NONPF 40th Annual Meeting
PMHNP-DNP Education with Perinatal Mental Health Enhancement
Saturday, April 5, 2014: 2:40 PM
Mt. Elbert A (Grand Hyatt Denver)
Abstract:
Aims: To describe 1) the need for perinatal mental health (periMH) competency and an enhanced PMHNP-DNP program; 2) the program’s periMH training methods that improve practice in IPE environments; and 3) the preliminary outcomes of the periMH-focused PMHNP-DNP program.
Significance: Nationally and in this state there are significant yet unmet needs for quality mental health care within perinatal care for diverse pregnant women, their fetuses, and their infant children. Research clearly shows that early childhood adversities—neglect, abuse, caregivers’ mental illnesses, and illicit drug use—are associated with subsequent onset of mental illness. Recent studies in epigenetics explain how a child’s early environment influences onset of mental illness. Despite these scientific advances, the U.S. and especially this state, have significant shortages of mental health care providers with this knowledge, including prescribers who treat children with mental illnesses and providers with specialty knowledge of infant and early childhood mental health. There is moreover a lack of efficient referral systems between providers of perinatal and mental health care.
Approach: In 2011 we secured three years of funding from the Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA) (D09HP22624) to 1) enhance the curricula (nine additional credits and periMH-focused clinical hours) of a generic PMHNP program; 2) recruit diverse clinical faculty and students; 3) establish community collaborations through clinical and capstone projects; and 4) to host a multidisciplinary annual conference on periMH.
Preliminary outcomes: For the 2011 and 2012 cohorts, 21 students enrolled into the periMH enhanced DNP-PMHNP program, and four of them completed the periMH component. Meanwhile, the program has enhanced its periMH offerings in psychopharmacology, perinatal epigenetics and neurobiology, psychodynamic and interpersonal psychotherapy, infant development and psychopathology, and parent-infant observation and dyadic assessment. We have also established community partnerships with the State Department of Corrections and Family-Nurse Partnership Programs, as well as disseminated knowledge on periMH by hosting two professional conferences for clinicians of larger communities (overall evaluation> 4/5).
Implication: We will discuss the feasibility of replicating the program at other nursing schools with either similar or dissimilar DNP specialty tracks.
Presentation Handouts
Significance: Nationally and in this state there are significant yet unmet needs for quality mental health care within perinatal care for diverse pregnant women, their fetuses, and their infant children. Research clearly shows that early childhood adversities—neglect, abuse, caregivers’ mental illnesses, and illicit drug use—are associated with subsequent onset of mental illness. Recent studies in epigenetics explain how a child’s early environment influences onset of mental illness. Despite these scientific advances, the U.S. and especially this state, have significant shortages of mental health care providers with this knowledge, including prescribers who treat children with mental illnesses and providers with specialty knowledge of infant and early childhood mental health. There is moreover a lack of efficient referral systems between providers of perinatal and mental health care.
Approach: In 2011 we secured three years of funding from the Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA) (D09HP22624) to 1) enhance the curricula (nine additional credits and periMH-focused clinical hours) of a generic PMHNP program; 2) recruit diverse clinical faculty and students; 3) establish community collaborations through clinical and capstone projects; and 4) to host a multidisciplinary annual conference on periMH.
Preliminary outcomes: For the 2011 and 2012 cohorts, 21 students enrolled into the periMH enhanced DNP-PMHNP program, and four of them completed the periMH component. Meanwhile, the program has enhanced its periMH offerings in psychopharmacology, perinatal epigenetics and neurobiology, psychodynamic and interpersonal psychotherapy, infant development and psychopathology, and parent-infant observation and dyadic assessment. We have also established community partnerships with the State Department of Corrections and Family-Nurse Partnership Programs, as well as disseminated knowledge on periMH by hosting two professional conferences for clinicians of larger communities (overall evaluation> 4/5).
Implication: We will discuss the feasibility of replicating the program at other nursing schools with either similar or dissimilar DNP specialty tracks.