NURS 6050 Discussion: Presidential Agendas -

NURS 6050 Discussion: Presidential Agendas

Sample Answer for NURS 6050 Discussion: Presidential Agendas Included After Question

Rather than focus on the treatment of chronic disease, policies that influence population health tend to emphasize prevention and wellness; the reduction or elimination of waste and the eradication of health disparities based on race, ethnicity, language, income, gender, sexual orientation, disability and other factors. The reasoning is that good health belongs to the whole, not just an individual. (New York State Dept. of Health, n.d.)  

Regardless of political affiliation, every citizen has a stake in healthcare policy decisions. Hence, it is little wonder why healthcare items become such high-profile components of presidential agendas. It is also little wonder why they become such hotly debated agenda items.

Consider a topic (mental health, HIV, opioid epidemic, pandemics, obesity, prescription drug prices, or many others) that rises to the presidential level. How did the current and previous presidents handle the problem? What would you do differently?

Reference:

New York State Department of Health. (n.d.). Making New York the healthiest state: Achieving the triple aim. Retrieved June 21, 2021 from https://www.health.ny.gov/events/population_health_summit/docs/what_is_population_health.pdf

To Prepare:

Review the Resources and reflect on the importance of agenda setting.
Consider how federal agendas promote healthcare issues and how these healthcare issues become agenda priorities.

By Day 3 of Week 1

Post your response to the discussion question: Consider a population health topic that rises to the presidential agenda level. Which social determinant most affects this health issue? How did two recent presidents handle the problem? What would you do differently?

By Day 6 of Week 1

Respond to at least two of your colleagues* on two different days by expanding on their response and providing an example that supports their explanation or respectfully challenging their explanation and providing an example.

Click on the Reply button below to reveal the textbox for entering your message. Then click on the Submit button to post your message.

*Note: Throughout this program, your fellow students are referred to as colleagues.

A Sample Answer For the Assignment: NURS 6050 Discussion: Presidential Agendas

Title: NURS 6050 Discussion: Presidential Agendas

The population health topic I am choosing is the opioid epidemic. I chose this because it affects such a large population in today’s world. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2022), drug overdose deaths have increased by nearly 5% from 2018 to 2019 and quadrupled since 1999. Over 70% of the 70,630 deaths in 2019 involved an opioid. In 2020, 91,799 drug overdose deaths occurred in the United States. The number continues to rise, and drugs seem to be more accessible.

Regarding social determinants, people from low socio-economic classes have poorer health. They are more likely to use tobacco, drink alcohol at high risk, and use illicit drugs. Drug-dependent people are particularly likely to be unemployed and to experience marginalization, both of which can exacerbate their problems and prevent seeking or benefiting from treatment (Spooner,2017). Drug abuse is not shy when it comes to whom it affects. People in low socioeconomic classes happen to get slammed with drug abuse as we have not provided the right accessibility for them.

One of President Trump’s solutions was to build a wall. Theoretically, the wall would stop illegal drugs from coming in, and this wall was supposed to be built on the Mexican border. He also said he would enhance access to addiction services, end Medicaid policies that obstruct inpatient treatment, and expand incentives for state and local governments to use drug courts and mandated treatment to respond to the addiction crisis (Kaiser Family Foundation,2017). Although some think the wall may help, it is not the solution to the epidemic. In some cases, working from the outside inward works, but in this case, I think this epidemic needs to be approached from the inside out.

  In this case, I would have started the solution on the inside. I would have targeted what we can control right now. Stopping Illegal drugs from coming in will help in the long run, but you must focus on what illegal drugs are happening in the US. Building a wall doesn’t stop the use, trading, selling, or buying we are currently dealing with. I would work to eliminate those issues, do more research on who this affects the most, and start there. We know people from low socio-economic classes struggle the most, so I start there and work my way out. Maybe we start focusing on getting these people out of this low-income rut. We provide schooling, daycare, and opportunities some people will never receive. Even starting there seems small, but I would further it with Trump’s plan to enhance access to drug addiction services like counselors. I would hold more doctors accountable and pharmaceutical companies pushing these opioids for money.

