Discussion: Examining Nursing Specialties

NURS 6003 Discussion: Examining Nursing Specialties

Discussion: Examining Nursing Specialties

My first step when choosing a nursing specialty within the program was to know what I absolutely did not want to do within this profession.  I Immediately knew that I was not interested in psychiatric nursing, pediatrics or maternity.  Nursing education is a specialty that I am very interested in, but not at this time.  I would love to be an adjunct faculty at a college or university once I have been a nurse for 15 years or greater.  Having been a nurse for only 7 years, I believe that gaining more experience in the field will help me to become an even better instructor. 

Moreover, I realized that I was no longer interested in working in a hospital setting so the acute care nurse practitioner program also did not seem like a good fit for me.  I chose the adult gerontology primary care nurse practitioner (AG PCNP) program because I wanted to work with the older population and build long-term relationships with my patients. I also like the fact that this specialty’s scope of practice is based on patient needs rather than the setting itself (Adult-Gerontology NP Competencies Work Group, 2016).

Professional organizations seek to advance the profession and interests of its members.  However, the cost of membership can be a deterrent for many nurses especially if a nurse wants to become a member of multiple organizations.  Since membership to these organizations comes at a cost, it would behoove the nurse to take time choosing an organization to join.  Choosing the right organization includes ensuring that membership in a particular organization is in line with personal and professional goals (Echevarria, 2018).  As a future AG PCNP, I am interested in becoming a member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). 

I believe that no matter the specialty, it is extremely important to build a solid foundation as I advance in the nursing profession in a new role.  This organization provides flexibility with membership, offering six options for membership based on where you are in your career.  For example, there is a student NP membership with an annual fee of $55.  This membership is made specifically for the student nurse practitioner who does not have experience in the role.  It provides opportunities for networking and free continuing education courses to facilitate career growth (American Association of Nurse Practitioners, n.d.).  In order to apply for membership, simply click the link that says “Join AANP” and the user will be redirected to another page for which they will be given prompts to join.  Licensing information is required and the annual fee is due at the time of registration (American Association of Nurse Practitioners, n.d.).

References

Adult-Gerontology NP Competencies Work Group. (2016). Adult-gerontology acute care and primary care NP competencies. https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.nonpf.org/resource/resmgr/competencies/NP_Adult_Geri_competencies_4.pdf

American Association of Nurse Practitioners.  N.d.  Membership.  Retrieved November 1, 2021 from https://www.aanp.org/membership

Echevarria, I. M. (2018). Make connections by joining a professional nursing organization. Nursing, 48(12), 35–38.

ORDER NOW FOR AN ORIGINAL PAPER ASSIGNMENT: Discussion: Examining Nursing Specialties

My 20 plus years in nursing is composed of a lot of experiences in many settings and roles and many starts and stops in returning to school. I’m no longer a spring chicken. I think reaching my mid 40’s may have been my propellant to go back to school (and to actually commit to finishing!). Returning to the bedside and taking the stress of leadership responsibilities off my shoulders helped me remember why I became a nurse in the first place and inspired me to do as much as I can to help more. This reckoning was why I decided to return to school and obtain my MSN.

Now that I knew the what and the when, I needed to decide what specialty. I reviewed the descriptions of the different MSN specialty tracks in the online Walden student handbook (waldenu.edu, 2921).  I knew my feelings towards leadership were strong enough to drop an anvil on any leadership specialties and I crossed that off my list right away. I wanted something that would allow me to provide the most help to the most people and allow me to be the most marketable to the widest net of opportunities. This is why I chose the Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) route. My second choice was Adult Gerontological Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGPCNP). I decided against the AGPCNP because I did not want to have any limit on the type of patient’s I would be able to see and treat.

