RUNNING HEAD: LEARNING PLAN

NURS 2021 Learning Plan 1: Mental Health

Nicole Warren
0492022
Trent University

Learning Plan

I purposely requested a placement in mental health this term, as to the

maternity/child placement. I did this because I have previously taken courses in
neuropsychology, neuroendocrinology and neurophysiology. I am fascinated by the brain,
and wanted to finally put all the courses I have taken to use. As I am a visual learner, I
knew this placement in mental health would be a great way for me to finally encounter
the illnesses and diagnoses I have read about over the last few years. What all brought me
to taking these courses and enlisting for this placement was experiencing death by suicide
of a family friend a few years ago. That situation geared me into action to learning how I
could help individuals who were experiencing intangible psychological pain.
As I entered the mental health unit at PRHC I was hesitant. Society still instills
fear of those that have mental illnesses. The media coverage of those with mental illness,
Hollywood Block Busters, and the language people use regarding those who are mentally
ill plants seeds in people that make them uneasy when they encounter someone who is ill.
Thus, walking through the locked door into the mental health unit where I know Im
going to come face to face with those dealing with mentally illness could be likened to
the hesitation one feels of walking in the dark alone. I was a little perturbed that I felt that
way, considering I have faced the stigma around mental health and suicide with the afore
mentioned death.
My first impression of the unit, that it was in a basement wing of the hospital, was
that it is very separate from the rest of the hospital, and locked. Access in and out of the
unit, and even within the rooms of the unit is restricted to those with key cards. I then
perceived the unit as isolated from the rest of the hospital. As well, it was fairly dimly lit,
and particularly the hallway of PICU that you can see from the nursing station was very

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dark. However, once in the unit and I got to see what actually happened on the floor, my
imagination stopped creating all sorts of worst-case scenarios and I felt calm and safe.
The individuals within the unit were proceeding through activities of daily living
as the seniors did in the LTC setting, nothing out of the ordinary. There was nothing
about many of their appearances that would indicate them to be different, as people often
perceive those with mental illness to be, and they were rather uninterested with our
presence. As such, it was a nice exposure on the first day. I know I can go forth now and
not be nervous about heading onto the unit.
What I want to learn from this placement is what the lived experience of the
individual dealing with mental illness is like. Unfortunately, the lens that people look at
mental health through is often that of them just looking at the person experiencing the
mental illness. An individual that only perceives mental illness as a witness then often
paints a negative picture of mental illness because they do not understand the illness.
However, to best treat the person dealing with the mental illness I would think it would
be more beneficial to be empathetic to their view of mental illness. By shifting the lens,
and looking at mental illness through the eyes of the beholder, one would see that there is
psychological pain and confusion, and the desperate want of help. With that mindset it
becomes easier to want to help the person because you understand their confused,
understand they are in some sort of pain, and that that pain is as real as they explain it to
be, and that you realize they want your help, but that they may not be able to appreciate
what you are doing while the illness is ongoing.
I hope by the end I will be better equipped to converse and help individuals with
mental illness, and be as empathetic towards them as I can. I hope to learn how to be

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accepting of their illness in all its states, understand as best I can, and be able to find the
words to initiate a therapeutic conversation with them that will help them and myself.

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NURS 2021 Learning Plan 2: Mental Health

Nicole Warren
0492022
Trent University

Learning Plan

I am so glad I made the choice to pursue the placement in mental health this term,
as to the maternity/child placement. I say this because I have been able to use my
knowledge from other courses I had taken courses in neurology, as well as really gain an
appreciation and insight into how the brain/mind functions. Learning how to discuss very
personal information with people will be invaluable, and gaining an awareness of various
mechanisms for how to interact with people will be invaluable to have in my toolbox for
the rest of my career. The more I am in the mental health unit, the more I am fascinated
by the brain, and how chemical imbalances can affect a person, and how behaviour and
somebodys thought process affects how they think and act. I love being able to see how
both chemical aids and provided therapies and workshops help many individuals
overcome their mental illness to achieve goals they set out for themselves.
I recall saying that as I entered the mental health unit at PRHC I was hesitant.
However, now I feel no hesitation entering and exiting the mental health unit. I try to
always maintain my guard, but I do not feel uncomfortable or in a potentially dangerous
situation ever. After interacting with so many patients that have gone through the mental
health unit, you gain an appreciation for the fact that they are people just like yourself
that have just had a malfunction of their body, very similar to those whove had a heart
attack. They need medical attention just the same, and may require a prescription
likewise. However, Im starting to see that they also need a little more compassion and a
little more guidance then anyone else because their illness isnt tangible so its harder to
comprehend, and because it is still so stigmatized. Ultimately, many are able to overcome
the blip they have encountered that brought them there in the first place.
For instance, I met one individual who was from northern Ontario who I could
very easily relate to, as I know that area quite well. We engaged in a lengthy conversation

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one day regarding the area and the different spots we knew and liked to visit. It was
fascinating to me that this man was there on a suicide attempt, and on fifteen minute
watch. He could have easily been considered a respectable individual of society if he was
not associated with the mental health unit. This individual quickly made me realize how
mental illnesses can strike anyone and that the people that face them are still so
stigmatized that even I was having to overcome prejudices that I unknowingly had of
what I would expect of the people I would meet in mental health.
Among the other many things I have learned over the past weeks, another thing
was how to look after myself after a 12 hour shift in the mental health. This came about
one day, when I engaged in a conversation with a woman one day who just wanted to
commit suicide and that was all there was to it. However, as I continued talking to her
and we got beyond her just wanting to reiterate how and why she wanted to commit
suicide, I found out she was a young woman, married, with young children and lived near
myself. She became a very bubbly individual as we began discussing different aspects of
our lives that were similar, including similar hobbies, interests and likes. But by the time
the day was over I was exhausted. I had maintained a conversation with a suicidal
individual, discussed their suicide and then her young children all within the same period
of time. Maintaining face and trying to be one step ahead in order to reply appropriately
and neither condone or condemn what the individual was saying was incredibly tasking.
My own natural instinct to survive made it difficult to understand her rational for wanting
to die by suicide, but even when I reflected on the conversation I was okay with how I
responded and navigated the conversation towards a more positive note, which actually
struck up a genuine conversation with her. However, when I came home that day I knew I

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needed to unwind and that ended up in being in the form of a run and a hot bath to
channel my own thoughts away from the unit to something more light.
Ultimately, I have thoroughly enjoyed my placement and am sad that the end is
coming so quickly. I have enjoyed working with my peers and my instructor, as well as
the patients, and if anything have only become more interested in pursuing mental health
in my career after this experience.