Michele in Nova Scotia is wondering if anyone can recommend a good book about Personality Disorders. "Something that a non-clinician could understand". Michele will check here on the blog for responses.

Where are there study groups for the exam?

The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre is offering 2 sessions, "Achieving Certification: The Psychiatric Mental Health Review Course" on Friday February 18 and 25, 2011. The sessions will be offered on site with the option of 'virtual' access. The poster is available to read on this websites' Meetings or News & Information pages.
Are there other study groups forming across the country? Let's hear about them and share the word. We get lots of requests from nurses preparing to write the exam, looking for study groups.

Looking for Nursing Mental Health Database examples

We are in the process at my hospital in revising the Nursing Mental Health Database and am inquiring if you have any access to examples of forms utilized in various settings as I would like to look at a broad perspective of what other places are utilizing to help build our new form.

Thank you for your time.

Robert-Kent DesRochers
Registered Psychiatric Nurse/Clinical Nurse Educator

E-Mail: kdesrochers@providencehealth.bc.ca

I am looking for guidelines, standards and examples of mental health documentation. Most guidelines for charting are geared toward med/surg and I'm having trouble finding something more focused on psychiatric/mental health charting. Do you have any resources for this or can you refer me to some?

Here are a couple of questions courtesy of our readers:
Is there currently a masters degree in mental health nursing offered in Canada? If so, where and if not are there plans to develop a graduate degree in mental health nursing?

And, are you able to give me any direction to colleges that offer R.N post-diploma mental health certification programs, either online or at campus?. I live in the Hamilton area. Mohawk College has just discontinued their program.

The Irish Institute of Mental Health Nursing is asking for input on the question "what is good mental health nursing?" I'm thinking we could put some thoughts together and share them with our colleagues from across the pond. In the CFMHN Beliefs/Values description, 'good mental health nursing' is about entering into therapeutic relationships with others, carrying our toolkits that include evidence-based and experiential knowledge from nursing and related health sciences. It involves the promotion of mental health and the prevention, treatment and management of mental disorders. I look forward to hearing what you think is "good mental health nursing".

Restraints and Seclusion

I know that Best Practice says that no restraints or seclusion are to be used. In our hospital, we are currently drafting a new policy on Least Restraint. I would value hearing what other institutions are doing in this area. If you are not using any restraints or seclusion, how do you handle the aggressive, violent and psychotic patient. Please also include whether or not your unit is locked; in a psychiatric institution or in a general hospital.

Many thanks,
Marilyn