The second part of our discussion this week focuses on affiliation with professional organizations within our chosen field. Our class resources gave us many articles on the importance and benefits of becoming active members in professional organizations. Such benefits include professional development, continuing education, and networking (Echevarria, I., 2018). Larger professional organization also provide membership benefits such as annual national conferences, discounts on goods and services, and the opportunity to earn professional credits (Quin-Szcesuil, 2016).  In reviewing the many nurse practitioner organizations, I decided on the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). The AANP formed by combining the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners and the American College of Nurse Practitioners. (nursepractitionerschools.com). Members of the AANP are described as having the opportunity to make a difference in the strength of the Nurse Practitioner profession. That speaks to me and is in keeping with my personal and professional goals (https://www.aanp.org/membership).

.

References

Be a part of the voice of the nurse practitioner. (n.d.). AANP: American Association of Nurse Practitioners. Retrieved February 14, 2021, from https://www.aanp.org/membership

Echevarria, I. M. (2018). Make connections by joining a professional nursing organization. Nursing, 48(12), 35–38. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.nurse.0000547721.84857.cb

Master of science in nursing. (n.d.). Walden University. Retrieved February 14, 2021, from https://www.waldenu.edu/online-masters-programs/master-of-science-in-nursing

Quinn-Szcesuil, J. (2016, March 25). Why you should join a nursing association. Dailynurse.com. Retrieved February 14, 2021, from https://dailynurse.com/join-nursing-association/

staff writers. (2020, October 26). List of national, international, & states nurse practitioner associations. nursepractitionerschools.com. Retrieved February 14, 2021, from https://www.nursepractitionerschools.com/blog/np-associations-list/

I agree with your choice of Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) and Adult Gerontological Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGPCNP) options as avenues to reach to more people, be more marketable and cast out the widest net of opportunities. The FNP provide a wide range of healthcare services across members of the family of varying ages (Heale et al., 2018). They provide primary care in terms of conducting diagnostic checks and screening for diseases and symptoms, give the treatment and even order for more tests, in general they assume a number of roles and are held more responsible at promoting the health of all the family members.

On the other hand, the Adult Gerontological Primary Care Nurse Practitioner offer routine checkups, assessments, immunizations, health counselling and education. I do also agree with you that it is imperative for any practicing nurse to join a professional association to be able to promote career development, increased avenues of continuing education and broaden the professional networks that could be the connections for future job search and opportunities (Gaines, 2019).

References

Heale, R., Dahrouge, S., Johnston, S., & Tranmer, J. E. (2018). Characteristics of Nurse Practitioner Practice in Family Health Teams in Ontario, Canada. Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice, 19(3-4), 72–81. https://doi.org/10.1177/1527154418792538

Gaines, K. (2019, October 11). You Should Join a Nursing Organization. Here’s Why. Nurse.org. https://nurse.org/articles/benefits-of-nursing-organizations/

Learning Resources
Required Readings

Cherry, B., Caramanica, L, Everett, L. Q., Fennimore, L., & Elaine, S. (2019). Leveraging the
power of board leadership in professional nursing organizations. JONA: The Journal of Nursing
Administration, 49(11), 517-519.

Echevarria, I. M. (2018). Make connections by joining a professional nursing organization.
Nursing, 48(12), 35–38.

Quinn-Szcesuil, J. (2016). Why you should join a nursing association. Retrieved from
https://dailynurse.com/join-nursing-association/

Truant, R., & Chan, R. J. (2017). Future ready: Strengthening oncology nursing leadership in the
context of professional oncology nursing organizations. Canadian Oncology Nursing Journal,
27(1), 2-4.

Walden University. (n.d.). Master of Science in Nursing (MSN). Retrieved October 12, 2018,
from https://www.waldenu.edu/masters/master-of-science-in-nursing

Document: Academic Success and Professional Development Plan Template (Word document)

Choose among the following to review your specialization’s Scope and Standards of
Practice or Competencies:

American Nurses Association. (2015). Nursing informatics: Scope and standards of practice
(2nd ed.). Silver Spring, MD: Author.

