PRAC-WK-1-Assignment. PMHNP. Health, Medicine, Nursing

PMHNP
Name
Institution
Due Date
PMHNP
Describe the PMHNP practice environment for your state Alabama, highlighting restrictions or limitations for practice.
First, PMHNP stands for Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. Individuals working as PMHNPs specialize in psychiatric-mental health care and are expected to work in collaboration with others to enhance the mental healthcare of their patients.
In Alabama, the PMHNP practice environment is quite restrictive or limited. Certified nurse practitioners working in Alabama have to enter into collaborative practice agreements with physicians. The collaborative agreements are subject to oversight by the Board of Nursing and the State Board of Medical Examiners. The agreement between nurse practitioners and physicians has to include prescription orders, practice sites, and quality assurance. These have to be clearly stipulated in the collaborative agreement. However, it is crucial to mention that supervision is not required by the collaborating physician. The environment is indeed limiting to PMHNPs because whatever action they take has to be certified by the physicians.
Compare the PMHNP practice environment in your state Alabama with a neighboring state or a state in which you would like to practice.
The state I would like to practice in later in my career is Maryland. Unlike Alabama that still restricts PMHNPs to collaborative arrangements with physicians, Maryland allows nurse practitioners to practice autonomously. In 2015, Maryland became the 21st state to allow nurse practitioners to practice independently of physicians. Governor Larry Hogan “signed the Nurse Practitioner Full Practice Authority Act” weeks after Nebraska passed the same law (Modern Healthcare, 2015). As per this act, nurse practitioners will be allowed to prescribe drugs without physicians signing off on their decisions. Also, nurse practitioners in Maryland can open their own clinics and serve their respective communities. The above statement affirms the autonomous practice of nurse practitioners in Maryland. Later in my career, I would like to run my own clinic as a PMHNP. With such a law, Maryland appears to be a perfect place for someone like me.
Describe a professional and/or clinical practice issue a new PMHNP will need to consider and address wit...