Journal Entry

Master of Science in Nursing  

Practicum Experience Plan

The development of a practicum experience plan is significant as I determine my goals and objectives for this course. The practicum experience plan acts as a planned, supervised, and evaluated practice experience guideline during the activities of the course (Demir & Ercan, 2018). The practicum experience plan helps in providing an opportunity for specifying how classroom learning will be applied in the work environment and the planned activities for observing and learning from professionals in the field (Fiedler et al., 2017). The objectives discussed in this practical experience plan are in relation to my self-assessment regarding clinical skills. The purpose of this paper is to discuss three of my individualized practicum learning objectives, planned activities for these objectives, the mode of assessment, and the course outcomes that will be addressed in the process.

Part 2: Individualized Practicum Learning Objectives

Objective 1: To improve my skills and techniques in psychiatrist assessments and evaluations when addressing the health issues of mental health patients by week 10.

Planned Activities: To successfully assess and evaluate a minimum of 80 patients during the practicum for the purpose of enhancing my knowledge about the efficient skills and techniques to be used for similar patients.

Mode of Assessment: A documentation of at least 80 patient encounters in meditrek.

PRAC Course Outcome(s) Addressed:

· Assess psychiatric-mental health advanced practice nursing skills for strengths and opportunities.

Objective 2: To improve my ability in identifying the correct diagnosis and prioritizing the differential list by week 10.

Planned Activities: I will observe my preceptor conduct at least 1 psychiatric assessment and use the information to develop the correct diagnosis and prioritize the differential list. I will then independently conduct 3 comprehensive psychiatric assessments and utilize the information in developing the correct diagnosis and correctly prioritizing the differential list.

Mode of Assessment: A documentation of at least 3 independent comprehensive psychiatric assessments with correct diagnoses and correct prioritized differential lists in meditrek (Goolsby & Grubbs, 2018).

PRAC Course Outcome(s) Addressed:

· Apply advanced practice nursing assessment and diagnosis skills in mental health settings.

· Formulate differential diagnoses for patients across the lifespan

Objective 3: To enhance my ability to identify the correct assessment tool or scale utilized in diagnosis by week 10.

Planned Activities: I will consult my preceptor about the appropriate tools used in various diagnoses. I will also obtain evidence-based research information about the various tools/scales and their appropriate use in diagnosis (McGuiness et al., 2019). I will independently identify correctly at least 3 assessment tools or scales that aide in specific diagnoses.

Mode of Assessment: A documentation in meditrek about at least 3 correct and independent identification of the assessment tool or scale required in the specific diagnosis (Gold & Frierson, 2017).

PRAC Course Outcome(s) Addressed:

· Apply advanced practice nursing assessment and diagnosis skills in mental health settings.

Conclusion

As discussed above, the objectives of this practical experience plan are designed in a way that they will help me advance my clinical skills regarding psychiatric evaluation and diagnostic reasoning. This practical experience plan will act as an essential element in guiding my progress of the practical skills and experience throughout this course. Upon the successful completion of the objectives explained above, my skills will be enhanced and my general professional experience will also be improved.

References

Demir, S., & Ercan, F. (2018). The first clinical practice experiences of psychiatric nursing students: A phenomenological study. Nurse education today, 61, 146-152.

Fiedler, R. A., Breitenstein, S., & Delaney, K. (2017). An assessment of students’ confidence in performing psychiatric mental health nursing skills: The impact of the clinical practicum experience. Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, 18(4), 244-250.

Gold, L. H., & Frierson, R. L. (Eds.). (2017). The American Psychiatric Publishing textbook of forensic psychiatry. American Psychiatric Pub.

Goolsby, M. J., & Grubbs, L. (2018). Advanced assessment interpreting findings and formulating differential diagnoses. FA Davis.

McGuinness, T. M., Richardson, J. W., Nicholson, W. C., Carpenter, J., Cleveland, C.,

Rodney, K. Z., & Harper, D. C. (2019). Psychiatric nurse practitioner residents improve quality and mental health outcomes for veterans through measurement-

based care. The Journal for Healthcare Quality (JHQ), 41(2), 118-124.

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