It wasn小蝌蚪APP檛 long into her career that Abby McNeil, DNP, MSN, FNP-C, felt drawn to psychiatric nursing. Over the last 30 years, Dr. McNeil has amassed experience in practicing and teaching psychiatric mental health nursing with a focus on increasing access to care.
Dr. McNeil now brings that experience to the 小蝌蚪APP LHC Group 小蝌蚪APP Myers School of Nursing as the school launches the MSN - Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner concentration along with the existing Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) and Nursing Education concentrations.
Becoming a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
Psychiatric nursing addresses the whole patient, an approach that came naturally to Dr. McNeil.
小蝌蚪APP淚n nursing school, when I got to my psych rotation, we were visiting a nursing home and one of my patients was very isolated and very depressed about leaving her home and her cats. So I went to a Rescue League and got a cat for the day and brought the cat to visit with the lady,小蝌蚪APP says Dr. McNeil. 小蝌蚪APP淚 remember my instructor told me, 小蝌蚪APP榶ou're going to be a psych nurse.小蝌蚪APP櫺◎蝌紸PP
But Dr. McNeil didn小蝌蚪APP檛 plan on becoming a psychiatric NP; she wanted to work in the ICU. And for many years, she did work in ICU and ER nursing.
小蝌蚪APP淎s I was working in that setting, patients would come in with psych problems, and I would always gravitate to those patients and sit down and just talk to them about what was going on with them. They just need someone to talk with, someone to really listen to them,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淭hat's how I really got interested in psych."
At the time, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner programs like the online MSN, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner concentration, weren小蝌蚪APP檛 offered. In 1988, Dr. McNeil earned her master小蝌蚪APP檚 degree in psychiatric nursing and transitioned her practice, working across inpatient, outpatient, and community-based mental health settings, and in her own clinic as a certified FNP.
Creating Access to Mental Health Care
Spurred by her clinical practice as an FNP, Dr. McNeil became dual certified by completing her psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) certification.
She says even as an FNP, most of her practice was psychiatric-based care.
小蝌蚪APP淧atients would come in for a cold or a migraine, and then I would screen for depression, and they would have depression but weren't seeing a mental health provider,小蝌蚪APP Dr. McNeil says.
There are several obstacles for those in need of mental health care, from long waitlists to insurance gaps or costs. Dr. McNeil became dedicated to closing that gap as both a practicing PMHNP and as an educator.
小蝌蚪APP淚t's so important that we educate and get trained psych mental health nurse practitioners and providers out into the field so that we can see more patients because access just isn't there the way it should be,小蝌蚪APP Dr. McNeil says.
Earning her certification as a PMHNP allowed her to care for patients 小蝌蚪APP渢he way they needed to be cared for,小蝌蚪APP she says.
That care frequently includes integrated behavioral healthcare, carried out over time based on the patients小蝌蚪APP unique and evolving needs.
"As a PMHNP, our main goal is to provide optimal care to that patient who has mental health issues or illness. When they come in, we小蝌蚪APP檙e assessing, evaluating, and developing a plan of care in combination with them, and then implementing that plan of care with them,小蝌蚪APP says Dr. McNeil.
Joining the Psychiatric Mental Health NP Program
Dr. McNeil joined the 小蝌蚪APP in January 2022 as an assistant professor, teaching in the MSN, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner concentration. The psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner program is designed to prepare registered nurses to undertake the multi-faceted continuum of care unique to psychiatric nursing.
The 48-credit-hour program includes online advanced practice nursing coursework in theory, pharmacotherapeutics, evidence-based practice approaches, health policy, and primary care, as well as specific courses in psychiatric mental health advanced practice including diagnosis, psychopharmacology, and psychotherapy.
Students also must complete a minimum of 600 precepted, direct patient care clinical hours in Louisiana.
小蝌蚪APP淲hen these nurses graduate, they can expect to use everything they learned in getting their education, because when you're approaching someone who has psychiatric illness, you have to take a holistic approach and look at their whole body,小蝌蚪APP says Dr. McNeil.
小蝌蚪APP淏eing able to assess the patient and provide the care that they need, being involved and really getting to know them, it's not something that's done easily.小蝌蚪APP
For licensed registered nurses interested in specializing in psychiatric and mental health care, the UL Lafayette LHC Group 小蝌蚪APP Myers School of Nursing is now accepting applications for the MSN - Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner concentration.