Apprenticeship Standard: Registered Nurse Degree L6 (Mental Health Nursing)

Knowledge

• Understand professional standards of practice and behaviour for nurses and midwives and how to fulfil all registration requirements.
• Understand the demands of professional practice and demonstrate how to recognise signs of vulnerability in themselves or their colleagues and the action required to minimise risks to health.
• Understand the professional responsibility to adopt a healthy lifestyle to maintain the level of personal fitness and wellbeing required to meet people’s needs for mental and physical care.
• Understand research methods, ethics and governance in order to critically analyse, safely use, share and apply research findings to promote and inform best nursing practice.
• Understand the need to base all decisions regarding care and interventions on people’s needs and preferences, recognising and addressing any personal and external factors that may unduly influence their decisions.
• Understand and apply relevant legal, regulatory and governance requirements, policies, and ethical frameworks, including any mandatory reporting duties, to all areas of practice, differentiating where appropriate between the devolved legislatures of the United Kingdom.
• Understand the principles of courage, transparency and the professional duty of candour.
• Understand how discriminatory behaviour is exhibited.
• Understand the aims and principles of health promotion, protection and improvement and the prevention of ill health when engaging with people.
• Understand epidemiology, demography, genomics and the wider determinants of health, illness and wellbeing and apply this to an understanding of global patterns of health and wellbeing outcomes.

Skills

• Act in accordance with the Code (2015): Professional standards of practice and behaviour for nurses and midwives, and fulfil all registration requirements.
• Think critically when applying evidence and drawing on experience to make evidence informed decisions in all situations.
• Use resilience and emotional intelligence and is capable of explaining the rationale that influences judgments and decisions in routine, complex and challenging situations.
• Take responsibility for continuous self-reflection, seeking and responding to support and feedback to develop their professional knowledge and skills.
• Safely demonstrate evidence-based practice in all skills and procedures required for entry to the register.
• Acts as an ambassador, upholding the reputation of their profession and promoting public confidence in nursing, health and care services.
• Communicate effectively using a range of skills and strategies with colleagues and people at all stages of life and with a range of mental, physical, cognitive and behavioural health challenges.
• Support people at all stages of life who are emotionally or physically vulnerable.
• Develop, manage and maintain appropriate relationships with people, their families, carers and colleagues.
• Provide and promote non-discriminatory, person centred and sensitive care at all times, reflecting on people’s values and beliefs, diverse backgrounds, cultural characteristics, language requirements, needs and preferences, taking account of any need for adjustments.

Behaviours

Treat people with dignity, respecting individual’s diversity, beliefs, culture, needs, values, privacy and preferences. Show respect and empathy for those you work with, have the courage to challenge areas of concern and work to evidence based best practice. Be adaptable, reliable and consistent, show discretion, resilience and self-awareness and demonstrate leadership.