PRAC – 6665 Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Care Across the Lifespan I Practicum
Week 1: Competencies of Advanced Nursing Practice
What do I have to do? When do I have to do it?
Review your Learning Resources. Days 1–7
Assignment 1: Practicum Site Information Submit Assignment 1 by Day 2.
Assignment 2: Clinical Skills Self-Assessment Submit Assignment 2 by Day 7.
Assignment 3: Clinical Hour and Patient Logs Track your clinical hours and patient encounters in
Meditrek throughout this practicum course. Each week,
your logs must be completed by Day 7.
Introduction
Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.
—Xun Kuang, Chinese Confucian philosopher
Welcome to your PMHNP Care Across the Lifespan I Practicum! The practicum experience is an experiential learning opportunity which allows you to gain and refine your clinical advanced nursing skills under the mentorship of a Preceptor. As you engage with patients in the practicum setting, your involvement will extend your learning about a variety of psychiatric and mental health care needs for patients across the lifespan.
To evaluate your skill development as an advanced practice nurse, it can be helpful to reflect on your experiences in patient encounters and to identify specific areas where you feel confident and competent, as well as areas where you feel less confident or may need additional support or guidance. This process can help you gain a better understanding of your strengths and areas for growth, and can provide valuable information that can be used to develop goals related to your growth as an advanced practice nurse.
Some possible areas to consider when assessing your strengths and opportunities related to PMHNP clinical skills may include:
Assessment and diagnosis: How comfortable are you with conducting thorough assessments of clients and using diagnostic tools and criteria to determine appropriate diagnoses? Are there any specific disorders or populations that you feel particularly confident working with, or any areas where you feel like you need more experience or support?
Treatment planning: How confident are you in your ability to develop and implement effective treatment plans for clients with psychiatric disorders? Do you feel like you have a good understanding of the different treatment options available, and are you able to effectively incorporate clients’ preferences and goals into treatment plans?
Communication and collaboration: How effective do you feel in your ability to communicate with clients, their families, and other members of the healthcare team? Do you feel comfortable asking questions, providing feedback, and collaborating with others to provide the best possible care for clients?
Professional development: Are there any specific skills or knowledge areas that you feel would benefit from additional training or education? Are there any professional development opportunities or resources that you could use to support your growth as a PMHNP?
Once you have assessed your strengths and opportunities related to PMHNP clinical skills, you can use this information to generate specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals that will help you continue to develop and improve your skills in these areas. For example, you might set a goal to attend a training workshop on a specific diagnostic tool, to conduct a certain number of assessments per week, or to seek out feedback from your clinical preceptor on a regular basis. By setting and working towards specific goals, you can continue to grow and develop as an advanced practice nurse and provide high-quality care to your clients.
Throughout the next 11 weeks, you will evaluate your skill development, reflect on patient encounters, and generate goals related to your growth as an advanced practice nurse. This week, you start by assessing your strengths and opportunities related to psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) clinical skills. PRAC – 6665 Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Care Across the Lifespan I Practicum
Learning Objectives
Students will:
Complete practicum site form
Assess clinical skills related to advanced psychiatric-mental health nursing practice
Develop measurable goals and objectives for the practicum experience
Describe clinical hours and patient encounters
Learning Resources
Required Readings
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. (2018). CPT code training module. https://www.aacap.org/App_Themes/AACAP/docs/clinical_practice_center/business_of_practice/cpt/2018_CPT_module_revised_March_2018.pdf
American Association of Nurse Practitioners. (2019). Discussion paper: Standards of practice for nurse practitioners. https://storage.aanp.org/www/documents/advocacy/position-papers/StandardsOfPractice.pdf
American Psychiatric Association. (2020). Coding and reimbursement. https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/practice-management/coding-reimbursement-medicare-and-medicaid/coding-and-reimbursement
American Psychiatric Nurses Association. (2013). Population-focused nurse practitioner competencies. https://www.apna.org/files/Councils/Population-Focused-NP-Competencies-2013.pdf
Note: Review the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Competencies.
International Council of Nurses. (2020). Guidelines on advanced practice nursing 2020. https://www.icn.ch/system/files/documents/2020-04/ICN_APN%20Report_EN_WEB.pdf
Meditrek
https://edu.meditrek.com/Default.html
Note: Use this link to log into Meditrek to report your clinical hours and patient encounters.