NURS 6050 Discussion Presidential Agendas

According to the Democrat National Committee (2020), President Biden’s solution includes holding people accountable such as big pharmaceutical companies, executives, and others, responsible for their role in triggering the opioid crisis. Biden will create effective prevention, treatment, and recovery services available to all through a $125 billion federal investment. Most importantly, we will stop overprescribing pain medication to citizens. I think Biden’s solutions to this epidemic were much better; these solutions start inward and target the people in the US struggling. I believe the solutions listed will help the country see a decline in opioid deaths, but they won’t solve the issue altogether.

As much as I agree with this approach, I don’t think the primary producers of these drugs are being held accountable enough. I would figure out a way other than fines to serve these companies. Possibly suspending their production may be a helping solution. The problem is these companies are laced with money, so half the time, they don’t even blink at the request to hand over money due to fines. I wouldn’t change much to Biden’s policy otherwise. I think his approach gives people accessibility, and that’s truly what we need to end this epidemic.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2022). Death Rate Maps & Graphs. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved August 30, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/deaths/index.html

  Democrat National Committee. (2020). The Biden plan to end the opioid crisis. Joe Biden for President: Official Campaign Website. Retrieved August 30, 2022, from https://joebiden.com/opioidcrisis/

Kaiser Family Foundation. (2017, January 9). President-elect Donald Trump stands on six health care issues – election 2016: The issues. KFF. Retrieved August 30, 2022, from https://www.kff.org/report-section/where-president-elect-donald-trump-stands-on-six-health-care-issues/#opioid

Spooner, C.  (2017). SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF DRUG USE. National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC). Retrieved August 30, 2022, from https://ndarc.med.unsw.edu.au/

A Sample Answer 2 For the Assignment: NURS 6050 Discussion: Presidential Agendas

Title: NURS 6050 Discussion: Presidential Agendas

When being presented with the topic of discussion for this week, my mind, as I’m sure most of ours, immediately wandered to the subject of debate related to the pandemic and the vaccine mandate that seems to be the black cloud, in not only the healthcare setting but now intruding into all employers’ policies as well. The enforcement of this mandate has been a matter of contention our current president has prioritized in his agenda. This pandemic just so happened to take over during an election year, so we were fortunate to see how two separate presidents prioritized the specifics of their agendas related to the same pandemic.

According to Keith Kellogg in his book War By Other Means: A General In The Trump White House, he discusses some of the accomplishments of our former president during his time in office. “On March 13,2020, President Trump declared COVID-19 a national emergency…Vice President Pence worked with companies like 3M to dramatically increase production of N-95 medical masks. He worked with diagnostic lab companies to ramp up testing.” (Kellogg, 2021) Kellogg (2021) tells us about President Trump working with FedEx and UPS air assets in order to ensure the American healthcare workers had the appropriate personal protective equipment and ensuring there wouldn’t be a delay in receiving sed equipment due to the travel ban that was implemented as well. He sent in reinforcements to New York and California by sending the U.S. Navy hospital ships to assist with patient care. He developed Operation Warp Speed by gathering teams of experts to manufacture a vaccine that could be developed and distributed. President Trump’s goal was to “make the system work better and faster than it had ever worked before.” (Kellogg, 2021) Kellogg (2021), being the former National Security Advisor under the Trump and Pence Administration, ensures his audience that President Trump stretched all resources in order to fulfill his directive to do everything possible to protect the American people from harm.

Our current President, Joe Biden, is approaching the pandemic in a different view. As soon has Biden took office he worked actively to open America’s southern border, which has resulted in over 1.4 million illegal border crossings. (GOP Staff, 2021) With each illegal crossing, there has not been a since effort to mandate the vaccine for those individuals. Biden’s speech in September 2021 discusses this being a “pandemic of the unvaccinated.” (Biden, 2021) He states there being a “25% minority that is not vaccinated” (Biden, 2021) and emphasizes that they are the cause of the losing battle against COVID-19 and his duty is to “protect the vaccinated.” (Biden, 2021) Which then leads him to discuss his next step in plan of action, being that all employers with more than 100 employees must require the vaccine. He states he is aware that this mandate will affect about two thirds of all workers, and he has no regard to that fact. Biden expects the American people to “trust the science” but still refuses to be transparent about not mandating the vaccine for certain groups, the possible long term affects and the devastating adverse reactions we are now being inundated with in the hospital setting. Biden discusses the pandemic issues by using scare tactics and totalitarianism approaches, hence why OSHA has now placed a hold on Biden’s mandate due to it being unconstitutional.