Nursing Informatics

E-book: Nursing Informatics: Scope and Standards of Practice

 “The Scope of Nursing Informatics Practice: Functional Areas of Nursing
Informatics” (pp. 18–3

Nursing Education
Website: Competencies for the Academic Nurse Educator
National League for Nursing. (2019). Nurse educator core competency. Retrieved from
http://www.nln.org/professional-development-programs/competencies-for-nursing-
education/nurse-educator-core-competency
Note: The competencies for the Academic Nurse Educator do not encompass the competencies
or scope and standards of practice for the Nursing Professional Developer. The set of
competencies associated with that specific role within the Nurse Education specialization will be
examined in future competencies throughout your specialization program of study.

Nurse Executive
Website: Nurse Executive Competencies
American Organization for Nursing Leadership. (2015). AONL Nurse Executive competencies.
Retrieved from https://www.aonl.org/resources/nurse-leader-competencies

Public Health Nursing
Website: Public Health Nurse Competencies
Quad Council Coalition. (2018). Community/Public Health Nursing [C/PHN] competencies.
Retrieved from http://www.quadcouncilphn.org/documents-3/2018-qcc-competencies/

American Nurses Association. (2013). Public health nursing: Scope and standards of practice
(2nd ed.) Silver Spring, MD: Author.

Public Health Nursing
E-book: Public Health Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice

Optional Resources

Walden University. (n.d.). Subject Research: Nursing. Retrieved November 9, 2018, from
https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/library/subject/nursing

A PMHNP is a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. They are registered nurses who have specialized in psychiatric mental health nursing and who have completed a Master’s degree in psychiatric mental health nursing. PMHNPs work with patients who have a range of mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and borderline personality disorder (Cherry et al., 2019). They provide assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and counseling for their patients. They may also prescribe medication to their patients as needed.

There are many reasons why I developed interest in PMHNP. My own choice of specialty was informed by personal experience with mental health problems that hat has negatively impacted the lives of my close family members. This is one of the reasons I feel so passionate about working in this field. It was hard for me to make this choice of becoming a PMHNP then I realized this was my passion to help others and my family with mental illness all along. It was not a hard decision for me to choose PMHNP because I had so much experience with it dealing with mentally ill patients has always been my passion.

Comparison between FNP and PMHNP

There are a few key differences between Family Nurse Practitioners (FNP) and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (PMHNP). First, the focus of care. FNPs graduates are prepared to provide primary care for families, whereas PMHNP graduates focus specifically on mental health disorders. This can include diagnosing and treating mental illnesses, providing psychotherapy, and prescribing medications (Cherry et al., 2019). Second, the level of training. FNPs complete a Master’s degree, while PMHNPs earn a Doctorate in Nursing Practice.

Finally, FNPs are certified through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), while PMHNPS are certified through the American Nurses Association’s Commission on Psychiatric Nursing Certification (Buppert, 2020). Mental illness is often misunderstood and fear-driven, but it is important to remember that these are real illnesses that impact real people’s lives. As a psychiatric nurse, I would have the opportunity to help people who are struggling with these conditions regain their health and quality of life.

There are a few different roles that graduates may hold within the Family Nurse Practitioner specialty. Some may work in clinics or doctor’s offices, while others may work in hospitals or other healthcare settings. Many FNPs also work in rural and underserved areas, providing much-needed care to those who might not have access to it otherwise. FNPs can provide primary care to patients of all ages, from infants to seniors. They can diagnose and treat illnesses, order and interpret tests, prescribe medications, and provide education and counseling on various health topics. They also help patients manage chronic conditions like diabetes or heart disease.

Massachusetts Association of Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses (MAAPPN) is one of the professional nursing organization that is involved in the regulation of PMHNP nurses. This professional organization composed of psychiatric nurse practitioners and certified registered nurse anesthetists (Beck et al., 2020). The MAAPPN is the only statewide organization that represents advanced practice psychiatric nurses in Massachusetts. The MAAPPN provides advocacy, education, and networking opportunities to its members.

It also promotes the role of psychiatric nurse practitioners and certified registered nurse anesthetists in the provision of mental health care in Massachusetts. To become a member of the MAAPPN, one must be a licensed psychiatric nurse practitioner or certified registered nurse anesthetist residing in Massachusetts (Beck et al., 2020). To join as an APRN, one must first verify their membership eligibility and then complete the online MAAPPN Member Application plus the required fees.

