Facilitating Well-Rounded Clinical Experience for Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Students

Fraino, Joan Selix Nancy

There is a steady increase in demand for mental health services and a lack of providers. Recent societal changes resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic have increased these needs. Psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners (PMHNP) are well suited to offer these services. High-quality clinical PMHNP student experiences are based on well-rounded curricula in a variety of clinical settings. Meeting the need for clinical education and finding high-quality preceptors is especially challenging during the pandemic due to the lack of preceptors and access to care for in-person services. Creative approaches are needed to meet student clinical experience needs.