Restoring Psychiatric Mental Health APRN Roles: A Report of Innovations in Workforce Development Design Supported by...

The change from clinical nurse specialist to nurse practitioner model with emphasis on the biomedical prescriber role significantly affected graduate education/practice.

This article reports solutions, lessons learned, and insights from faculty in a four-year Workforce Development Project supported by an academic-practice partnership. Lessons learned that are shared as administrative and clinical practice insights include use of experiential learning platform and interaction process recordings, confirmation of the state of nurse psychotherapy blocks to clinical placements, movement toward a salutogenic psychosocial nursing process, changing student evaluation language of preceptors, and implementation of an Advanced Practice Nursing model for clinical supervision.

The educational hypothesis that in-person experiential learning in a workshop format with live simulations is critical to the professional development of psychiatric mental health advanced practice nursing is supported. Resistance to the cultural change operationalized through the curriculum is described. Five student reflections exemplify progress made as a result of this program.

This program with its enduring educational frame was an opportunity to regain a historical momentum as nurse leaders in mental health care. There is significant interest and commitment to learning the nurse-psychotherapist and consultation-liaison roles.