Psychiatric nurse practitioners are advanced nurses that strive to treat mental health issues in individuals, families, and communities. They help assess, diagnose, and treat a patient’s mental health needs that include psychotherapy and prescription medication. Due to the normalization of mental health issues, there is now an increasing demand for psychiatric nurse practitioners.
According to Regis, to successfully become a psychiatric nurse practitioner, there are many steps you have to take in college to achieve this goal. The first step in this process is to become a registered nurse. After becoming an RN earning your bachelor’s degree would be the next step, which takes four years. Before continuing for an advanced practice degree, you need one year of nursing experience. After earning experience, you then can pursue a Masters of Science in Nursing; but there is now a growing national movement requiring all nurse practitioners to earn a Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.) degree (Regis, 2018). “Psychiatric nurse practitioners must earn certification by passing an exam administered by ANCC. The exam tests students' knowledge of: practitioner and patient relationships, patient assessment, disease prevention, and clinical management. Once the candidate passes their certification exam, the nurse practitioner will receive his or her Family Psychiatric Mental-Health Nurse Practitioner-Board Certified or Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner-Board Certified designation (PMHNP-BC)” (study, 2018). Some of the graduate courses required are pathophysiology, pharmacology, and epidemiology along with courses in the diagnosis and clinical management of health and illness. Students also complete several semesters of supervised clinical practice to demonstrate their competency in providing health care (Explore Health Careers, 2018).
To work as a psychiatric nurse practitioner, you must follow the ethical code guidelines. The ethical code helps ensure that nurses provide the best and most humane form of dignified treatment. “The Code of Ethics for Nurses is the social contract that nurses have with the U.S. public. It exemplifies our profession's promise to provide and advocate for safe, quality care for all patients and communities. It binds nurses to support each other so that all nurses can fulfill their ethical and professional obligations. This Code is a reflection of the proud ethical heritage of nursing; one which will continue on, whatever challenges the modern health care system presents” (ANA, 2018). According to the American Nurses Association, a few topics that the ethical code covers are social justice and caregiving resources, which involves the best quality of care. Another topic is moral courage, moral distress, and moral resilience, which involves doing what is right for the patients and other nurses that you work with(ANA, 2018).
Something interesting that I learned about this career was that you are allowed to independently open up your own private practice in eighteen states. Even though I am aware that nurse practitioners can prescribe medication, I assumed that they would need physician oversight. According to Barton Associates, nurse practitioners are allowed to “practice independently, without physician oversight, meaning they can open their own practices, prescribe controlled substances, and practice to the extent of their training”(Barton, 2014).
There are several strengths that I possess which will help me become a more successful nurse practitioner. Due to being an elite gymnast and current runner, I have incredible endurance. This is important because although it might be an assumption that psychiatric nurse practitioners are sitting down most of the time, you are standing on your feet throughout the day. Also, compassion and perseverance are very important qualities which are strengths of mine. I would go above and beyond for my patients to ensure that they get the best care and that I am up to date on current research and practices. I care very much about others and it is very motivating to see them progress in the right direction.
On the other hand, a weakness I deal with that could be viewed as a potential obstacle in this field is social anxiety. This has been an issue for me throughout my life. When I speak in public, I have a tendency to freeze. I am aware that in nursing there is a lot of public speaking and communicating with patients and coworkers, which is why I am currently working with a therapist and taking several public speaking classes. This will enable me to become more comfortable when communicating with people. I also am learning to deal with stress, which was the result of being an elite gymnast and traveling to the Olympic training camp every month. However, I have found ways to cope with it. When I am stressed out, I workout, listen to music and make a list of what I have to get done for the day. I find making an action list and checking it off as I progress, helps me stay focused and successful. To stay on track in the nursing field, you need to have good time management and prioritize. Therefore, I realize my obstacles are also my strengths. I am learning how to deal with them and being aware of these issues will help me to be more empathetic as a nurse.
To be a nurse practitioner, you need to have the time, support and commitment to do so. At the beginning of the year, I decided to end my gymnastics career and focus on studies so time would not be an issue. When it comes to support, my family is very supportive of me. They have gone out of their way to help me contact their friends that are also in nursing or mental health fields who can give me tips and advice. My parents also understand the financial aspect of being in school, so they supply all my financial needs so I can concentrate on my studies. Working in the healthcare field has always been a passion of mine so when I decided to major in nursing, I completely committed myself and will do everything needed to accomplish my goals.
I have decided that I want to stay at Brookdale and apply to the nursing program so my next step is to submit the application. After completing the application I have to take the health science entrance exam, complete a certified nursing assistant course, and complete a background check. Also, after becoming certified to be a nursing assistant, I would like to start gaining experience in the health field. Due to the long waiting list, I am going to seek advisement to decide on what courses I should take while waiting. Some courses that Brookdale nursing program requires you to take to get your degree is Anatomy and Physiology, Medical Terminology, Pathophysiology, Nursing concepts, Psychology, and Microbiology(Brookdale, 2017).
One important value of mine is happiness. Happiness is what drives me and my decisions. I want a career that is fulfilling and can help others find happiness within. People's psyche is the core of their happiness and everyone deserves to have a happy, healthy life. My goal in being a psychiatric nurse practitioner is to help others progress in their mental health and find happiness. I also value helping others with compassion and care. I love helping and caring for others and seeing people get better is the most amazing feeling in the world. One other value of mine is low intervention medicine. Although I do know that medication is important, I want to be in control of the patient to ensure that they are provided with all of their care options. A career goal of mine is to be part of a private practice where I have other coworkers who also practice low intervention medicine and lead patient care with psychotherapy.