MSE Breakdown

Clinical Assignments - Mental Status Exam (MSE) Overview

  • Completion: Individual and in written format, performed during the first 5-6 shifts.

  • Due Dates: To be determined by clinical faculty.

Purpose of MSE

  • Assesses client’s current mental state.

  • Provides insights into:

    • Appearance

    • Behavior

    • Speech

    • Emotional state

    • Thought content and processes

    • Cognitive functioning

  • Helps identify client’s strengths, capabilities, and support needs.

Grading and Submission Guidelines

  • Assignment graded as pass/fail.

  • Unsatisfactory submissions require resubmission of all or parts of the assignment.

  • Pre-MSE review should include:

    • Client’s concerns

    • Medical/psychiatric history

    • Family history

    • Stressors

    • Medications

    • Education and employment history

    • Coping strategies and supports.

Conducting the MSE

  • Maintain a non-judgmental approach.

  • Consider client factors:

    • Attention and concentration

    • Level of education

    • Cultural background

    • Abilities in calculation, writing, and reading.

  • Document findings as per outline and ensure client confidentiality.

Required Texts

  • Primary: Pollard & Jakubec (2022) - Varcarolis’s Canadian psychiatric mental health nursing

  • Reference: Austin et al. (2019) - Psychiatric & mental health nursing for Canadian practice.

Assessment Criteria Categories

  • General Appearance: Dress, grooming, posture, etc.

  • Speech: Rhythm, rate, volume, characteristics.

  • Motor Activity: Unusual mannerisms or activity levels.

  • Client Interaction: Willingness to engage and demeanor.

Mood and Affect Assessment

  • Mood: Client's subjective description.

  • Affect: Observed facial expressions (terms include flat, full range, etc.).

  • Note discrepancies between mood and affect (incongruence).

Thought Content and Processes

  • Content: Presence of delusions, obsessions, phobias.

  • Processes: Logical connection of thoughts, verbal conveyance, evidence of thought blocking or other abnormalities.

Perception and Cognition

  • Perceptions: Presence of hallucinations or illusions.

  • Cognition: Include assessments of:

    • Consciousness and orientation

    • Memory (immediate, recent, remote)

    • Attention and calculation (e.g., counting backwards).

Insight, Judgment, and Risk Assessment

  • Insight: Level of understanding of illness.

  • Judgment: Ability to evaluate and react to situations.

  • Risk Assessment: Evaluate potential harm to self or others (suicidal/homicidal ideation).