Practicum Journal Entry: Certification Plan

Psychiatric Assessment of the Adult and Older Adult Many assessment principles are the same for children and adults; however, with adults/older adults, consent for participation in the assessment comes from the actual client and not parents or guardians. The exception to this is adults/older adults who have been determined incapacitated by a court of competent jurisdiction. Some adults may be easier to assess than children/adolescents as they are more psychologically minded. That is, they have better insights into themselves and their motivations than children/adolescents (although this is not universally true). Older adults present some of their own unique assessment challenges in that they may have higher levels of stigma associated with seeking psychiatric care. Additionally, there are higher rates of neurocognitive disorders superimposed on other clinical conditions such as depression or anxiety, which creates additional diagnostic challenges. This week, you will develop your own personal format for initial interviews of mental health clients. You also will explore the restrictions and limitations for practice as a PMHNP in your home state and create a plan for passing the national certification exam. Photo Credit: KatarzynaBialasiewicz / iStock / Getty Images Plus Learning Resources Note: To access this week’s required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus. Required Readings American Nurses Association. (2014). Psychiatric-mental health nursing: Scope and standards of practice (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: Author. Standard 5C “Consultation” (page 57) Note: Throughout the program you will be reading excerpts from the ANA’s Scope & Standards of Practice for Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing. It is essential to your success on the ANCC board certification exam for Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioners that you know the scope of practice of the advanced practice psychiatric/mental health nurse. You should also be able to differentiate between the generalist RN role in psychiatric/mental health nursing and the advanced practice nurse role. Sadock, B. J., Sadock, V. A., & Ruiz, P. (2014). Kaplan & Sadock’s synopsis of psychiatry: Behavioral sciences/clinical psychiatry (11th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer. Section 5.1, “Psychiatric Interview, Mental Status Examination” (pp. 192–211) Section 5.2, “The Psychiatric Report and Medical Record” (pp. 211–217) Section 5.3, “Psychiatric Rating Scales” (pp. 217–236) Section 5.5, “Personality Assessment: Adults and Children” (pp. 246–257) Section 5.7, “Medical Assessment and Laboratory Testing in Psychiatry” (pp. 266–275) Chapter 6, “Classification in Psychiatry” (pp. 290–308) American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author. “Cautionary Statement for Forensic Use of DSM-5” “Assessment Measures” “Cultural Formulation” “Glossary of Technical Terms” “Glossary of Cultural Concepts of Distress” Note: You will access this book from the Walden Library databases. Barton Associates. (2017). Nurse practitioner scope of practice laws. Retrieved from https://www.bartonassociates.com/locum-tenens-resources/nurse-practitioner-scope-of-practice-laws/ American Psychiatric Association. (2016). Practice guidelines for the psychiatric evaluation of adults. Retrieved from http://psychiatryonline.org/doi/pdf/10.1176/appi.books.9780890426760 Document: Practicum Journal Template (Word document) Required Media Laureate Education (Producer). (2017b). Working with Adults and Older Adults” [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author. Note: The approximate length of this media piece 3 minutes. Accessible player Hagen, B. (Producer). (n.d.-a). Conducting a mental status exam [Video file]. Mill Valley, CA: Psychotherapy.net. Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 25 minutes. You will access this video through the Walden Library databases. Optional Resources American Psychological Association. (2008). Assessment of older adults with diminished capacity. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/pi/aging/programs/assessment/capacity-psychologist-handbook.pdf