NRNP 6635: Psychopathology and Diagnostic Reasoning Paper
NRNP 6635: Psychopathology and Diagnostic Reasoning Paper
NRNP 6635: Psychopathology and Diagnostic Reasoning Paper
Syllabus
Click here and follow the instructions to confirm you have read the entire Syllabus and will abide by the requirements described in order to successfully complete this course.
Student Support and Calendar Information
So you have all key information available to you off-line, it is highly recommended that you print the following items for your reference:
This Syllabus, including the Course Schedule that is linked on this page as a PDF
Course Calendar
Support, Guidelines, and Policies
Credit Hours
3 credits in 11 weeks
Walden University assigns credit hours based on the number and type of assignments that enable students to achieve the course learning objectives. In general, each semester credit equals about 42 hours of total student work and each quarter credit equals about 28 hours of total student work. This time requirement represents an approximate average for undergraduate work and the minimum expectations for graduate work. The number and kind of activities estimated to fulfill time requirements will vary by degree level and student learning style, and by student familiarity with the delivery method and course content.
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Course Description
Psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners need to have the knowledge and skills to provide comprehensive mental health evaluations in a safe and competent manner. In this course, the PMHNP will learn how to use knowledge of psychopathology and diagnostic reasoning for health promotion, psychiatric assessment, and to develop differential diagnosis for patients with psychiatric and substance use disorders across the life span.
Course Prerequisites
NURS 6512: Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning
NURS 6630: Psychopharmacologic Approaches to Treatment of Psychopathology
Course Learning Outcomes
By the conclusion of this course, you should be able to:
Analyze factors that inform the expression, course, and prevalence of psychopathology
Analyze psychiatric assessment strategies and tools
Apply DSM-5-TR criteria to the assessment and diagnosis of patients with mental disorders across the lifespan
Apply concepts, theories, and principles related to patient interviewing and diagnostic reasoning
Document patient information using appropriate formats and methods for advanced practice nurses in mental health settings
College of Nursing Alignment of Learner Outcomes
Click on the following link to access the College of Nursing Alignment of Learner Outcomes:
Document: NRNP 6635 College of Nursing Alignment of Learner Outcomes (PDF)
Course Materials
Please visit the university bookstore via your Walden student portal to ensure you are obtaining the correct version of any course texts and/or materials noted in the following section. When you receive your materials, make sure that all required items are included.
Course Text
American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.). https://go.openathens.net/redirector/waldenu.edu?url=https://dsm.psychiatryonline.org/doi/book/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787
Note: This required text is available for purchase. It is also accessible through the Walden Library.
Carlat, D. J. (2017). The psychiatric interview (4th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.
Sadock, B. J., Sadock, V. A., & Ruiz, P. (2015). Kaplan & Sadock’s synopsis of psychiatry (11th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.
Recommended Text
American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). Author.
Note: If the print edition of these books are referenced here, electronic versions also may be available and may be acceptable for use in this course. If an electronic version is listed, no print version is available.
Other readings (journal articles, websites, book excerpts, etc.) are assigned throughout the course and may be found within each Module.
Media
Assigned course media elements may be found in one or more modules of the course and are available via a streaming media player or a hyperlink to the individual item.
Primary and Secondary Sources
Review the following information prior to selecting resources for assignments.
Primary: A primary source is an original document that is the first account of what happened. A research report is primary, and you can tell because it includes materials and methods demonstrating how the research was done. Some creative work is also primary, such as poetry, novels, and interviews of people who experienced something firsthand. In nursing, which is an evidence-based discipline, we strive to use primary research that is published in scholarly, peer-reviewed journals.
Scholarly, peer-reviewed journal: Scholarly journals publish papers by professional authors and experts in the field using a peer-review process to review the work and assure quality before publishing. The focus of a scholarly journal is to provide accurate information for scholars and other researchers. The focus is on content rather than advertising, a direct contrast to popular media. Scholarly journals publish both primary and secondary papers, the former usually noted as original research and the latter as reviews and commentaries. Letters to the editor may also be published but should be recognized as opinion pieces.
Note: When selecting articles for course assignments, you are advised (unless you are referencing seminal information) to focus on work published within the past 5 years.
Secondary: A secondary source is one step removed from the original source. This work interprets and often compiles other work, and it includes review articles, textbooks, fact sheets, and commentaries about a topic. It also includes news reports of original research. Secondary work is more prone to error and bias than primary work because it is being filtered through an additional person or persons. Review papers can be useful to glean information about a topic and to find other sources from the reference list, but it is the original, primary research that should be relied on most heavily in demonstrating scholarship, depth, and validation of factual information.
