WK2 ASSIGN2 PRAC 6675

Desired Clinical Skills for Students to Achieve

Confident (Can complete independently)

Mostly confident (Can complete with supervision)

Beginning (Have performed with supervision or needs 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

Yes

Differentiating between pathophysiological and psychopathological conditions 

Yes

Performing and interpreting a comprehensive and/or interval history and physical examination (including laboratory and diagnostic studies) 

Yes

Performing and interpreting a mental status examination 

Yes

Performing and interpreting a psychosocial assessment and family psychiatric history 

Yes

Performing and interpreting a functional assessment (activities of daily living, occupational, social, leisure, educational).

Yes

Diagnostic reasoning skill in:

Developing and prioritizing a differential diagnoses list

Yes

Formulating diagnoses according to DSM 5-TR based on assessment data 

Yes

Differentiating between normal/abnormal age-related physiological and psychological symptoms/changes

Yes

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) 

Yes

Evaluating patient response and modify plan as necessary 

Yes

Documenting (e.g., adverse reaction, the patient response, changes to the plan of care)

Yes

Psychotherapeutic Treatment Planning:

Recognizes concepts of therapeutic modalities across the lifespan

Yes

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) 

Yes

Applies age appropriate psychotherapeutic counseling techniques with individuals and/or any caregivers

Yes

Develop an age appropriate individualized plan of care

Yes

Provide psychoeducation to individuals and/or any caregivers

Yes

Promote health and disease prevention techniques

Self-assessment skill:

Develop SMART goals for practicum experiences 

Yes

Evaluating outcomes of practicum goals and modify plan as necessary 

Yes

Documenting and reflecting on learning experiences

Yes

Professional skills:

Maintains professional boundaries and therapeutic relationship with clients and staff

Yes

Collaborate with multi-disciplinary teams to improve clinical practice in mental health settings 

Yes

Identifies ethical and legal dilemmas with possible resolutions

Yes

Demonstrates non-judgmental practice approach and empathy

Yes

Practices within scope of practice

Yes

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 

Yes

Implements the screening instrument efficiently and effectively with the clients

Yes

Interprets results for screening instruments accurately

Yes

Develops an appropriate plan of care based upon screening instruments response

Yes

Identifies the need to refer to another specialty provider when applicable

Yes

Accurately documents recommendations for psychiatric consultations when applicable

Yes

The practicum experience has helped me identify the strengths I have that are vital in performing my roles in the clinical setting effectively. These strengths include the ability to perform psychiatric evaluations effectively with little or no supervision. In addition, I have effective diagnostic reasoning skills that I can use to effectively diagnose patients with mental disorders using vital diagnostic tools like laboratory tools and DSM-5 criteria. Further, I can adequate psychotherapeutic skills that I can use in treating psychiatric ailments and assessing patients’ reactions to the interventions. In addition, with adequate supervision, I can change patients’ care plan when they do not elicit the desired outcomes. Further, I have the capabilities needed to teach significant psychoeducational concepts to patients and their family members that will aid in enhancing the mental function of patients.

The opportunity for growth that I intend to pursue to ensure improve my professionalism include observing more experienced psychiatric professionals while they undertake critical functions such as examining patients with psychiatric ailments, perform functional assessment of patients and revise patients’ care plans to make them more effective. Learning from more experienced professionals will ensure that that I adopt approaches that are guaranteed to elicit positive outcomes to the treatment process. In addition, I plan to seek the help of a mentor, who will assist in identifying areas that I need to improve on and the strategies that can aid in enhancing my competency in these areas. Further, another opportunity of growth that I plan that explore is reflecting on the feedback that I received from my supervisors during the practicum experience and using them to enhance my proficiency in performing significant roles in the clinical setting.

1. Goal: Ensuring the safety of the patients under my care practicing the process of using the DSM-5 criteria to diagnose five different psychological disorders every month.

a. Objective: Diagnose as many psychiatric conditions as possible accurately by the end of the field experience.

b. Objective: Recognize the clinical manifestations of different mental disorders

c. Objective: Carry out a differential diagnosis of psychiatric conditions that have similar symptoms.

2. Goal: Using the first fifteen minutes of an interaction with a client to take a detailed history that will increase the efficiency of the treatment process.

a. Objective: Using effective interviewing skills while compiling patients’ medical history to ensure that there is sufficient data needed to make accurate diagnosis.

b. Objective: Establishing an effective relationship with clients that will promote sharing of information such as educating them on the self-care strategies they can use to promote their mental health and wellbeing.

c. Objective: Collecting adequate information that supports the creation of an effective treatment plan for the patient.

3. Goal: To grow professionally by participating in at least two educational programs that enlighten psychiatric professionals on the effective approaches to use while handling different mental disorders in the clinical setting by the end of the year.

a. Objective: Join professional organization to have access to seminars and workshops that teach significant concepts about mental health care

b. Objective: Learn from more experienced professionals in the field about how to perform different vital processes in while treating patients.

c. Objective: Practicing concepts learned in class to improve my efficiency in handling patients with different medical disorders.