References

Beck, A. J., Page, C., Buche, J., & Gaiser, M. (2020). The distribution of advanced practice nurses within the psychiatric workforce. Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, 26(1), 92-96. https://doi.org/10.1177/1078390319886366

Buppert, C. (2020). Nurse practitioner’s business practice and legal guide. Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Cherry, B., Caramanica, L., Everett, L. Q., Fennimore, L., & Scott, E. (2019). Leveraging the power of board leadership in professional nursing organizations. JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration, 49(11), 517-519. https://journals.lww.com/jonajournal/Abstract/2019/11000/Leveraging_the_Power_of_Board_Leadership_in.2.aspx

Echevarria, I. M. (2018). Make connections by joining a professional nursing organization. Nursing2020, 48(12), 35-38. https://journals.lww.com/nursing/FullText/2018/12000/Make_connections_by_joining_a_professional_nursing.12.aspx

Mental health is a very interesting topic, not a lot of people have the strength or fortitude to follow such a complex health care area. I know that working in long-term care there are so many patients that their mental health is a last resort and only gets addressed when they begin to develop behaviors that become dangerous to other residents or to the healthcare providers themselves. Even then you really do not know the extent to which their mental health is affected due to some of them having dementia and other health concerns that sometimes mask the true complexities of the mental health issue. I wish you the best in your pursuits.

I have been a nurse for almost ten years now, and over that time, I have learned a lot about life and developed compassion and a desire to care for others in a way that matters. I have developed both as a nurse and as a person who views helping others as a profession. I was able to work with various patient demographics as a result of this. From emergency room, geriatrics, critical care, and psychiatric healthcare. The desire to assist persons in need of psychiatric and mental health services grew over time. In addition to realizing my lifelong goal of providing care for people with mental illnesses, earning a PMHNP degree will advance my professional nursing abilities as a nurse and a leader. 

Due to the support of a friend and mentor who has completed both family practice nurse practitioner and PMHNP, choosing a PMHNP specialization was not challenging. But if somebody is having trouble making a decision, joining nursing specialty groups like the American Nurses Association (ANA) might provide some guidance. ANA is pleased to cooperate with it is affiliate partners to support members’ interactions, information sharing, and cooperative work with other specialty nurses (ANA, n.d.). These organizations are very helpful for nursing students when deciding what field they wish to practice in (Olin, 2018). Some of these groups have affordable student membership rates. 

Making a decision about the specialty was not difficult, as was already said. My experience in many nursing specialties, including behavioral health, has exposed me to what is required of people in these fields. It took five years and two months for me to even consider returning to school. It is obvious that PMHNP is the best decision thanks to a friend who served as inspiration and recent experience dealing with mentally sick and psychiatric patients. Another compelling argument for choosing PMHNP is the increased need for mental health professionals. NPs need to collaborate in order to address one of the biggest health challenges in America, which is mental illness (AANP, n.d.). 

American Association of Nurse Practitioners and American College of Nurse Practitioners merged to establish the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) in 2020, giving nurse practitioners a single platform to network and advocate for their causes (AANP, n.d.). Logging into their website and paying the membership dues is the only way to join this organization. Students, post-masters students, career starters, retired nurses practitioners, and associates are among the fee categories. The yearly cost for nurse practitioner students is not too much. Joining AANP gives you access to the network of like-minded NPs interested in psychiatry and mental health, which is a developing specialized practice group (AANP, n.d.). 

  

References 

American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). (n.d.) Retrieved from 

            https://www.aanp.org/membership/specialty-practice-groups/psych-and-mental-healthspecialty-practice-group A 

American Nurses Association (ANA). (n.d.) (2022, October 31). Retrieved October 31, 2022, from https://www.apna.org/ 

Olin, I. (2018). Five Reasons to Join A Nursing Specialty Association. Retrieved from http://www.rncentral.com/blog/2022/five- 

            reasons-to-join-a-nursing-specialty-  association