Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Essay Paper
Implications of Full Practice Authority (FPA) as It Pertains to the Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP)
Full practice authority or FPA refers to the legislative policy in some states in the United States of America that allows advanced practice nurses such as nurse practitioners to practice autonomously (Dillon & Gary, 2017). The reason for this is that there are some other states that have restricted the practice of APNs and thus require them to enter into a collaborative agreement with a practicing physician. Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Essay Paper It is this practicing physician that will supervise the APN as they work and oversight everything that they do (Harkey et al., 2017; Peterson, 2017). In these states, the APN practice allowed is known as either reduced practice (less supervision) or restricted practice (very close supervision and limitation of clinical roles). Currently, a total of 22 states and the District of Columbia allow FPA (AANP, 2021). The purpose of this paper is to answer the question as to whether PMHNPs should all have FPA.
The Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP): Implications of FPA
The implications of FPA for the PMHNP are immense and far-reaching. To begin with, mental health is an area that does not have enough clinicians at the primary health care level. For this reason, reducing the burden of disease for underserved populations requires that PMHNPs be allowed the autonomy to assess, investigate, prescribe, and follow up clients across the lifespan. Curtailing their practice by unnecessary supervision by physicians will only serve to deny the deserving communities the basic mental health care that they need. The other implication is that since the PMHNP will be practising autonomously, they must be at the top of their game so to speak. That means they must be board-certified after passing the certification examination (ANCC, n.d.). This will prove that they are competent and knowledgeable enough for independent and autonomous practice. Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Essay Paper
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Indeed, all nurse practitioners (NPs) should have FPA so that they can deliver the cost-effective care that the population so deserves especially at the rural and grassroots levels. By restricting the practice of NPs, it is the poor and marginalized communities that they would have helped that are being punished.
Conclusion
Autonomous practice or FPA allows the NP to exercise independence and apply the knowledge, experience, and skills that they have accumulated over the years to help deserving populations affordably. This is why all PMHNPs need to be allowed autonomous practice in all states. There are very few mental health professionals yet the burden of disease is very high.
References
ANCC [American Nurses Credentialing Centre] (n.d.). Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (Across the Lifespan) Certification (PMHNP-BC). https://www.nursingworld.org/our-certifications/psychiatric-mental-health-nurse-practitioner/
American Association of Nurse Practitioners [AANP] (April 8, 2021). State practice environment. https://www.aanp.org/advocacy/state/state-practice-environment
Dillon, D. & Gary, F. (2017). Full practice authority for nurse practitioners. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 41(1), 86-93. https://doi.org/10.1097/naq.0000000000000210
Harkey, K., Little, S., & Lazear, J. (2017). The struggle for full practice in North Carolina. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 13(2), 131–137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nurpra.2016.08.025
Peterson, M.E. (2017). Barriers to practice and the impact on health care: A nurse practitioner focus. Journal of the Advanced Practitioner in Oncology, 8(1), 74-81. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5995533/