Course Assignments
1. Participation in Discussions: The exchange of ideas among colleagues engaged in scholarly inquiry is a key aspect of learning and is a requisite activity in this course. You are expected to participate in weeks with a Discussion by posting a response to a prompt or question in the weekly Discussion area. In addition, you are expected to respond to your fellow students’ postings. To count as participation, responses need to be thoughtful; that is, they must refer to the week’s readings, relevant issues in the news, information obtained from other sources, and/or ideas expressed in the postings of other class members. You may ask questions or offer further information or links about the subject. Please pay attention to grammar and spelling, as consistently poorly written posts will receive grade penalties. In grading the required Discussion postings, your Instructor will be using the Discussion Posting and Response Rubric, located in the Course Information area.
Note: Unless otherwise noted, initial postings to Discussions are due on or before Day 3, and response postings are due on or before Day 6. You are required to participate in the Discussion on at least 3 different days (a different day for main post and each response). It is important to adhere to the weekly time frame to allow others ample time to respond to your posting. In addition, you are expected to respond to questions directed toward your own initial posting in a timely manner.
2. Assignments: The Assignments provide you the opportunity to apply the skills and knowledge gained through the Learning Resources. See the Assignment area of specific weeks for detailed descriptions of the Assignments. In grading the required Assignments, your Instructor will be using rubrics located in the Course Information area.
Note: The course Assignments will require that you completely and accurately demonstrate critical thinking via assimilation and synthesis of ideas when using credible outside and course-specific resources (i.e., video, required readings, textbook), when comparing different points of view, highlighting similarities, differences, and connections, and/or when lending support to your Assignment responses.
Academic Integrity Originality Policy
Walden encourages students to use critical thinking to produce original thoughts in discussion posts, assignments, and other scholarly work. This “…will require that you completely and accurately demonstrate critical thinking via assimilation and synthesis of ideas when using credible, outside and course specific resources (i.e., video, required readings, textbook); when comparing different points of view, highlighting similarities, differences, and connections; and/or when lending support to your responses.†Using too many direct quotes or ineffective paraphrasing does not demonstrate originality.
To demonstrate originality requires the use of paraphrasing. According to the Walden Writing Center (n.d.), “Paraphrasing in academic writing is an effective way to restate, condense, or clarify another author’s ideas while also providing credibility to your own argument or analysis†(“Introduction to Paraphrasingâ€). “As you discuss those sources, paraphrasing allows you to use your own words and sentence structure to talk about the information you gleaned from those sources.†(Walden Writing Center, n.d., “Introduction to Paraphrasingâ€).
“Ineffective paraphrasing occurs when authors paraphrase a source but do not use their own sentence structure or vocabulary to effectively reword that source. The issue here is often that the student’s paraphrase simply uses synonyms for the source’s original wording and is not different enough from the original source’s wording. Ineffective paraphrasing can occur when an author does not use his or her own wording or voice to paraphrase entire paragraphs or individual sentences.†(Walden Writing Center, n.d., “Examples of Paraphrasing,†slide 10).
For more information, refer to the Writing Center’s Introduction to Plagiarism & Intellectual Property at https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/modules/plagiarism#s-lg-box-8548804
Assignments, discussion posts, or other scholarly work that does not demonstrate originality and/or lacks proper citation to credit original sources/authors will receive a grade reduction amounting up to 10%.
Grading Criteria and Total Components of a Grade
Course grades will be based on participation (postings) and completion of assignments listed below.
Letter grades will be assigned as follows:
90%–100% = A
80%–89% = B
70%–79% = C
< 70% = F
Note: Please see below the policy on Incomplete (I) grades.
Assignment Total Points Percentage
(Weighted)
Discussions (x 2)
200
10%
Assignments (x 5)
500
40%
Exams (x 2)
200
50%
Total
900
100%
Incomplete Grade Policy
Per University policy, Incomplete grades can be granted only to students who have already met the minimum criteria for active weekly participation in a course (including weekly postings in online courses) and have completed at least 80% of other coursework. Incompletes can be awarded when, because of extenuating circumstances, a student has not met additional course requirements, including but not limited to written assignments, group projects, and research papers, as applicable. All Incomplete grades are awarded at the discretion of the Course Faculty.
Students who are eligible for an Incomplete must contact the Course Faculty to request the grade as soon as possible. Students who do not meet the criteria listed above will not be allowed to earn an Incomplete. If the Incomplete is approved, the Faculty Member will work with the student to outline the due date(s) for remaining work. Under no circumstances will the new due dates extend beyond 50 days from the last day of the term. Faculty will then have 10 days to assess the work and post the permanent grade before the University-allotted Incomplete time limit of 60 days expires. All Incomplete grades not resolved within the time allotted will convert to permanent grades of F.
