NURS 6003 Part 5 Professional Development

NURS 6003 Part 5 Professional Development

Advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) pursuing advanced education, especially Master of Science in Nursing (MS) need to specialize in certain areas of care provision based on their options and desires. Deciding the choice of specialty is essential for APRNs so that they can focus on a certain area of healthcare delivery and improve overall patient outcomes (Delaney et al., 2019). Consequently, I have considered different specialties before making the decision to be a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP). The purpose of this paper is to discuss and compare my primary and second preferred specialties and identify the role of each specialty based on the preparation. The paper also discusses the justification for the selected or preferred specialty and examines a professional organization related to the specialty and way of joining the organization.

 

 

Step 1: Comparison of Nursing Specialties

My preferred specialty is being a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP). PMHNP nurses offer a full range of primary mental health care, including the psychosocial assessment, evaluation, diagnosis and developing treatment and care plans for patients with mental health needs and psychiatric disorders (Foster et al., 2020). Through the use of their knowledge and skills of psychotherapy modalities and psychopharmacology and in collaboration with physicians and other professional, PMHNP nurses place their patients on regimen of therapy and prescription medications to enhance their mental health. Psychiatric nurse practitioners also offer support and education to families and communities besides the evaluation of their patients’ progress throughout their lifespan (Jones et al., 2022). They also participate in policy development and health care reforms as they relate to mental health and treatment of mental health patients to improve access, reduce cost burden and enhance overall quality of care delivery (Delaney et al., 2019). The PMHNP specialty offers different opportunities and options for one to work in various settings that include inpatient and emergency department, outpatient clinics, rehabilitation facilities and even in telehealth or tele-psychiatry.

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The second preferred option is working as family nurse practitioner. Family nurse practitioners (FNPs) work with families to offer both preventing and secondary care through implementation of health care plans. According to the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), FNPs maintain patient records, perform physical examination and order or conduct diagnostic tests as well as prescribe medications. They can also work in a variety of health care practice areas that include community health settings, private practice, health care systems and even in institutions like universities (AANP, 2019). FNPs can also attain additional certifications in different areas like diabetes and obesity management to meet the specific needs of their different patients across the care and age continuum. These certifications also help them to enhance their career prospects.

Similar to the PMHNP, a family nurse practitioner works with patients of all age groups in different care settings. The FNP can work independently in their own practice or be part of a team. Further, like the PMHNP, the FNP also requires similar qualifications of at least a master’s degree in advanced nursing education. However, the two specialties are fundamentally different in terms of roles and responsibilities and even the practice settings. For instance, the FNP’s primary focus is meeting the physical needs of patients, families and health populations (Kleinpell et al., 2019). Conversely, the PMHNP focuses on meeting the mental health needs of patients and even families. The two specialties are critical because they all implore providers to have further areas of focus that can include geriatrics, pediatrics, and even adolescent health.

Step 2: Justification of Nursing Specialty

The choice of nursing specialty depends on one’s desires as a healthcare providers based on needs within the community. The decision to select PMHNP specialty emanates from various reasons that include bridging the gap in mental health access to available resources. My qualification and practice as a PMHNP will assist address the rift between psychiatric services need and availability and access. Secondly, the misconceptions on mental health continue to rise and this affects accessibility by patients and the quality of care that one gets. Individuals and families have failed to seek mental health services because of increased levels of stigmatization and limited resources within the community settings (Foster et al., 2020). Individuals are fast to ignore and even deny the existence of signs and symptoms of mental health problems because they fear stigma from society and family, especially victimization. Therefore, as a PMHNP, I will leverage my professional background and skills to alter these misconceptions and stigma and enhance access to these services by individuals in different settings. I will ensure that I integrate mental health as part of holistic care provision to improve overall patient outcomes, especially at this time when issues like the opioid epidemic and COVID-19 pandemic continue to have devastating effects on mental health among individuals. I will practice where I am most required and meet patient needs by leveraging technologies like telehealth and telemedicine to improve access to resources and lower the overall cost burden associated with mental health provision for low-income individuals and communities