According to Health Policy and Politics, the definition of “policy is a consciously chosen course of action: a law, regulation, rule, procedure, administrative action, incentive, or voluntary practice of governments and other institutions.” (Milstead & Short, 2019) As nurses, we can make a difference at this level by “identifying a problem and being part of the solution.” (Milstead & Short, 2019) We, as healthcare workers, practice autonomy by allowing our patients to have and to practice their patient’s rights. We must accept our patient’s choices for what they feel is right for their body, regardless of what the popular opinion may be. In the same, the U.S. congressional members and senators must respect and accept the choices of those who decide the vaccine may not be the best choice for their body or their children’s body. I do not feel the mandate is an appropriate way to handle this pandemic. There has been evidence showing Florida reaching the lowest case rate in the nation as a result of Governor DeSantis’ leadership and our data-driven approach free of mandates or lockdowns (Florida Executive Office Staff, 2021). State Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo (2021) also discusses the success in Governor DeSantis’ innovative approach and states, “moving forward, we must continue focusing on data and evidence to make public health decisions and not allow such decisions to be politicized.” I believe in natural immunity and personal choice. Therefore, I would not allow a government overreach and enforce a vaccine mandate to all, especially before long-term studies have been published. I would allow resources to be available, such as DeSantis’ approach, and focus on the data and evidence that has proved it’s efficacy.

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A Sample Answer 3 For the Assignment: NURS 6050 Discussion: Presidential Agendas

Title: NURS 6050 Discussion: Presidential Agendas

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and goals. I admire your determination to leadership and to make a change in your community. Your goals definitely correspond with Walden’s encouragement for positive social change. One learning outcome of the MSN- Nurse Executive program is to “Communicate with and lead multiple stakeholders in order to improve patient care” (Walden University, 2021). Collaboration with those who work beside you is key to making a difference and improving the healthcare system. A report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (2010) “calls on universities and training programs to expand interdisciplinary educational opportunities and programs to help foster collaboration among students before they enter the health workforce.” As you stated in your initial post, listening to and working with those around you to update policies and procedures are a few of the reasons you will make a great leader in your community.

Becoming a member of an association can be beneficial in many ways. Another professional association about nursing leadership is the American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL). This organization believes a nurse executive should “collaborate with medical staff leaders and other disciplines in determining needed patient care service lines” and “to develop patient care protocols, policies and procedures” (American Organization for Nursing Leadership, 2021). Part of leadership means working with those around you and including their insight when making decisions such as policies and procedures. As a nurse, we have many opportunities to learn collaboration which helps when being promoted to leadership positions. You are on the right path to becoming a great influencer in your healthcare community.

A Sample Answer 4 For the Assignment: NURS 6050 Discussion: Presidential Agendas

Title: NURS 6050 Discussion: Presidential Agendas

Addressing Opioid Crisis

One of the most tackled topics that are addressed on presidential level for years is the opioid crisis or epidemic. It is also consistent with what I encounter as a nurse in acute care hospital, as we handle patients who are misusing prescription pain relievers, heroin and fentanyl. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2020, March 19) “128 people die every day from an opioid overdose, and from 1999 to 2018, almost 450, 000 people deaths were recorded.” Because of the increasing number of deaths and devastating effects of the opioid crisis all over the United States of America, a range of actions were initiated nationally by the last three presidents.

First on the list is the former President George Bush, who was determined to fight the unacceptably high levels of drug use as he set the National Drug Control Strategy (Justice.gov, 2006), which explains focuses on three primary elements: stopping drug use before it starts, healing drug users, and disrupting the market for illicit drugs. While the strategy showed interesting plans, cases continued to fluctuate in the communities.

Next in line is the former President Barack Obama, who signed into the 21st Century Cures Act, which “funds a $1 billion proposal to combat the opioid epidemic and enacts mental health reforms focused on serious mental illness, suicide prevention, and mental health parity protections” (Obama White House, 2015). This act included funding the fight against opioid epidemic to provide the resources and treatments people need (Obama White House, 2016). The money may be used to improve prescription drug monitoring programs,to make treatment programs more accessible, to train health care professionals in best practices of addiction treatment, and to research the most effective approaches to prevent dependency (Wikipedia, n.d.).