Instructor Feedback Schedule
The Instructor will log in to the course during the week to monitor the weekly Discussion area. Feedback will be provided via the My Grades area, the Discussion area, and/or the Announcements page.
You can expect your weekly assignment grades to be posted within 10 calendar days of a due date. Instructor feedback and explanation is provided whenever full credit is not achieved. Depending on the nature of the feedback, Instructor responses may be posted to the Discussion area or included in the My Grades area. The goal of your Instructor is to act as a discussion and learning facilitator rather than a lecturer. The Instructor will not respond to every posting by every individual, so please feel free to ask your Instructor if you would like some personal feedback on a particular assignment posting or any time you have any questions regarding your assignments or your grade.
Course Procedures
All class Discussions take place in the Discussion areas.
You are encouraged to post course-related questions to the Contact the Instructor area, as they may be of interest to all; however, if your question is urgent, it is often best to email the Instructor. If your emailed question is thought to be of benefit to all, it may be responded to by the Instructor via email to all or posted as an announcement.
Instructor feedback on content and writing issues that is thought to be of benefit to the entire class may be posted to the Contact the Instructor area; however, most personal critique will be done privately in the Grade Center. Be sure to check the Grade Center for comments every week even if you received full credit.
Please feel free to use the Class Café to initiate and participate in conversations not directly related to the course. This is an excellent opportunity to get to know other students better. The Instructor will browse the Class Café occasionally but generally will not respond to conversations posted there unless students have specific questions for him or her.
Check the email account you use for official Walden University business on a regular basis. The expectation is that you are checking this email account daily during the week. If you experience difficulty sending or receiving Walden email, please contact the Student Support Team right away. Contact information for the Student Support Team is located in the Student Support area.
Review all materials in the Course Information area as well as the materials contained under each of the weekly buttons.
Resubmission of assignments is not permitted after due dates. Students are expected to review their work and submissions of work carefully prior to due dates. Faculty may open a second submission area for assignment resubmission prior to due dates if students report submission errors. Assignments are graded after due dates as the final product ready for grading. Errors in submissions noted after due dates may result in a grade of zero.
Preferred Methods for Delivering Assignments
Be sure that you post to the correct Discussion area each week. Do not email postings to the Instructor. For all initial Discussion postings, make sure that the first sentence of your posting reads Main Question Post. For your responses to the response postings of others, make sure that the first sentence of your response reads Response. These actions will ensure easily identifiable subject lines for your postings and responses.
Assignments are submitted to the SafeAssign link and named according to the week in which the Assignment is submitted. Directions for naming each Application Assignment are included in each week’s Assignment area. Please be sure that all written Application Assignments are saved and submitted as a “.doc†file.
All email correspondence must contain the subject line “NRNP 6635-XX-NAME†(XX is the section number) followed by a brief description of the subject. This subject line convention ensures that your email will be easily identified and responded to in a timely manner. It is required that the email contain a signature that matches the official name used in the course.
Faculty will not grade assignments (notes/videos/discussions) submitted through email. All assignments must be submitted to the assignment area for grading within the course room.
All Kaltura assignment videos will be submitted through the assignment submission area by students for grading. Faculty will not pull student videos from the “MyMedia” section to grade. This is a course requirement, not a preference.
Late Assignment Policy
Students are expected to submit assignments by the due dates noted in the course. In extenuating circumstances, such as illness, the student must contact the Instructor as soon as possible to discuss the situation. In those circumstances, Faculty will determine the appropriate course of action for the student. Depending on the situation, these actions may include recommendations to drop the course (if within the university drop/withdrawal period), acceptance of some or all of the overdue assignments with or without penalties, or failure to accept assignments.
Assignments submitted late without the prior agreement of the Instructor, outside of an emergency absence, or in violation of agreements for late submission, will receive a grade reduction for the assignment amounting up to 20%. Each day late with result in a 4%-point deduction up to day 5. After 5 days, the assignment will be graded a zero. Students should be aware that late assignments may not receive the same level of written feedback as do assignments submitted on time.
Discussion Board, Midterm Exam, and Final Exam Late Policy
The late policy applied to discussion boards, midterms exams, and final exams are different than course assignments and are as follows. Students are expected to complete discussion boards, midterms exams, and final exams by the due dates noted in the course. If students do not complete the discussion boards or initiate exams by the due date, the grade will result in a zero. In the event of an extenuating circumstance, students must let the instructor know prior to the due date. If the student is unable to do so, he or she needs to notify the instructor as soon as possible and those circumstances will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Any exam that is permitted to be taken late or permitted a retake may be subject to proctoring with audio and video technology.
Keeping Your Coursework
You will have access to the course and your coursework from the course start date until 60 days after the course ends. After this time, you will no longer be able to access the course or related materials. For this reason, we strongly recommend that you retain copies of your completed assignments and any documents you wish to keep. The University is not responsible for lost or missing coursework.
