¶ … healthcare as an institution is, of course, the need to care for the sick and the injured. However, in the contemporary model of healthcare, effective communication during a crisis is not only important, but also vital. Communication by healthcare professionals takes the concern and worry out of the situation; offers a quicker resolution, makes better control of information possible, earns the trust of the public and individual families; and keeps the flow of information consistent and accurate, thus averting potential external problems. Based on my current experience in the nursing field, I realize that to advance my professional goals, as well as contribute soundly to the profession, I must expand my educational experience and am therefore seeking entrance into the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) in Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing. I believe I am well-qualified and motivated to undergo this program. Currently, I am a master's prepared Neonatal Nurse Practitioner (NNP) and a post-master's prepared Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP). My certifications are current, and I meet the yearly educational recruitments to maintain each certification. Recent changes in healthcare policy and the psychographics of the profession, however, indicate that it is wise both personally and professional to pursue doctoral level certification and I believe the DNP will allow me to broaden my scope of expertise as well as contribute to the advocacy and communication issues so needed in the profession.

In 1952 Hildegard Peplum wrote Relations in Nursing. In this text, Peplum focused on the client-nurse relationship as the basis for any foundation within the professional nursing template. While this seems logical today, the idea of compromise...

Peplum believed that the partnership relationship between nurse and patient was essential to any means that would contribute to patient healing. I have chosen the Psychiatric Mental Health Program specialty specifically to enhance this theoretical basis. My clinical experience in the past few years has prepared me for even greater professional challenges. I have worked with high-risk premature babies, I provide acute and chronic direct medical management in neonatal ICU environments, I collaborate with neonatologists and other multidisciplinary professionals, I interact with the families during a time of stress and health crisis, and I am regularly called upon to act as a liaison between specialty disciplines. These experiences helped me realize just how stressful and debilitating health crises can be, and how many long-term effects may result from such early issues. I believe that a Psychiatric Mental Health specialization would enhance my skills in dealing with such issues, as well as increase my value to needy families and the profession.
My experience has shown me that the increased levels of diversity and change management are so rife in the modern healthcare culture that the idea of hope, optimism and finding relationship building opportunities are more than strategic plans -- they are tactical necessities. As an FNP, I worked in a rural clinic, in which I found that besides treating a number of physical disorders there were a number of clients with mental health issues (depression, anxiety, helplessness, substance abuse, etc.). Many of these clients eventually became so disabled they…