tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9074972548016570400.comments2009-11-15T04:44:40.125-05:00APNAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10192750910074781333noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9074972548016570400.post-51186359758990642342008-11-09T09:19:00.000-05:002008-11-09T09:19:00.000-05:00Mary - Congratulations on passing the PMHNP exam! That's really exciting!! How are you adjusting to not being in school full-time? :) Thanks for the posting the first comment!Bonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00303320272510946331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9074972548016570400.post-36765637580244951372008-11-06T07:31:00.000-05:002008-11-06T07:31:00.000-05:00Congrat's Bonnie!<BR/>I was at the conference as well and it was so good! Last week I tool the PMH-NP exam and passed. I am now waiting on licensure and then I can go to work. I have worked inpatient psych for 11 years. I was hired to work on the same unit I have been with for the last 8 years. I am very excited to go to work as I have been in school for the last 2 years full-time. I went to UW Madison. I can say that going to grad school was the best thing I have ever done for myself. My interests are acute care psych, adult.<BR/>I look forward to reading your blog!<BR/>Mary Forslund PMH-NP, BCAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9074972548016570400.post-67726438997304871752008-06-30T01:39:00.000-04:002008-06-30T01:39:00.000-04:00It is kind of frustrating is it not?<BR/><BR/>Those are excellent questions. Why does it take so long/ What interest does ANCC in having this process take such a long time? It is not like grad school is cheap or there is an overflow of psych APRN's out there.<BR/><BR/>Surely our applications could be processed faster, and we could be emailed our ATT, e.g.<BR/><BR/>This lack of streamlining kind of reminds me of governemnt agencies back home...<BR/><BR/>PS. Thx for you comment. It is good to know there is somebody out there... ;)APNAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10192750910074781333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9074972548016570400.post-5748865723563582272008-06-26T02:48:00.000-04:002008-06-26T02:48:00.000-04:00Thank you for giving this information about APNA word out, I wnt to know more about this.<BR/>================================<BR/>sanjeeda<BR/>Florida Drug Rehab <BR/><A HREF="http://www.floridadrugrehab.com" REL="nofollow"><BR/>Florida Drug Rehab</A>sanjuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04316670201461243179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9074972548016570400.post-61308785175762080392008-06-25T10:36:00.000-04:002008-06-25T10:36:00.000-04:00I am currently in your situation Gisli and am unable to practice as an APRN. My employer has chosen to leave me in my current RN position until I have been certified and credentialed. I am not happy about this, but can understand that if they are not paid APRN wages for my services they certainly can't pay me. On the other hand it seems very cruel to tell someone that they can pratice as an APRN after graduation when in actuality they can not due to 3rd party reimbursments. <BR/><BR/>What I find even more frustrating is the certification process itself. All the paperwork that has to be sent into ANCC to verify our education is a little rediculous. If we had not graduated from an approved program, the director of the program would not sign our application to take the exam. I am gload that they at least have a computerized exam for my specialty now, but couldn't they put the applications on the internet as well to speed things up a bit. Why must we use snail mail to send everything in and why must they use snail mail to send us our window for taking the exam. I wish someone would help the ANCC update a little.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9074972548016570400.post-44348686622646782802008-06-12T13:41:00.000-04:002008-06-12T13:41:00.000-04:00Blessaður!<BR/>gott blogg hjá þér og gangi þér vel í nýja jobbinu.<BR/>kærlig hilsen<BR/>ÁsdisÁsdíshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11885491244539383379noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9074972548016570400.post-58461603086647554642008-06-12T00:50:00.000-04:002008-06-12T00:50:00.000-04:00Yupps.<BR/><BR/>You said it. We are often serving people at their most vulnerable. They have no energy left to watch out for harm from those supposed to shelter them.<BR/><BR/>Hopefully, the stronger the user movement gets, the less this will happen. <BR/><BR/>Hopefully...APNAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10192750910074781333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9074972548016570400.post-27731047761629946362008-06-04T11:23:00.000-04:002008-06-04T11:23:00.000-04:00Hi..<BR/><BR/>You said: <I>Could it be that there is still stigma in the community</I>..<BR/><BR/>That's unfortunately a given.. And it will in some part continue until entities even as basic as our news media resources start treating PWMIs (persons with mental illness) as the people they are.. Where media [bias] goes, so often goeth societal views..<BR/><BR/>That things like this happen as much as they do in the mental health care field is because we are speaking of care given to an unbelievably vulnerable population of health care seekers..<BR/><BR/>Because stigma continues to be alive and well in our Time, those seeking MH care soooo often wait until the ultimately worse of last moments before reaching out to this particular profession.. The vulnerable <I>finally</I> do reach out to their chosen professional's office because they have absolutely reached their very last straw in personal coping mechanisms, just for starters, say..<BR/><BR/>Sooo often all possible defense mechanisms are focused wholly literally on just staying alive from one moment to the next.. There is nothing left in reserve for protection against [human rights] violation..