Practicum Journal Entry: Safe Prescribing

Practicum Journal Entry: Safe Prescribing

There is probably no greater responsibility that the psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner assumes than the responsibility of prescribing medications. While someone can be harmed by psychotherapy, the level and intensity of the harm generally does not come to the same level of harm that can occur from improper prescribing. The PMHNP must understand his/her responsibility both at a state and federal level when it comes to prescribing medications. Practicum Journal Entry: Safe Prescribing.

In this Practicum Journal Assignment, you will explore the legalities associated with prescribing controlled substances, as well as what a DEA number is, how to obtain one, and, most importantly, how to prescribe controlled substances in your state. Practicum Journal Entry: Safe Prescribing.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

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• Analyze roles of the Drug Enforcement Administration
• Analyze PMHNP responsibilities when issued a DEA number
• Analyze DEA number application procedures
• Analyze state requirements for safe prescribing and prescription monitoring
• Analyze PMHNP responsibilities for safe prescribing and prescription monitoring
• Analyze Schedule II-V drug levels

** Assigned in Week 2 and submitted in Week 4.

To prepare for this Practicum Journal:

• Review the Learning Resources. Practicum Journal Entry: Safe Prescribing.

In 2-3 pages:

• Describe the role of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) as it pertains to the PMHNP.
• Explain your responsibilities when having a DEA number.
• Explain how you apply for a DEA number.
• Explain your state’s requirements for a safe prescribing and prescription monitoring program. Explain your responsibility as a PMHNP to follow these requirements.
• Provide an example of a drug you may prescribe from each of the Schedule II-V drug levels.

Practicum Journal Entry-NP, not above

My practicum experience has been important to me given that it has enabled me to link theoretical learning from the classroom to real clinical settings Practicum Journal Entry: Safe Prescribing. As an aspiring geriatric nurse practitioner, the practicum experience has enabled me to apply the knowledge that I acquire in the classroom in a clinical setting. Essentially, this has helped my transition process from a registered nurse to a nurse practitioner. This paper is a reflection of my practicum experiences and how they relate them to my professional goals and self-assessment of clinical skills that I identified in week 1. Practicum Journal Entry: Safe Prescribing.

The practicum learning agreement between the instructor and the masters of learning in science was approved for the goal to conduct my role as a nurse practitioner. To this point, the practicum experience has been very fascinating and exciting for me. It has enabled me to gain some level of understanding of my role as a geriatric nurse practitioner. Apparently, over the past one week, I had the opportunity to meet my preceptor, who explained some of the roles that I should expect as an adult-gerontology nurse practitioner. Additionally, it has helped me to gain a new mindset as my role changes from a registered nurse to an NP (Thomas et al., 2012). Practicum Journal Entry: Safe Prescribing.

The practicum experience has enabled me to enhance my skills for completing as well as conducting a physical examination for patients. Over the last one week, I had the opportunity to write a SOAP note for an elderly patient. Such skills are vital to nursing practitioners considering that they enable them to obtain data from patients to facilitate diagnosis (Tabloski, 2013). This has also helped me to transit the knowledge learned in class concerning comprehensive assessments in real clinical settings. As I continue with my practicum, I also to continue practicing this skill regularly to ensure that I master it to improve the care I offer elderly patients. Additionally, as I progress with the practicum, I hope to enhance my skill of conducting differential diagnoses accurately, which has been a difficult area for me.

Health promotion is a vital aspect of nurse practitioners (Thomas et al., 2012). The practicum experience has offered me the opportunity to provide an elderly patient with education on heart failure including the causes, management, and treatment. I hope to master this skill by practicing and researching more on the various methods that can enhance my provision of education to elderly patients (Tabloski, 2013) Practicum Journal Entry: Safe Prescribing. The practicum experience has somewhat enabled me to develop a sense of patient panel as well as understanding my daily duties as a nurse practitioner and scope of practice. This has been one of my major weaknesses as an aspiring NP Practicum Journal Entry: Safe Prescribing. With the help of my preceptor, I aspire to familiarize myself with the legal and ethical compliance in my state. To this point, my preceptor has enabled me to gain some understanding on some of these ethical and legal issues, especially when dealing with elderly patients (Buppert, 2018).

Prescribing medications is among the major competencies of a nurse practitioner (Buppert, 2018). By observing my preceptor, I have acquired some level of understanding on the process of prescribing medications as well as some of the techniques that I can apply to prevent medication errors, which can be detrimental for elderly patients, and a major ethical and legal issue for NPs (Buppert, 2018). Even though I have not had the opportunity to prescribe and titrate medications, I believe the experience of observing has been vital in preparing me for the future. Besides, it has also enabled me to observe the application of the theoretical aspect that I have learned in class for prescribing medications particularly to prevent legal and ethical implications.

References

Buppert, C. (2018). Nurse practitioner’s business practice and legal guide (6th ed.). Sudbury, MA: Bartlett & Jones Learning.

Tabloski, P. A. (2013). Gerontological nursing. Pearson Higher Ed.

Thomas, A. C., Crabtree, M. K., Delaney, K. R., Dumas, M. A., Kleinpell, R., Logsdon, C.,…Nativio, D. G. (2012). Nurse practitioner core competencies Practicum Journal Entry: Safe Prescribing.