Course Evaluation
At or near the end of the course, you will receive an email inviting you to submit an online evaluation of the course and instruction. All submitted course evaluations are confidential, and only aggregate data and comments will be shared with the Instructor and Program Director. Your feedback is vitally important to Walden University in its efforts to continuously improve programs.
Students With Disabilities
Students in this course who have a disability that might prevent them from fully demonstrating their abilities should contact the director of Student Wellness & Disability Services at disability@mail.waldenu.edu or at 1-800-925-3368, ext. 312-1205 and +1-612-925-3368 or https://www.waldenu.edu/contact-us for international toll-free numbers as soon as possible to initiate disability verification and discuss accommodations that may be necessary to ensure full participation in the successful completion of course requirements.
Classroom Participation
In accordance with U.S. Department of Education guidance regarding class participation, Walden University requires that all students submit at least one of their required Week 1 assignments (which includes posting to the Discussion Board) within each course(s) during the first 7 calendar days of class. For courses with two-week units, posting to the Discussion Board by Day 7 meets this requirement. The first calendar day of class is the official start date of the course as posted on your myWalden academic page.
Assignments submitted prior to the official start date will not count toward your participation.
Financial Aid cannot be released without class participation as defined above.
Students who are taking their first class with Walden and do not submit at least one of their required Week 1 assignments (or at least one Discussion post) by the end of the 7th day will be administratively withdrawn from the university.
Students who have already taken and successfully completed at least one or more class(es) with Walden, and who do not participate within the first 7 days, will be dropped from that class.
If you have any questions about your assignments, or you are unable to complete your assignments, please contact your Faculty Member.
Checklist
The module course checklist below outlines the assignments due for the course.
For full assignment details and directions, refer to each module of the course. All assignments are due by 11:59 p.m. Mountain Time (MT) on the day assigned (which is 1:59 a.m. Eastern Time (ET) the next day). The time stamp in the classroom will reflect Eastern Time (ET), regardless of your time zone. As long as your submission time stamp is no later than 1:59 a.m. Eastern Time (ET), you have submitted on time.
To View the Calendar
To view the Course Calendar:
Course Calendar
To View a Printable Course Schedule
For full assignment details and directions, refer to each Module of the course.
Click on the NRNP 6635 Course Schedule (PDF) link to access the Course Schedule.
Document: NRNP 6635 Course Schedule (PDF)
Checklist
Module Assignment Title
Module 1
Foundations of Psychopathology and Diagnostic Reasoning
Week 1
History and Theories of Psychopathology
Learning Resources
Required Readings
Optional Discussion Forum
PMHNP Study Support Lounge
Discussion
Factors That Influence the Development of Psychopathology
Week 2
Assessment and Diagnosis of the Psychiatric Patient
Learning Resources
Required Readings
Required Media
Discussion
The Psychiatric Evaluation and Evidence-Based Rating Scales
Module 2
Diagnosis of Disorders 1
Week 3
Mood Disorders
Learning Resources
Required Readings
Required Media
Assignment
Assessing and Diagnosing Patients With Mood Disorders
Week 4
Anxiety Disorders, PTSD, and OCD
Learning Resources
Required Readings
Required Media
Assignment
Assessing and Diagnosing Patients With Anxiety Disorders, PTSD, and OCD
Week 5
Disruptive, Impulse-Control, and Conduct Disorders; Dissociative and Somatic Symptom-Related Disorders
Learning Resources
Required Readings
Required Media
Week 6
Eating, Sleeping, and Elimination Disorders
Learning Resources
Required Readings
Required Media
Midterm Exam
Module 3
Diagnosis of Disorders 2
Week 7
Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders; Medication-Induced Movement Disorders
Learning Resources
Required Readings
Required Media
Assignment
Assessing and Diagnosing Patients With Schizophrenia, Other Psychotic Disorders, and Medication-Induced Movement Disorders
Week 8
Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders
Learning Resources
Required Readings
Required Media
Assignment
Assessing and Diagnosing Patients With Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders
Week 9
Personality and Paraphilic Disorders
Learning Resources
Required Readings
Required Media
Week 10
Neurocognitive and Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Learning Resources
Required Readings
Required Media
Assignment
Assessing and Diagnosing Patients With Neurocognitive and Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Week 11
Gender Identity Disorders; Sexual Dysfunctions; Psychiatric Emergencies
Learning Resources
Required Readings
Required Media
Final Exam
Bibliography
The bibliography contains the references for all learning materials in the course. For your convenience, a link has been provided to download and save the bibliography.
To access the Bibliography:
Document: NRNP 6635 Bibliography (PDF)