<BR/><BR/>Stigma again, PWMIs are also so often totally alone in this World.. Someone who is now vulnerable and thus in some way off their mark of fending for themselves is now additionally without another to intercede in their stead..<BR/><BR/>An actively involved (but sometimes difficult to establish) circle of support might have otherwise protected them from that of which you type by way of being cognizant of and capable of accountable follow through on possible abuse, neglect, or case mismanagement such as that of which you type, two cases that are just the very, very, <I>very</I> tip of the iceberg going on this very second as you read this..<BR/><BR/>Thank you so much for a very pro-active feeling blog out here.. Adding it to my must-come-backs to visit.. :)<BR/><BR/>Cyber hugs from Talking Rock, Georgia..Cindy Sue Causeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11898311279323737165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9074972548016570400.post-84174314148246171362008-05-10T09:06:00.000-04:002008-05-10T09:06:00.000-04:00Congratulations Gisli. You are one of many who will graduate this spring from a psychiatric/mental health advanced nursing program. We welcome you into our community of APNs and know that you will provide the very best care to those resilient and brave individuals who struggle to live with psychiatric illnesses. Thank you for working against the stigma of mental illness and those who care for people with emotional disorders. Those of us who are faculty and preceptors of this new generation of psych APNs, though the numbers may be few, are grateful for your colleagueships and know that you all will do great and wonderful things. Thank you too for the blog.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9074972548016570400.post-83183017355909501162008-04-20T19:57:00.000-04:002008-04-20T19:57:00.000-04:00No. I have not. I guess there are some safety concerns out there. Is there any data on that, that you know of?APNAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10192750910074781333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9074972548016570400.post-25527355884949266182008-04-12T19:10:00.000-04:002008-04-12T19:10:00.000-04:00An interesting question regarding restraint use in psychiatry. Each case may vary in answer, as you noted a PTSD patient would not be a good candidate for human restraints.<BR/>At the APRN meeting today we spoke about weighted blankets for psychiatry patients. Have you had any experience with the use of weighted blankets? Kathy SimpsonAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9074972548016570400.post-44569998691692160972008-04-07T03:14:00.000-04:002008-04-07T03:14:00.000-04:00Some references<BR/><BR/>Dunn, A.L., Trivedi, M.H., Kampert, J.B., Clark, C. G., Chambliss, H.O. (2005). Exercise treatment for depression: Efficacy and dose response. Am J Prev Med 28(1):1-8.<BR/><BR/>Dunn, A. L, Madhukar, H. Trivedi, M. H. and O'Neal, H. A. (2001). Physical activity dose-response effects on outcomes of depression and anxiety. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 33 no6 p. 587-597. <BR/><BR/>Lawlor, D. A. and Hopkerand, S. W. (2001). The effectiveness of exercise as an intervention in the management of depression: systematic review and meta-regression analysis of randomised controlled trials. BMJ;322:1–8.APNAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10192750910074781333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9074972548016570400.post-32134758277937399082008-03-16T22:00:00.000-04:002008-03-16T22:00:00.000-04:00Good mental health should be holistic in nature, that is from the ancient traditions, teach us there is an interplay between mind, body and spirit.<BR/><BR/>Being the voice of mental health means respecting how body and spirit also play into the mental and emotional realm of our inner natures.<BR/><BR/>Hopefully the future of APNP in the mental health field will have an appreciation of the spiritual as well as biological/physiological rhythyms of the person, in having harmony/disharmony with the cognitive and emotional states in the well/ not so well individual.<BR/> The current biopsychsocial model needs to be made more in tune with the essence of man in the real state and how we relate to the earth and our environment at large.<BR/><BR/>I'd add something about spirituality as a reason to join APNA. I'm not talking about religiosity. But rather how can spirituality be added to mental wellness models as well as healthy body parameters.<BR/><BR/>We should be practicioners that don't deny body and spirit influences on behavior.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9074972548016570400.post-89308857908895578072008-03-12T02:19:00.000-04:002008-03-12T02:19:00.000-04:00I guess another dimension of this penomenon is knowing when people are behaving "abnormally", whatever that means. <BR/><BR/>This business is so strange, doing assessment of human beings, deciding, or at least approximating what is normal and what is not.APNAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10192750910074781333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9074972548016570400.post-47393941167433403432008-03-12T02:14:00.000-04:002008-03-12T02:14:00.000-04:00Thanks for the feedback guys.<BR/><BR/>Great comments<BR/><BR/>I think the reality I will face, is either type, or stay until 8pm. <BR/><BR/>And I do like to see my kids awake, at least once in a while...APNAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10192750910074781333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9074972548016570400.post-11862003879534998202008-03-12T02:11:00.000-04:002008-03-12T02:11:00.000-04:00I had not thought of that.<BR/><BR/>This poem is like a swiss army knife, a hundred diffetrent uses.<BR/><BR/>I guess decisions like that are always dependent on a cost/benefit analysis. <BR/><BR/>GisliAPNAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10192750910074781333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9074972548016570400.post-24068001605543270542008-03-11T10:53:00.000-04:002008-03-11T10:53:00.000-04:00I agree we can be their voice. But what are we saying and who are we saying it to. <BR/>The policy and law makers are really the ones who need to hear and respond to the concerns of the mentally ill---Are they listening?