Recognized each year on Oct. 10, World Mental Health Day is an international day for global mental health education, awareness and advocacy against social stigma. When it comes to addressing these issues in the field of healthcare, a robust workforce of well-trained and compassionate Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (PMHNPs) is critical.
FNU works every day to train the next generation of PMHNPs, and is having an impact, thanks to the efforts of dedicated faculty. Among these dedicated faculty members is Kelsey Kent, PhD, PMHNP-BC, CNE, a Course Coordinator at FNU.
Dr. Kent recently published an article in the September – October edition of the National League for Nursing’s publication, Nursing Education Perspectives (NEP). The article, entitled “Psychotherapy Skills for Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Students in the Age of Competency-Based Education,” reviews a psychotherapy skills-based learning assignment at FNU that was adapted to meet developing competency-based learning standards.
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) defines Competency-Based Education (CBE) as “a system of instruction, assessment, feedback, self-reflection, and academic reporting that is based on students demonstrating that they have learned the knowledge, attitudes, motivations, self-perceptions, and skills expected of them as they progress through their education.”
“As the field of nursing moves toward competency-based education, faculty need to adapt teaching and learning strategies to meet standards for assessing core behaviors of graduate psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner students,” Dr. Kent writes in the article.
The assignment discussed in the article employs prerecorded video scenarios to help students practice and enhance their psychotherapy skills during didactic coursework. Assessment is carried out using an analytic rubric, and detailed written feedback is provided to each student.
During the term, students complete six video critiques, each featuring a 10-minute segment of a therapy session and covering various therapy modalities. The videos align with course module content and include scenarios such as addressing alcohol misuse through motivational interviewing, treating anxiety with cognitive behavioral therapy, and working with an older adult using contextual adult lifespan theory to adapt psychotherapy.
The videos vary in how closely the therapist follows the given modality, and students must critique the sessions in their responses to seven questions. For example, the first question posed to students is: “Write a summary of the session and perform a mental status exam on the patient.”
By responding to the questions posed in the assignment, students are fulfilling several AACN Essentials competencies, along with Nurse Practitioner Role Core Competencies from the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) and the American Psychiatric Nurses Association’s (APNA) Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Essential Competencies for Assessment and Management of Individuals at Risk for Suicide.
For example, the aforementioned assignment question addresses NONPF Nurse Practitioner Core Competencies NP 2.3i (“Utilize advanced critical thinking to determine the appropriate focused or comprehensive relevant patient history”), NP 2.3j (“Apply advanced assessment skills to perform a comprehensive patient physical assessment utilizing appropriate techniques”), and NP 2.3p (“Document comprehensive history, screening, and assessment”).
Upon submitting their work, students are evaluated via an analytic rubric that assesses groups of competencies, including psychiatric assessment, communication skills, application of therapy models, and personal reflection. Faculty are trained on the rubric and practice on previous term papers to improve inter-rater reliability. In addition to a numeric score, students are given a summary of the session itself, including successes and areas of improvements for the therapy session. Then, each student receives individualized feedback highlighting strengths, areas for improvement, and comments on points of discussion identified by the student.
This approach allows for highly personalized feedback in the form of written comments and a detailed rubric. In addition, the prerecorded scenarios give students the opportunity to rewatch sessions as often as needed to fully observe the interaction, something unavailable in a live clinical setting.
To read the full article, click here.
Dr. Kent will be presenting this assignment in more detail and will discuss competency-based education for PMHNPs at the 2024 American Psychiatric Nurses Association Conference in Louisville, set for Oct. 9-12.
FNU values the work of PMHNP faculty members like Dr. Kent as they make new strides in advancing the education of mental health nurse professionals. To learn more about FNU’s PMHNP Program, click here.
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