{"title":"An Untapped Solution to the Mental Health Crisis: Independent Practice for NPs.","authors":"Emily Fowler Bemben","doi":"10.1177/10783903251381365","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Restrictive laws still impede nurse practitioners (NPs) from realizing the full scope of their training and education in too many states. While practice laws vary from state to state, working in states with restricted practice policies creates a multitude of barriers for patients seeking accessible, high-quality mental health care, especially in rural areas.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>One psychiatric mental health NP describes the multiple obstacles she faced in attempting to provide much-needed care to the perinatal mental health community in her state.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>This review highlights evidence that supports full practice authority, showing improved patient access to high-quality care combined with anecdotal support describing the barriers faced by one clinician.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Her journey directly speaks to harsh realities imposed by collaborative physician mandates and the urgent need for nurse practitioner independent practice.</p>","PeriodicalId":17229,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association","volume":" ","pages":"10783903251381365"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7000,"publicationDate":"2025-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10783903251381365","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"NURSING","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objective: Restrictive laws still impede nurse practitioners (NPs) from realizing the full scope of their training and education in too many states. While practice laws vary from state to state, working in states with restricted practice policies creates a multitude of barriers for patients seeking accessible, high-quality mental health care, especially in rural areas.
Methods: One psychiatric mental health NP describes the multiple obstacles she faced in attempting to provide much-needed care to the perinatal mental health community in her state.
Results: This review highlights evidence that supports full practice authority, showing improved patient access to high-quality care combined with anecdotal support describing the barriers faced by one clinician.
Conclusions: Her journey directly speaks to harsh realities imposed by collaborative physician mandates and the urgent need for nurse practitioner independent practice.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association (JAPNA) is a peer-reviewed bi-monthly journal publishing up-to-date information to promote psychiatric nursing, improve mental health care for culturally diverse individuals, families, groups, and communities, as well as shape health care policy for the delivery of mental health services. JAPNA publishes both clinical and research articles relevant to psychiatric nursing. This journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).