Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online 2009-4
A Comparison of the Practices of Psychiatric Clinical Nurse Specialists and Nurse Practitioners Who Are Certified to Provide Mental Health Care for Children and Adolescents
BACKGROUND: A task force of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association and the International Society of Psychiatric Mental Health Nurses initiated a survey to identify how advanced practice psychiatric nurses were addressing the mental health needs of children and adolescents.OBJECTIVES:Practice patterns of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric—Mental Health Nurses (CACNSs) and Family Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners (FPNPs) were compared. DESIGN:An electronic survey was completed by 234 CACNSs and 170 FPNPs from a national database. Group data were compared using descriptive and inferential statistics.RESULTS:Both groups spent the greatest percentage of their time in medication management, with depression being the most frequent problem they treated. However, CACNSs treated more school-aged children and provided more psychotherapy. FPNPs frequently merged prescribing and therapy when seeing patients.CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicate more commonalities than differences in the practices of the two certification groups but suggest the need for standards that will inform educational programs and certification examinations.
Allen, P.J. (2004). Pediatric content hours in FNP programs. In Shaping new paradigms for nurse practitioner education. Washington, DC: National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties.
2.
Andrews, G., & Titov, N. (2007). Depression is very disabling. Lancet, 370, 808-809.
3.
American Nurses Credentialing Center. (2002 ). Renewing, 2001 annual report.
4.
American Nurses Credentialing Center. (2008 ). American Nurses Credentialing Center statistics on certification examinations 2005-2007. Retrieved July 20, 2008, from http://www.nursecredentialing.org
5.
American Psychiatric Nurses Association. ( 2003). Professional titling and credentialing: Advanced practice registered nurse- psychiatric/mental health. Retrieved MArch 6, 2009, from http://www.apna.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3349
6.
Bjorklund, P. (2003). The certified psychiatric nurse practitioner: Advanced practice psychiatric nursing reclaimed. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 17, 77-87.
7.
Cunningham, P. (1999). The psychiatric family nurse practitioner: A collaborator in family practice. Primary Care Companion to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 1, 15-17.
8.
Delaney, K. (2005). The psychiatric nurse practitioner 1993-2003: A decade that unsettled a specialty. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 19, 107-115.
9.
Knight, C. (1998). The future of clinical nurse specialists in psychiatric-mental health nursing. New Jersey Nurse, 28, 12-13.
10.
Koppelman, J. (2004, October 26). The provider system for children's mental health: Workforce capacity and effective treatment. National Health Policy Forum. No. 801.
11.
McCabe, S., & Grover, S. (1999). Psychiatric nurse practitioner versus clinical nurse specialist: Moving from debate to action on the future of advanced psychiatric nursing. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 13, 111-116.
12.
Mick, D., & Ackerman, M. (2002). Deconstructing the myth of the advanced practice blended role: Support for role divergence. Heart and Lung , 31, 393-398.
13.
Moller, M., & Haber, J. ( 1996). Advanced practice psychiatric nursing: The need for a blended role. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 2(1). Retrieved March 6, 2009, from http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/Vol21997/No1Jan97/ArticlePreviousTopic/AdvancedPracticePsychiatricNursing.aspx
14.
National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists. (2005, July). White paper on certification of clinical nurse specialists. Harrisburg, PA: Author.
15.
Rice, M., Moller, M., DePascale, C., & Skinner, L. (2007). APNA and ANCC collaboration: Achieving consensus on future credentialing for advanced practice psychiatric and mental health nursing. Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association , 13, 153-159.
16.
Staten, R., Hamera, E., Hanrahan, N., Hillyer, D., Limandri, B., Phoenix, B., et al. (2005). Advanced practice psychiatric nurses: 2005 legislative update. Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, 11, 371-380.
17.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ( 2001). The surgeon general's national action agenda on child mental health. Rockville, MD: U.S. Public Health Service.
