PMHNPs - also doing primary care?

Specialties NP

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Hi everyone, I have a quick question. I was meeting with a student who is in the PMHNP MSN program that I am due to start next fall, and she made some interesting comments. She basically said that PMHNPs can sometimes be expected to do a bit of primary care, depending on the environment (maybe community mental health clinics?) Does anyone know if that is within PMHNP scope of practice or does it depend on the state?

She said that if there is no one to refer to, and if you put them on meds that cause physical problems (like prescribing an antipsychotic and having the patient develop type 2 diabetes), that it is then up to the PMHNP to manage that care, including managing the diabetes, etc, until the patient is able to see a primary care provider. She also made it sound like sometimes PMHNPs will manage physical illnesses if they have a psych component, or just if it's easier for the patient to see one person instead of having to go to two appointments. Has anyone seen this before? I assumed that as a PMHNP I'd function similarly to a psychiatrist and manage psych meds only. Does anyone know if PMHNPs also do some primary care? Does it depend on the setting?

Specializes in Psychiatric Nursing.

Psych is great----and you can make a difference. Most people will come off their benzos with good explanations of why they arent appropriate for their dx---(not all of course)--some are willing to try something else...some you may have to be firm aabout why they are not getting a benzo..

People come to psych providers becasuse of psychological pain...I think you have to start there...

Non psych NP's are usually glad to have someone else do the psych meds....

Specializes in Correctional Nursing; MSN student.

I can't thank you all enough for this valuable insight. I'm so excited about my chosen path. You hit the nail on the head: psychological pain. And there is a huge demand for us. Many people shy away from the field. You're right, it has to be the right fit. I found an APRN to shadow because she's my daughter's NP. She was more than happy to show me the ropes. How great is that?! I can see how my whole perception has been a bit tainted because the psych patients I see on a daily basis are incarcerated. There's a much bigger world out there. :)

Good points made. So PMHNP majors are considered flunkies in demand? That makes me feel less excited than ever.

Not at all, I was referring to physicians. Psychiatry, as a medical specialty for physicians, unfortunately, can be a bit of a dumping ground because people who don't score high enough to do what they want end up forced into psychiatry (this is true for family medicine and peds as well). This is not so for NP school - you choose your specialty in the beginning, and if you don't get in you can reapply. I think this is a huge strength of NP training. We are all in our specialty because we want to be, not because we couldn't match into something else that we prefer.

Specializes in Correctional Nursing; MSN student.

[We are all in our specialty because we want to be, not because we couldn't match into something else that we prefer.

Excellent point! I love this thread. I'm getting such great info. I see your point now. I spoke with a MHP this morning and he strongly encouraged me to go for it. The course work will be a bit overwhelming I'm sure. I've been out of the loop for a while in terms advance pharm and pathophys. I also need to take stats before I can take their research class. Yuck...

[We are all in our specialty because we want to be, not because we couldn't match into something else that we prefer.

Excellent point! I love this thread. I'm getting such great info. I see your point now. I spoke with a MHP this morning and he strongly encouraged me to go for it. The course work will be a bit overwhelming I'm sure. I've been out of the loop for a while in terms advance pharm and pathophys. I also need to take stats before I can take their research class. Yuck...

You never know, you might love stats. I hate most math, but I really love stats. ;)

Specializes in Correctional Nursing; MSN student.

"You never know, you might love stats. I hate most math, but I really love stats." ;)

Where did you take it? Online by chance?

"You never know, you might love stats. I hate most math, but I really love stats." ;)

Where did you take it? Online by chance?

No. I dislike online education, personally. I took it in-person at a university, my professor was fantastic. Coming to class every day and engaging with my professor on a personal level made me really love the subject. Stats is great. It propelled me to go on and take more advanced stats courses later on.

When then the PMHNP role came along in the 90's, it appeared it would allow the APN to do primary care and Psych..after you do your physical exam you do your mental status and you treat everything..

My training was in therapy (and meds) and I was horrified...

I currently do only med mgt,(only locums)

I would like to know more about treating primary care problems because I think it helps my med management ( thank you Trauma for the reference info).

40 hrs per week of med mgt can be draining--it works for me doing it as a locums..

Hi, could you describe what a typical med management session is like? I'm strongly considering PMHNP and my primary interest is medication management (with a little bit of therapy). Also, as a psych NP, are you trained to do medication therapy management for other medications as well? For example, can you give med therapy management to a dialysis patient? Not diagnose or treat them, but just to help them manage their meds?

Let me break this down for you. If you didn't take 3-4 courses in primary care plus 500 or so hours in primary care, stay away from it. Psychiatrists can do what they want as they learn and have clinical in all areas. However, most that I know stay away from anything other than their speciality.

I've had horrible results from primary docs and NPs trying to dabble in psychiatry and it's taken me months to get a patient straightened out. On the other hand, you must know all medical conditions that effect psychiatry or mimic psychiatric symptoms as well as all medications that might cause psych symptoms or interfere with psych meds.

Benzos are for short term use and not with all patients, not recommended for PTSD for example. It can take years of agony for some people to get off them.

Specializes in Psychiatric Nursing.

Hi, could you describe what a typical med management session is like? I'm strongly considering PMHNP and my primary interest is medication management (with a little bit of therapy). Also, as a psych NP, are you trained to do medication therapy management for other medications as well? For example, can you give med therapy management to a dialysis patient? Not diagnose or treat them, but just to help them manage their meds?

@applehead--typical med management session--

People come to you because they are suffering. Usually you do a diagnostic evaluation where you ask questions about chief complaint, history of present illness, past medical and psych history etc. you are looking for a diagnosis, and for symptoms you can medicate. The more a patient feels they are comfortable with you, the more they may tell you, the better you become at choosing medications

At med follow up visits, you want to know if the medication is working, are there side effects, are there labs to order? I also discuss symptom management, use of therapy, sleep hygiene if sleep an issue, and whatever else comes up but I keep it focused on meds and symptoms because this is why the patient is seeing me. I also review their most recent therapy note if available and ask about how therapy is going.

If they are not satisfied with their meds, I discuss alternatives--ie trying a different med, raising or lowering the dose, adding a med etc

A lot of the session is forming a relationship with the client and engaging them in choosing a medication that will make their life more bearable.

Hope this helps

And I have a soldier coming today to resume services (new to me) and he's been on 11 meds at one time or another. Psych can get pretty challenging.

Specializes in Correctional Nursing; MSN student.

As an RN (PMHNP wanna be) I see a LOT of veterans on long term benzos. What's up with that?

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