Educating Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Students alongside Family Nurse Practitioner Students – Challenges and Benefits in Mutual Learning

Educating Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Students alongside Family Nurse Practitioner Students – Challenges and Benefits in Mutual Learning.

Teaching in a small catholic college with a history of training family nurse practitioner (FNP) and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) students, we decided to blend the two groups in their final seminar of Advanced Clinical Practicum.  Each would have clinical internships in an appropriate site, and present on a topic in their area to the whole class.  Many of our psych mental health nurse practitioner students (PMHNP) have extensive experience in mental health, either as staff nurses or psychiatric nurse clinicians who are seeking additional coursework in order to sit for the ANCC (PMHNP) boards.  This arrangement has presented some interesting challenges and benefits.

 One student who was doing a psych internship at a local emergency room described a case of full blown mania presenting in the ER. Another presented on the various types of depression and alternatives for treatment resistant depression.  The FNP students presented on topics such as endometriosis, dizziness, treatments for obesity and the use of visiting nurses for management of psychiatric and mental illness at home.  Most of the PMHNP have encountered situations such as these with their clients and have referred them for treatment.

 The consensus document has outlined the necessity of all Advanced Practice Nurses (APRN) having training across the age span in advanced pathophysiology, advanced physical assessment and advanced pharmacology.  Some of the psych students have questioned the need to learn such extensive detail on physical examination and disease identification, but as the courses progress they become very appreciative of their new found skills.  The PMHNP students spend three days following clinicians' in outside practices observing and practicing physical exam skills in their physical assessment course.  Both groups have become more competent in areas traditionally considered outside their scope of practice.