Program Learning Outcomes

Program Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of the MHT Short Certificate, the graduate will be able to:

• Recognize the importance of the nurse assistant/mental health technician’s role in improving the quality of life for people in the health care system;
• Encourage people to be as independent as possible;
• Support and maintain the rights of clients/residents;
• Be sensitive to the physical and psychological needs of people in the health care system;
• Communicate effectively and appropriately with all health care clients/residents, families, and staff;
• Provide quality basic care for people in the health care system;
• Help reduce the potential negative effects of the health care system;
• Observe and document a person’s physical condition and overall well-being;
• Work well as a team member;
• Meet clients/residents’ rights to quality care according to HIPAA guidelines;
• Demonstrate interpersonal communication skills that are effective in mental health-related situations, including de-escalation and redirecting behavior;
• Explain how biological, psychological, and environmental factors affect mental health;
• Describe societal attitudes toward mental illness within a contemporary society;
• Describe common psychological disorders in the DSM, including their treatments;
• Describe types of treatments utilized for the care of psychiatric patients;
• Demonstrate knowledge of commonly prescribed medications to treat psychiatric disorders including mechanism of action, therapeutic effects, adverse reactions, safety implications, and routes of administration.