Nursing roles in mental health care delivery at VA Medical Centers

Nurses Role in Mental Health Care at VA Medical Center

Application for a DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice) Program

DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice) executive leadership is a program that prepares nurses with masters' degree for headship roles in the highly technology-oriented system of healthcare. I am interested in this program given that the program will help me broaden my skills in business intelligence, finance, leadership, research in health services and health care policy. More so, it is my belief that the program will facilitate development of decisive thinking skills making me a more marketable leader in the field of nursing.

I am presently working as program coordinator for mental health intensive case management (MHICM) program that is considered an Executive Career Field (ECF) position. My role in the Executive Career Field is to ensure that the T21 initiatives are implemented in the most appropriate way. Recently, our medical center was designated as a 1A facility whereby all services must be offered during weekend and evening hours. I am therefore tasked with ensuring that mental services are made constantly available to the clients who need them. As a coordinator for MHICM program, I am tasked with the role of ensuring a shift in management skills and positive strategic planning. These aspects are considerably essential in making a smooth transition that is directed into bettering our services and promoting the well-being of our patients. Given that effective collaboration and marketing will be required, I feel the need of expanding my skills through acquiring a DNP program. With my determination to ensure a smooth transition in the management and strategic planning in out heath care facility, I am positive that given the scholarship, I will help impact people's life through superlative leadership skills.

A. Access to Care

I am tasked with forming connections with veterans who present to ER for mental health associated issues for evening hours until 11.pm. I also work with other members to ensure continuity of care to the patient population, specifically patients with mental health issues. Moreover, I ensure that patients access areas of therapy and therapy that involves the families, given that when one has mental health issues, the family is affected. Making available recovery program treatment besides collaborating with partnership to leverage resources and knowledge is a role that I perform in efforts of helping clients access care. I am also involved in continual community-based quality improvement programs that are designed to support care access and quality.

B. Veteran Centered Care

With respect to centered care, I normally assist with provision of alternatives to inpatient care for mental health linked problems. Additionally, I make CVT available for weekend and evening hours. As a MHICM practitioner, I perform various administrative and clinical functions for clients and my team. Clinical tasks entail stress and crisis management, group therapy, advocacy and treatment planning. I also ensure that patient preferences with respect to appointments and mental health care providers are maintained.

C. Performance Measures

I offer administrative and clinical supervision for my team besides facilitating cohesiveness communication, education programs and systems concerning community-based services. Given that MHICM services are targeted to veterans with psychiatric disorders, I ensure that screenings are completed at encounters to meet ECF measures. I provide clinical supervision to patients with PTSD, tobacco use, alcohol use, depression, suicide risk and provide HUD-VASH vouchers for homeless veterans.

D. Transition Care (DOD to VA)

It is worth noting that MHICM veterans highly require VA mental health inpatient services. A considerable number of MHICM veterans spend countless days in hospitals. Of note is that veterans with critical mental sickness present both long-term and acute crisis treatment challenges. In this view, as a member of MHICM team, we are required to move veterans to VA in order to stabilize medications besides lowering recidivism. This is made possible through scheduling for suitable providers, clinics and follow-up schedules.

Measurable Outcomes Related to Providing Healthcare for Veterans

Given a chance to complete the DNP program, I will ensure that there is a decrease in ER visits principally for patients with mental health issues. This will be enhanced through provision of more outpatient mental health practitioners. This is for the fact that patients are rushed to emergency rooms because they cannot find an outpatient mental health practitioners (Thonicroft, 2011). Evidently, some mental health conditions presented in emergency rooms warrant outpatient care and specialist.

Moreover, I will lower hospital admissions for mental health linked issues. I would ensure that veterans are moved out of hospitals. While it is sometimes hard to effect enhancements in functioning, I will ensure that clients change their behaviors specifically those with substance and alcohol abuse issues. Such patients will be motivated through recovery procedures and rehabilitation. More significantly, I will inspire patient recovery and rehabilitation. Beyond and within the treatment systems, I will handle stigma linked to patients with mental health conditions as a strategy of making patients feel free in their communities consequently reducing hospital admissions. Reducing stigma and its effects goes beyond the system of treatment but it is an aspect that would support reduction of hospital admissions.

Notably, resource limitations contribute considerably to hospital admissions (Thonicroft, 2011). This is because major and crucial services are only available within the hospitals. There are few workforce to handle veterans who have actually achieved the criteria for community services. More so, there are reduced alternatives services for veterans consequently leading to more hospital admissions.

In this view, upon successfully completion of DNP program, I will focus my attention and available resources in developing a complete assortment of community-based alternative services for veterans in efforts of reducing the increased numbers of hospital admissions for veterans. I will reduce clients' dependence on hospitals through improving medication management, life quality and satisfaction of patients with our services. I will provide prospects to strengthen new skills and behaviors that will assist client in developing and using natural coping strategies and support as options to hospitalizations. I believe that this strategy will be impressive to veterans, communities, families and the system of healthcare