Practicum Journal Entry: Certification Plan

Practicum Journal Entry: Certification Plan

The practice environment for the PMHNP is regulated by the state scope of practice laws. PMHNPs in California practice under a restrictive environment where state law mandates that the PMHNPs collaborate with a physician for them to practice. The PMHNP and the collaborating physician must possess a written protocol that covers all major aspects of care. The protocol is jointly developed by the physician and nurse practitioner.  As indicated by Barton Associates (2020), nurse practitioners in California have the authority to prescribe medications, including schedule two to five controlled drugs but…

Psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioners currently have only one choice for certification, which is through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). The ANCC offers the “psychiatric/mental-health nurse practitioner (across the lifespan)” board certification (PMHNP-BC). In many states, board certification is needed as a prerequisite to being granted an NP license. Practicum Journal Entry: Certification Plan. Even if board certification is not a requirement for state licensure, it may be a requirement to receive privileges in various hospitals and other health care facilities. It may also be required by malpractice insurance providers prior to issuing coverage to NPs.
In this Practicum Journal Assignment, you will develop a plan, which will serve as the road map for you to follow to attain your certification.
Learning Objectives
Students will:
• Analyze state restrictions or limitations for practice
• Compare PMHNP practice environments in various states
• Analyze clinical practice issues Practicum Journal Entry: Certification Plan
• Create plans for passing national certification exams
**Assigned in Week 1 but submitted in Week 4
To prepare for this Practicum Journal:
• Review the interactive nurse practitioner (NP) scope of practice law guide in your Learning Resources.
• Review your state regulations and a neighboring state or state in which you would like to practice.
• Reflect on how to approach relocating licensure from one state to another.
• Review certification exam requirements for PMHNPs.
Write a 2- to 3-page paper in which you do the following:
• Describe the PMHNP practice environment for your home state, highlighting restrictions or limitations for practice.
• Compare the PMHNP practice environment in your home state with a neighboring state or a state in which you would like to practice.
• Describe a professional and/or clinical practice issue a new PMHNP will need to consider and address with the certification, licensure, credentialing, or relocation process.
• Develop a checklist for passing the national certification exam, including a detailed timeline that includes academic preparation (study plan), registration, financial preparation, etc. Practicum Journal Entry: Certification Plan

 

Certification plan

PMHNP practice environment for California State

The practice environment for the PMHNP is regulated by the state scope of practice laws. PMHNPs in California practice under a restrictive environment where state law mandates that the PMHNPs collaborate with a physician for them to practice. The PMHNP and the collaborating physician must possess a written protocol that covers all major aspects of care. The protocol is jointly developed by the physician and nurse practitioner.  As indicated by Barton Associates (2020), nurse practitioners in California have the authority to prescribe medications, including schedule two to five controlled drugs but only under supervision by a physician.  A nurse practitioner in California can refer patients for physical therapy but only if it is outlined in the collaborative agreement. A PMHP is restricted from signing death certificates Practicum Journal Entry: Certification Plan.

Comparing the PMHNP practice environment in California State with the state in which I would like to practice (Maryland)

There are notable differences between the practice environment for PMHNP in California and those in Maryland State. Compared to California where state laws restrict the ability of PMHNPs to practice independently, Maryland state laws allow nurses PMHNPs to practice independently without the requirement for physician supervision. According to Barton Associates (2020), nurse practitioners in Maryland can diagnose, treat and prescribe without the involvement of a physician. Additionally, they are authorized to refer patients for physical therapy and to sign death certificates.

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Professional and clinical practice issues a new PMHNP will need to consider and address with the certification, licensure, credentialing, or relocation process.

There are several professional and clinical issues that a new PMHNP needs to put into consideration and tackle with the process of licensure, certification, credentialing and relocation. To offer patient care, a new PMHNP needs to get licensure as well as certification. Halter (2017) claims that licensure enables the nurse practitioner to practice in psychiatric mental nursing while certification is a demonstration that one is proficient in psychiatric nursing. PMHNP receives state licensure from the Board of Nursing.Practicum Journal Entry: Certification Plan.  Licensure requirements include the completion of a degree program from an accredited institution and completion of the NCLEX examination.  After getting state licensure, a PMHNP can receive certification.

National certification is the process by which the PMHNP demonstrates he or she has competencies in psychiatric mental health nursing.   To receive national certification   A PMHNP must sit and pass the ANCC PMHNP board certification examination. According to Halter (2017), for a PMHNP to certification offers nurse practitioners a sense of accomplishment and mastery, recognizes them as competent care providers. To take the ANCC examination, the PMHNP have complete a master’s program,  must have worked for two years as a full time registered nurse, attained two thousand hours in clinical hours within a psychiatric setting as well as thirty hours of continuing education in psychiatric mental health nursing. After a PMHNP takes the ANCC certification examination and passes, one is rewarded a board-certified credential and given the title PMHNP-Board Certified. Practicum Journal Entry: Certification Plan.

Credentialing is by the process by which healthcare agencies use to ensure that PMHNPs meet all the essential requirements and are properly qualified to provide safe and high-quality care to patients.  According to Stewart and DeNisco (2018), the process of credentialing involves authentication of education, licensure, along with reference checks. The process is utilized by numerous institutions, organizations and agencies to officially provide authority to selected healthcare professionals to practice as licensed providers in the health care delivery scheme.

When a PMHNP want to relocate to and practice in a different state, the first step in relocating licensure involves the PMHNP determining the licensure requirements in his current state and the state one wants to relocate, one should find out if his future home state is part of the nurse licensure compact Practicum Journal Entry: Certification Plan.  Roux and Halstead (2017) assert that the compact allows a licensed nurse who lives in a state that participates in the compact to practice in another state that participates in the compact without the requirement to obtain another practice license. If the PMHNP is relocating from the state that does not participate in the NLC, one should apply for licensure via endorsement from the new state’s board of nursing. Practicum Journal Entry: Certification Plan.

Checklist for passing the national certification exam,

Preparation for national examination includes financial and educational preparation. To be eligible to sit for the national certification examination, I must hold an active license, master’s degree and a minimum of five hundred supervised clinical hours. After confirming pricing and eligibility, I will apply for the ANCC examination online and pay the required examination fees. After receiving an eligibility notice, I will schedule a testing date at the Prometric center. Practicum Journal Entry: Certification Plan.

The next step will involve visiting the ACNN to check the test content outline that marks out areas that will be covered in the examination.  Apart from the test content outline, the ANCC also provides a test reference list as well as sample test questions accompanied by their answers. Around six months before I take the examination, I will develop a formal study plan. I will include study topics, resources, timetable and study methods. I will schedule regular study times, setting two hours a day, for five days a week.  I will also take a review course to evaluate my knowledge of the exam content. I will take a review course before the day of the exam so that I will have enough time to master areas I am weak and concentrate on these areas Practicum Journal Entry: Certification Plan.

 

References

Barton Associates. (2020). Nurse Practitioner Scope of Practice Laws. Retrieved from https://www.bartonassociates.com/locum-tenens-resources/nurse-practitioner-scope-of-practice-laws

Halter, M. (2017).  Varcaroli’s Foundations of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing –E-Book: A Clinical Approach. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier.

Stewart, J., & DeNisco, S. (2018). Role Development for the Nurse Practitioner. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Roux, G., & Halstead, J. (2017). Issues and Trends in Nursing. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Practicum Journal Entry: Certification Plan