<BR/>Pscyhiatric nurses can use their voice to resound what they hear eveyday to those who could make a difference. BUT---I do not always see nursing doing this. Why Not?<BR/>Are we afraid or is no one listening?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9074972548016570400.post-82030410967896199582008-03-09T16:00:00.000-04:002008-03-09T16:00:00.000-04:00I can't bring myself to type and do psychotherapy. I just can't - it seems insincere to me, but I don't necessarily think that everyone who does it is insincere. <BR/><BR/>I'm SO glad you brought this up - it has sat in the back of my head for years, and I never mentioned it during training when I first started to struggle with it. <BR/><BR/>I've made my choice - I don't type and talk. Hopefully others will contribute with their views...<BR/><BR/>KeynanKeynanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157071244722869873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9074972548016570400.post-24409052344889703622008-03-09T15:56:00.000-04:002008-03-09T15:56:00.000-04:00I have really burnt myself trying to be psychotherapist to my family - especially in the beginning when I was really clumsy with it - now I'm only kind of clumsy with it. I have felt that same excitement that all the unruly behavior around me could suddenly be explained by psychiatric theory - and I think it must be pretty normal to go through that phase, especially when it is all so new, and we are so committed to embodying it, and using ourselves and agents of healing and change.<BR/><BR/>But you're right - it's not always welcome, and over time I have found a comfortable sense for when I might share an opinion that is colored by my training in mental health, and when I keep it to myself. <BR/><BR/>And I think you're also right that it is most useful in managing ourselves, because when I do that I am mot able to affect positive growth in myself and those around me - whether I am stating my clinical opinions out loud or not...<BR/><BR/>KeynanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9074972548016570400.post-48062706428817235952008-03-09T15:45:00.000-04:002008-03-09T15:45:00.000-04:00I don't know that I've ever approached burnout, but I do know that the first sign I am allowing stress to affect my practice is when I start to depersonalize the human being in my care. I've gotten much better at catching it, finding the source(s) of that stress, and renewing my commitment to compassionate care for people with mental illness. I don't get it right every time, sometimes I have to repair the damage I do when I get this way, but it's better than remaining in the "hole" described by Ms. Nelson.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the reminder to think about this, and to share...<BR/><BR/>KeynanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9074972548016570400.post-34033818038486300022008-03-09T15:37:00.000-04:002008-03-09T15:37:00.000-04:00Hi Gisli,<BR/>Thank you for taking the time to do this - I'm a new psych CNS (only 6 months in the role). I hope modes of communication like this will open up some new possibilities.<BR/><BR/>I'm looking forward to your next installments...<BR/><BR/>Keynan Hobbs, MSN, RN, CNS-BCAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9074972548016570400.post-14282423617918028002008-03-08T15:28:00.000-05:002008-03-08T15:28:00.000-05:00I love this one---I am going to post it in my office!<BR/>I guess this could be an answer for burnout. <BR/><BR/>Walk down another street----Be willing to work where you are appreciated, not where you are paid the most.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9074972548016570400.post-888989926926043552008-03-08T15:25:00.000-05:002008-03-08T15:25:00.000-05:00I agree that leaving is simple, not easy. Many people are trapped by their jobs due to salary or benefits that they feel unable to leave behind for a new venture. This leaves many burned out nurses in places they really should not be..., but what is the answer really. If you feel you can not leave your job and you are burned out. What steps can you take to re-energize yourself and your praactice?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9074972548016570400.post-24788893686295603182008-03-08T15:21:00.000-05:002008-03-08T15:21:00.000-05:00In real life I think it depends on who you work for whether typing is important during the session or not. <BR/>Where I work, you can not bill for the time it takes you to type your note. If a patient is scheduled for 30 minutes, you must use at least 25 minutes in face-to-face contact with them to charge for the 30 minutes. That leaves very little time for documentation, at least for me. Soo-typing while I see patients is necessary if I want to be paid for the time I spend on them. I can honestly say that I don't like, but if I do not, where does my salary come from? I would be willing to here others thoughts.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9074972548016570400.post-18366295661996331722008-03-08T15:15:00.000-05:002008-03-08T15:15:00.000-05:00Gisli,<BR/> I too find myself unintentionally pathologizing my family and friends. I often wonder if my knowledge is a curse at times. Every human being on earth has certain traits and characteristics that can be pathological if taken to the extreme, but assessing each person on the basis of these "traits" is wrong. Taking off the mask of our profession is important, especially when dealing with our loved ones. The knowledge we possess is wonderful and awful at the same time. It can help us deal effectively in certain circumstances and make us a little paranoid in others. It can, as you have mentioned, give us an excuse for our own behavior, while making others the "one with the problem". Looking holistically at a person is the nursing way and can be the framework and the foundation from which we all practice and live our lives.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com