The Community and Mental Health department offers two courses: community health nursing and Mental and Psychiatric Nursing. These courses are offered to students in their first and second years. The department has eight members in total but the number changes from time to time. Apart from teaching, it has several social responsibilities to the community around the college. For example, students go to nearby villages and primary schools to practice what they learn in class and assist in promoting the health status of people from these settings.
The department also works with other stakeholders like the hospital through the Public Health Department, community leaders, and many more.
Community Health Nursing.
Community Health Nursing is the synthesis of nursing applied to promote and protect the health of the population. It combines all the basic elements of professional, clinical nursing with public health and community practice. It is particularly essential because it maximizes the health status of individuals, families, groups, and the community through a direct approach with them.
To be abreast with these societal needs, students must understand concepts and models of community health nursing, the importance of health promotion and disease prevention, and health care planning, implementation, and evaluation of health care efforts for the advantage of the community. They also learn different settings in which community health nursing activities are implemented.
The areas of focus are;
- Maternal and Child Health
- Under-five
- Family Planning
- Nutrition
- Community Diagnosis
- Home Visit
- Occupational Health
- School Health
Mental and Psychiatric Nursing
Our students are taught Mental and Psychiatric Nursing in order to provide holistic nursing services to clients with mental health issues, in the hospital and community settings. The course introduces learners to mental health and psychiatric nursing concepts, treatment modalities, and ethical-legal aspects relevant to the provision of nursing care to patients with mental health and psychiatric disorders in various settings. Learners are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and attitude required to identify mental health problems and common psychiatric conditions to promote mental health and manage the common psychiatric conditions.
Our students are taught in the following areas;
- Assessment
- Counseling
- Treatment Planning
- Medication Management
- Family Support
- Education
- Group Support
- Facilitate services with visiting Psychiatrists
Our Activities in Department
- Community awareness campaign on health issues
- Health Prevention and Promotion in communities and Prisons
- Women and Youth Empowerment
- Disease screening and surveillance
- Disaster response and management
Partnership
- St. Luke’s College of Health Sciences through the Community and Mental Health Department has gone into partnership with Future4All, a local not-for-profit organization based in Ntcheu District. The partnership will see the two institutions working together on a number of projects such as; child health, community empowerment, career talk, and research among other activities.
- St. Luke’s Hospital through PHC
- Local Government through traditional leaders
- Zomba District Health Office through School and Nutrition Health Services Program
- District Educational Offices (Machinga and Zomba) through Primary School Head Teachers