The National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties
https://www.nonpf.org/
The National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties. (2017). Nurse practitioner core competencies content.
https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.nonpf.org/resource/resmgr/competencies/20170516_NPCoreCompsContentF.pdf
Walden University Academic Skills Center. (2017). Developing SMART goals.
https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/ld.php?content_id=51901492
Walden University Field Experience. (2020a). Field experience: College of Nursing.
https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/fieldexperience/son/home
Walden University Field Experience. (2020b). MSN nurse practitioner practicum manual.
https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/fieldexperience/son/formsanddocuments
Walden University Field Experience. (2020c). Walden University School of Nursing: Practicum orientation and resource guide for students: MSN—nurse practitioner.
https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/StudentPracticum/NP_StudentOrientation
Document: Practicum Site Information Form (Word document)
Document: PMHNP Clinical Skills List (PDF)
Document: PMHNP Clinical Skills Self-Assessment Form (Word document)
Acknowledgment
Practicum Manual Acknowledgment
The Practicum Manual describes the structure and timing of the classroom-based and practicum experiences and the policies students must follow to be successful in the nurse practitioner (NP) specialties.
Field Experience: MSN Nurse Practitioner Practicum Manual
Click here and follow the instructions to confirm you have downloaded and read the entire MSN Nurse Practitioner Practicum Manual and will abide by the requirements described in order to successfully complete this program.
Assignment 1: Practicum Site Information
Photo Credit: EscoLux / E+ / Getty Images
Prior to starting the course, you should have applied for a practicum site following the guidelines for psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) practice. Now it is time to make it official. For this Assignment, you provide your Clinical Faculty with information about your practicum site, your Preceptor, and your clinical calendar.
To Prepare
Verify that your practicum application has been approved by logging in to Meditrek.
Access the Practicum Site Information Form from the Learning Resources.
The Assignment
Complete the designated areas of the Practicum Site Information Form, including your practicum site and contact information, your Preceptor and contact information, and a schedule of when you plan to engage in practicum activities onsite. PRAC – 6665 Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Care Across the Lifespan I Practicum
By Day 2 of Week 1
Submit your completed Practicum Site Information Form.
Submit Your Assignment by Day 7 of Week 1
To participate in this Assignment:
Week 1 Assignment 1
Assignment 2: Clinical Skills Self-Assessment
Photo Credit: AndreyPopov / iStock / Getty Images Plus / Getty Images
Before embarking on any professional or academic activity, it is important to understand the background, knowledge, and experience you bring to it. You might ask yourself, “What do I already know? What do I need to know? And what do I want to know?” This critical self-reflection is especially important for developing clinical skills such as those for advanced practice nursing.
The PMHNP Clinical Skills List and PMHNP Clinical Skills Self-Assessment Form provided in the Learning Resources can be used to celebrate your progress throughout your practicum and identify skills gaps. The skills list covers all necessary skills you should demonstrate during your practicum experiences.
For this Assignment (just as you did in PRAC 6645), you assess where you are now in your clinical skill development and make plans for this practicum. Specifically, you will identify strengths and opportunities for improvement regarding the required practicum skills. In this practicum experience, when developing your goals and objectives, be sure to keep assessment and diagnostic reasoning in mind. As you complete your self-assessment this week, you may wish to look back over your self-assessments from prior practicums to reflect on your growth.
To Prepare
Review the clinical skills in the PMHNP Clinical Skills List document. It is recommended that you print out this document to serve as a guide throughout your practicum.
Review the “Developing SMART Goals” resource on how to develop goals and objectives that follow the SMART framework.
Review the resources on nursing competencies and nursing theory, and consider how these inform your practice.
Download the PMHNP Clinical Skills Self-Assessment Form to complete this Assignment.
The Assignment
Use the PMHNP Clinical Skills Self-Assessment Form to complete the following:
Rate yourself according to your confidence level performing the skills identified in the Clinical Skills Self-Assessment Form.
Based on your ratings, summarize your strengths and opportunities for improvement.
Based on your self-assessment and theory of nursing practice, develop three to four (3–4) measurable goals and objectives for this practicum experience. Include them on the designated area of the form.
By Day 7 of Week 1
