Practicum Experience Plan (PEP)

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

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-TR 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 and/or any caregivers

Develop an age-appropriate individualized plan of care

Provide psychoeducation to individuals and/or any caregivers

Promote health and disease prevention techniques

Self-assessment skill:

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

As a nurse, I have several strengths that keeps me strong to work as a mental nurse.

My expertise and ability to spot the signs and symptoms of mental illness is one of my strengths as a mental health professional. After spending some time working in a psychiatric hospital, I can differentiate between psychiatric symptoms and medical symptoms with complete accuracy.

My second strength is the ability to effectively interact with other healthcare practitioners to offer appropriate care for patients. According to Delaney and Vanderhoef (2019), the collaboration between specialists is an essential strategy for improving the treatment outcomes of mental patients. My third strength is that I can authorize to administer and analyze results of mental status

examinations.

My fourth strength I can choose appropriate screening procedures for psychiatric patients. I am also able to analyze the results of the screening to design the treatment plan that is intended for the patient. My last strength is that I have the capacity to preserve professional boundaries while also fostering therapeutic relationships. According to Smythe et al. (2018), nurses have a responsibility to maintain a high level of professionalism in their work. Therefore, to accomplish the necessary capabilities throughout my internship experience, I will make use of the strengths that have been discussed previously.

During the internship, one of the areas for improvement that needs to be investigated is the development of abilities to implement the results of screening tests in psychiatric practice.

Although I have experience with a variety of screens for psychiatric patients, I have observed that the outcomes of these screenings are not always effectively implemented. To guarantee that I come out of my internship experience with the skills and knowledge necessary for this field of work, I will need to collaborate closely with members of my academic faculty as well as other healthcare professionals. The application of psychotherapy methods that are suitable for the patient's age is yet another area of development that I need to investigate during my internship experience. According to Zeeck et al. (2018), there is a wide variety of psychotherapy that can be utilized with individuals suffering from mental illness. The age of the patient is also a factor that must be addressed when providing treatment. I do not have the knowledge or the abilities necessary to be able to apply various forms of psychotherapy to patients of varying ages who seek treatment in psychiatric practice. Because of this, I need to gain the necessary abilities in the application of psychotherapy to be able to give psychiatric patients with care that is high-quality, risk-free, and effective. Assessing the efficacy of care provided to psychiatric patients is another area of development that needs to be investigated throughout the internship.

Notify you of any adjustments to ensure the highest possible level of care for your patients. When it comes to evaluating psychiatric care, I don't feel as though I have the necessary knowledge or skills. As a result, one of my goals for the internship is to enhance the talents I already possess in this area.

1. Goal: To equip participants with the skills necessary to conduct mental illness screenings by the time the internship ends

a. Objective: To perform the interpretation of the results of at least ten psychiatric screenings every week while I am doing my internship

b. Objective: To construct at least ten treatment plans for psychotic patients based on the screening data gathered from those individuals while participating in the internship

c. Objective: To collaborate with the instructors and other healthcare professionals at the internship site to interpret and put into action treatment programs for psychotic patients while they are enrolled in the internship program

2. Goal: To achieve the level of competence required to provide a variety of psychotherapy therapies to psychotic patients of varying ages

a. Objective: To acquire knowledge regarding the several psychotherapy modalities that are utilized by the psychotic patients.

b. Objective: To put into practice the utilization of a variety of psychotherapy modalities to provide care for patients of varying ages

c. Objective: To collaborate with my professors and other healthcare professionals in the management of a variety of mental illnesses.

3. Goal: To have developed abilities in the evaluation of psychiatric treatment

a. Objective: To assess the treatment plans of at least 10 patients on a weekly basis

b. Objective: To provide interventions that are supported by evidence to conduct psychiatric treatment evaluations.

c. Objective: To participate in an evaluation of mental therapy alongside my instructor