Skip to ContentGo to accessibility page
Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing

Competency-Based Assessments

Psychiatric-Mental Health NursingCompetency-Based Assessments

Competency-Based Assessments

1 .
In a scenario where a client denies having a substance use issue but exhibits signs of withdrawal during hospitalization, create a plan for a nurse to approach the situation without compromising trust and therapeutic rapport.
2 .
As a nurse, you have a role in planning care for a client with substance use disorder. Talk about how a collaborative approach involving the client, health-care team, and community resources can contribute to successful outcomes.
3 .
A client with alcohol use disorder is resistant to pharmacological interventions. Outline alternative nonpharmacological approaches a nurse can incorporate into the client's care plan.
4 .

As a nurse, you are working with a client who is at risk for delirium tremens during alcohol withdrawal. Outline the nursing interventions you would take to prevent and manage delirium tremens.

5 .
A client is admitted with symptoms of stimulant intoxication. Do some research to determine how a nurse can differentiate between the effects of cocaine and amphetamine intoxication during the assessment.
6 .
You are examining a client who expresses difficulty maintaining abstinence from stimulants. Outline the strategies you would use to support relapse prevention and promote long-term recovery.
7 .
A client with chronic pain is prescribed opioids but shows signs of misuse. Develop a nursing care plan to address the client’s pain while minimizing the risk of opioid use disorder.
8 .
A client expresses fear and ambivalence about starting medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder. Develop a nursing approach to address the client’s concerns and promote engagement in MAT.
9 .
You are a nursing student who is working with a client who has been admitted to the emergency room with symptoms of stimulant intoxication. How can you differentiate between the effects of cocaine and amphetamine intoxication during the assessment?
10 .
A client with a history of opioid addiction is prescribed pain medication for postoperative pain. Develop a nursing plan to address the client’s pain while minimizing the risk of relapse and misuse.
Citation/Attribution
Reuse and redistribution of this content in digital or print format:
  • This book may not be used in the training of large language models or otherwise be ingested into large language models or generative AI offerings without OpenStax's prior written permission.
  • This book uses the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License, which means that you can reuse and modify the material only for noncommercial purposes, must attribute OpenStax, and must distribute any derivative works under the same license.
  • Any commercial printing of this textbook, including using a local or custom printer, must be approved by OpenStax, and proper citation provided.
  • OpenStax-copyrighted images, activities, assessments, and similar components of this book are subject to the same licensing – CC-BY-NC-SA. They can be used for noncommercial purposes with attribution. Commercial use requires permission.
  • Permission requests: Anyone who intends to incorporate this content (including text, images, and other components) into large language models, use it in AI offerings, use it commercially (including in print), and/or has questions about another use case is welcome to complete our reuse request form.
Attribution information
  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a noncommercial print format, then you must include on every physical page the following attribution:

    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/psychiatric-mental-health/pages/1-introduction

  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a noncommercial digital format, then for every page that includes OpenStax content, you must license the derivative work under the same CC-BY-NC-SA license as the original, and include on every digital page view the following attribution:

    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/psychiatric-mental-health/pages/1-introduction

Citation information

The information below includes the information needed to generate citations in most major styles (APA, MLA, etc.); you must reformat and organize the information as needed to fit the requirements of the style. Use the information below to generate a citation. We recommend using a citation tool such as this one.

© Jul 23, 2026 OpenStax. Textbook content produced by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License. The OpenStax name, OpenStax logo, OpenStax book covers, OpenStax CNX name, and OpenStax CNX logo, and Rice University name, and Rice University logo trademarks, or wordmarks are not subject to the Creative Commons license and may not be reproduced without the prior and express written consent of Rice University.