies and may result in formal conduct charges.

Sanctions for uploading or otherwise divulging the contents of these materials can include:
a reduced or failing grade on an assignment
a reduced or failing grade for the course
removal from the Nursing program
removal from UT Tyler

Late Policy:

All assignments are due by the time (CST/CDT) specified in the Course Calendar. Assignments must be posted via the assignment link within Canvas – NOT by email.
All late assignments may be assessed up to 5-points-per-day as a penalty, determined on a 7-day week when the assignment is not posted by the due date and specified time unless prior arrangements are made with the instructor.

Repeating a Course: Students repeating this course may not use previously submitted assignments nor utilize the same patients for an assignment. Submitting the same or slightly modified assignments from previous semesters is considered self-plagiarism and is subject to academic discipline, including failing the assignment or the course.
Attendance and Make-up Policy: Graduate students at The University of Texas at Tyler are held to a high standard of professionalism. The UT Tyler student represents not only themselves but the University as well.

Nurse Practitioner students are to wear their Name Badges whenever they are in the clinical setting.
Please use proper Netiquette (proper online decorum) in the online classroom.
Be aware of the Academic Honesty policy of UT Tyler and read through the course syllabus thoroughly.
Please notify the faculty about personal issues that would preclude the timely posting of assigned work.
If you must drop the class, please let the instructors know AND THEN follow the formal withdrawal process or you will receive an ‘F’ for the course after you stop attending.