Step 3: Professional Organizations

Professional associations are an essential component for nurse as they offer them the chance to influence nursing practice, nursing education, health policy, and patient care provision through the implementation of innovative care models and evidence-based practice (EBP) interventions. These associations also generate energy, flow of idea and proactive work required to attain patient quality care delivery. The professional association related to my selected or preferred specialty is the American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA) (2023). This professional nursing association offers members a chance to connect with fellow psychiatric-mental health nurses, have access to resources like evidence-based resources and programs as well as participate in exclusive opportunities in advancing care and treatment of individuals with health and substance use disorders and needs. The organization also provides opportunities for members to enhance their PMH nursing knowledge through over 230 online continuing education sessions, and programs. For instance, members get four free education sessions every month to improve their skills in care provision. One can become a member as a practice nurse (APRN) specializing in mental health area or as a student. The individual meets the criteria and makes online application and pays the requisite fees.

Conclusion

Advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) identify specialties to offer specialized care to selected patient populations with the aim of improving quality of care and expanding access as well as reducing the overall cost burden. Psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners (PMHNPs) play a critical role in care delivery as they provide mental health care to individuals in need of these services to attain holistic care. As specialized providers, the psychiatric mental health nurses require certain qualifications and should join professional nursing organizations to improve their skills and knowledge in care provision.

References

American Association of Family Nurse Practitioners (AANP) (2019). Are You

Considering a Career as a Family Nurse Practitioner? https://www.aanp.org/news-feed/are-you-considering-a-career-as-a-family-nurse-practitioner

American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA) (2023). Welcome to Your Psychiatric-

            Mental Health Nursing Community. https://www.apna.org/

Delaney, K. R., & Vanderhoef, D. (2019). The psychiatric mental health advanced

practice registered nurse workforce: Charting the future. Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, 25(1), 11-18. DOI: 10.1177/1078390318806571.

Foster, K., Roche, M., Giandinoto, J. A., & Furness, T. (2020). Workplace stressors,

psychological well‐being, resilience, and caring behaviours of mental health nurses: A descriptive correlational study. International journal of mental health nursing, 29(1), 56-68. DOI: 10.1111/inm.12610.

Jones, J. S., Jones, J. S., & Beauvais, A. M. (2022). Psychiatric mental health nursing:

            An interpersonal approach. Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Kleinpell, R. M., Grabenkort, W. R., Kapu, A. N., Constantine, R., & Sicoutris, C. (2019).

Nurse practitioners and physician assistants in acute and critical care: A concise review of the literature and data 2008–2018. Critical care medicine, 47(10), 1442. DOI: 10.1097/CCM.0000000000003925.

In this Module’s Discussion, you were introduced to the concept of an academic portfolio to begin building your own brand. However, portfolios have value that goes beyond brand building. An academic and professional portfolio can also help you to build your own vision and mission and establish your development goals. In this regard, a portfolio becomes yet another tool in your toolbox as you build your success.

In this Assignment you will continue developing your Academic Success and Professional Development Plan by developing the fifth component–a portfolio for your academic and professional efforts.

To Prepare:

Consider your goals for academic accomplishments while a student of the MSN program.

The Assignment:

Using the Academic Success and Professional Development Plan Template document that you began to work on in Module 1 and have continued expanding throughout this course, you will develop a curriculum vitae (CV) in Part 5 based on your current education and professional background.

Write a statement identifying your professional development goals.

Write a statement proposing how you might align one or more of your professional development goals with the university’s emphasis on social change.

Note: Add your work for this Assignment to the original document you began in the Module 1 Assignment, which was built from the Academic Success and Professional Development Plan Template.

By Day 7 of Week 9

Submit Part 5.

Submission and Grading Information

To submit your completed Assignment for review and grading, do the following:

Please save your Assignment using the naming convention “WK9Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” as the name.

Click the Week 9 Assignment Rubric to review the Grading Criteria for the Assignment.

Click the Week 9 Assignment link. You will also be able to “View Rubric” for grading criteria from this area.

Next, from the Attach File area, click on the Browse My Computer button. Find the document you saved as “WK9Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” and click Open.

If applicable: From the Plagiarism Tools area, click the checkbox for I agree to submit my paper(s) to the Global Reference Database.

Click on the Submit button to complete your submission.