See checklist below
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Before embarking on any professional or academic activity, it is important to understand the background, knowledge, and experience you bring to it. You might ask yourself, “What do I already know? What do I need to know? And what do I want to know?” This critical self-reflection is especially important for developing clinical skills such as those for advanced practice nursing.
The Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) Clinical Skills List and Clinical Skills Self-Assessment Form provided in the Learning Resources can be used to celebrate your progress throughout your practicum and identify skills gaps. The list covers all necessary skills you should demonstrate during your practicum experiences.
Just as you did in PRAC 6635, for this Assignment, you assess where you are now in your clinical skill development and make plans for this practicum. Specifically, you will identify strengths and opportunities for improvement regarding the required practicum skills. In this practicum experience, when developing your goals and objectives, be sure to keep assessment and diagnostic reasoning in mind.
To Prepare
- Review the resources and clinical skills in the PMHNP Clinical Skills List document. It is recommended that you print out this document to serve as a guide throughout your practicum.
- Review the “Developing SMART Goals” resource on how to develop goals and objectives that follow the SMART framework.
- Review the resources on nursing competencies and nursing theory and consider how these inform your practice.
- Download the Clinical Skills Self-Assessment Form to complete this Assignment.
Assignment
Use the PMHNP Clinical Skills Self-Assessment Form to complete the following:
- Rate yourself according to your confidence level performing the procedures identified on the Clinical Skills Self-Assessment Form.
- Based on your ratings, summarize your strengths and opportunities for improvement.
- Based on your self-assessment and theory of nursing practice, develop 3–4 measurable goals and objectives for this practicum experience. Include them on the designated area of the form.
PMHNP PRAC 6645 Clinical Skills
Self-Assessment Form
| Desired Clinical Skills for Students to Achieve | Confident (Can complete independently) | Mostly confident (Can complete with supervision) | Beginning (Have performed with supervision or need supervision to feel confident) | New (Have never performed or does not apply) | ||
| Comprehensive psychiatric evaluation skills in: | ||||||
| Recognizing clinical signs and symptoms of psychiatric illness across the lifespan | ||||||
| Differentiating between pathophysiological and psychopathological conditions | ||||||
| Performing and interpreting a comprehensive and/or interval history and physical examination (including laboratory and diagnostic studies) | ||||||
| Performing and interpreting a mental status examination | ||||||
| Performing and interpreting a psychosocial assessment and family psychiatric history | ||||||
| Performing and interpreting a functional assessment (activities of daily living, occupational, social, leisure, educational). | ||||||
| Diagnostic reasoning skill in: | ||||||
| Developing and prioritizing a differential diagnoses list | ||||||
| Formulating diagnoses according to DSM 5 based on assessment data | ||||||
| Differentiating between normal/abnormal age-related physiological and psychological symptoms/changes | ||||||
| Pharmacotherapeutic skills in: | ||||||
| Selecting appropriate evidence based clinical practice guidelines for medication plan (e.g., risk/benefit, patient preference, developmental considerations, financial, the process of informed consent, symptom management) | ||||||
| Evaluating patient response and modify plan as necessary | ||||||
| Documenting (e.g., adverse reaction, the patient response, changes to the plan of care) | ||||||
| Psychotherapeutic Treatment Planning: | ||||||
| Recognizes concepts of therapeutic modalities across the lifespan | ||||||
| Selecting appropriate evidence based clinical practice guidelines for psychotherapeutic plan (e.g., risk/benefit, patient preference, developmental considerations, financial, the process of informed consent, symptom management, modality appropriate for situation) | ||||||
| Applies age appropriate psychotherapeutic counseling techniques with individuals, families, and/or groups | ||||||
| Develop an age appropriate individualized plan of care | ||||||
| Provide psychoeducation to individuals, family, and/or groups | ||||||
| Promote health and disease prevention techniques | ||||||
| Self-Assessment skills: | ||||||
| Develop SMART goals for practicum experiences | ||||||
| Evaluating outcomes of practicum goals and modify plan as necessary | ||||||
| Documenting and reflecting on learning experiences | ||||||
| Professional skills: | ||||||
| Maintains professional boundaries and therapeutic relationship with clients and staff | ||||||
| Collaborate with multi-disciplinary teams to improve clinical practice in mental health settings | ||||||
| Identifies ethical and legal dilemmas with possible resolutions | ||||||
| Demonstrates non-judgmental practice approach and empathy | ||||||
| Practices within scope of practice | ||||||
| Selecting and implementing appropriate screening instrument(s), interpreting results, and making recommendations and referrals: | ||||||
| Demonstrates selecting the correct screening instrument appropriate for the clinical situation | ||||||
| Implements the screening instrument efficiently and effectively with the clients | ||||||
| Interprets results for screening instruments accurately | ||||||
| Develops an appropriate plan of care based upon screening instruments response | ||||||
| Identifies the need to refer to another specialty provider when applicable | ||||||
| Accurately documents recommendations for psychiatric consultations when applicable | ||||||
Summary of strengths: No more than five sentences
Opportunities for growth: No more than five sentences
Now, write three to four (3–4) possible goals and objectives for this practicum experience. Ensure that they follow the SMART Strategy, as described in the Learning Resources.
| Goal: one sentence or two on goalsObjective: No more than Two sentences on each objectiveObjective:Objective:Goal:Objective:Objective:Objective: Goal: Objective:Objective:Objective: Goal:Objective:Objective:Objective: |
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