PMHNP practice environment in Maryland Being the 21st state to allow nurses to practice independent of physician’s supervision, licensed Nurse Practitioners in Maryland can treat patients without superintendence of a medical care physician. An independent nurse practitioner can also set up his or her own clinic in Maryland and with registration by the state’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) registered nurses can also prescribe drugs.
The environment for a PMHNP in Maryland is non-restrictive. It does not require collaboration with a physician in order to make diagnostics and prescribe drugs and with a strong institutional establishment the practice is highly advantaged. Regardless of the prescriptive prerogative, hurdles preventing Nurse Practitioners from continuous care for patients may exist. This ultimately affects the overall outcome of the treatment procedure.
The reason for denying admitting privileges to Nurse Practitioners is not clear; however, some hospitals fancy Nurse Practitioner’s contribution thus hiring them to improve the quality of services, safety and continuity of care for the patients (Brassard & Smolenski, 2011). Comparison of the PMHNP practice environment in Maryland and Massachusetts Nurse Practitioners from Maryland and Massachusetts have the same educational qualifications, a four year Bachelors of Nursing followed Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) or a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree then certification by the nursing boards of the state However, in Massachusetts PMHNP practice environment is not autonomous.
The Nurse Practitioners must collaborate with a physician .A physician supervises the Nurse Practitioners prescriptive management of patients and has authority on treatment protocols used by the nurse practitioners. This is quite contrary to what happens in Maryland where Nurse Practitioner’s practice is autonomous allowing practice without a physician’s involvement (Pearson LJ, 2011).Professional issues a new PMHNP will need to consider and address There are certain professional practice issues that a new PMHNP needs to consider before practicing. First Certification in the nursing category, this is done by the national certification bodies which vary from state to state. In order to be certified you need to have followed a set educational program that is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
Second Licensure and Credentialing this is done by nursing bodies of a given state, for instance Maryland board of nursing in the state of Maryland. Before earning a license the PMHNP must earn a specialty credential from an approved credentialing body. Licenses are renewed by the 20th day of the birth month annually. Lastly Relocation process, there is a wide variation in the scope of practice of PMHNP across different states this necessitates the acquisition of appropriate licensure, certifications and experience. For instance a license to practice in Maryland may be obtained by application using the Nurse Endorsement and Temporary License Application System (NETLAS) which may not be necessary if the practicing environments are the same. (Butts, J.B and Rich, K.L, 2013)A checklist for passing the national certification exam Certification is done by the American Nurses Credential Center (ANCC).
For Psychiatric mental health practitioners the board offers PMHNP-BC. The process begins with online application which is processed after a fortnight then followed by a computer based exam which ought to be done 90 days after completion of the online application. The exam tests on the course work which includes pharmacology, continuity of mental health care, ordering of treatment and modalities and promotion of mental health wellness among others.
Proper study of the course work culminates to passing of the exams. Examination fees range from $270 to $340 depending on the institution attended. Certifications should be renewed after five years. (Densen P, 2011)
REFERENCES
- Brassard, A., & Smolenski, M. (2011)
- Removing barriers to advanced practice registered nurse care: Hospital Privileges. Insight on the Issues, 55, 1-12 Pearson LJ, 2012.
- The Pearson Report 2012.
- The annual state-by-state national overview of nurse practitioner legislation and healthcare issues. Am J Nurse Pact 2012, 12(2):1–60.Butts, J.B and Rich, K.L (2013).
- Philosophies and theories for advanced nursing practice Jones and Bartlett publishersDensen P (2011).
- Challenges and opportunities facing medical education. Trans Aim clin climatol Assoc