This was then followed by President Donald Trump administration, who issued a nationwide call to action by declaring opioid crisis as a public health emergency in October 2017. According to the White House (n.d.), the proposed measures include:

Part 1 reducing demand and over-prescription, including educating Americans about the dangers of opioid misuse. Part 2 is cutting down on the supply of illicit drugs by cracking down on the international and domestic drug supply chains that devastate American communities. Part 3 is helping those struggling with addiction through evidence-based treatment and recovery support services. In 2018, President Trump worked with Congress to pass the SUPPORT Act, the single largest legislative package addressing a single drug crisis in history.

Undeniably, these strategies are still in progress, and as a nation we continue to fight for this battle. Unfortunately, drug overdose continues to impact our communities, and it is even leaving us with devastating deaths. If I have to address it differently, I will give more attention to the most vulnerable population who are the younger adults and reinforce education and community action. As a nurse, I can also contribute by helping officials collect new ideas by sharing and interpreting data in the health care system that affect patients and professionals. I will also be an advocate for those who are hesitant to disclose their main concerns and make sure that they will have support systems available. Each individual can do something by adhering to the nation’s policy and implementing it.

References

21st century cures act. (n.d.). Wikipedia. Retrieved September 1, 2020, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/21st_Century_Cures_Act

3 letters that explain why president obama is signing the cures act. (2016, December 13). whitehouse.gov. Retrieved September 1, 2020, from https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2016/12/12/3-letters-explain-why-president-obama-signing-cures-act

Ending america’s opioid crisis. (n.d.). The White House. Retrieved September 1, 2020, from https://www.whitehouse.gov/opioids/

Improving health for all americans. (2015, December 1). whitehouse.gov. Retrieved September 1, 2020, from https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-record/health-care

National drug control strategy: February 2006 [PDF]. (2006). Justice.gov. https://www.justice.gov/archive/olp/pdf/ndcs06.pdf

Understanding the epidemic. (2020, March 19). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved September 1, 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/epidemic/index.html

Addressing Opioid Crisis.docx (38.241 KB)

A Sample Answer 5 For the Assignment: NURS 6050 Discussion: Presidential Agendas

Title: NURS 6050 Discussion: Presidential Agendas

I enjoyed reading your discussion regarding the opioid crisis. I found this discussion to be informative and well written. Unfortunately, as a psychiatric nurse, I often encounter individuals who are struggling with substance abuse, as well as mental health illness. Nurses not only provide these clients with physical and psychological care but provide education regarding the risks of substance addiction, including the physical and psychological consequences, the potential harm to relationships and family life, and the impact on fulfilling basic needs such as holding down a job. Nurses educate patients regarding treatment options, including those they can use on either an inpatient or outpatient basis and those they can use to cope with substance cravings.

Research has shown that several underlying factors are responsible for drug addiction. A combination of physical dependence, sexual addiction, violence in the family, and parental history of alcohol/drug use is associated with youth substance addiction (Ahad, 2017). Substance addiction is also followed by some other issues, such as mental illness, domestic violence, economic deprivation, housing needs, and residence in dangerous neighborhood environments (Ahad, 2017).

President Trump announced on August 10, 2017, his intention to declare a national emergency following the recommendation of the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis. Opioid misuse is one of the nation’s most severe preventable public health challenges. To date, more than 600,000 deaths have occurred, with 180,000 more expected by 2020 (Gostin et al., 2017). Of the 20.5 million US citizens 12 years of age or older with opioid use disorders in 2015, 2 million have been addicted to prescription pain relievers (Gostin et al., 2017). A national emergency declaration authorizes public health forces, mobilizes resources, and encourages creative measures to combat a rapidly growing population.

Hydrocodone, oxycodone and overall opioid prescribing have been in a multiyear decline beginning in 2012 through early 2017 (Rose, 2018). Total opioid analgesic prescriptions decreased 4.5% from 2011 to 2014, prompting rises in tramadol (+25.5%) and buprenorphine (+49.4%) prescriptions (Rose, 2018). One study I found interesting reported that chronic pain as a medical cause of suicide is second only to bipolar disorder (Rose, 2018). The distress, exhaustion, and hopeless chronic unrelieved pain can invite thoughts of suicidal ideations. Death is no longer feared but becomes now a welcoming prospect of permanent relief from pain and anguish (Rose, 2018). A concern would be that the decrease in prescription opioids would lead to more frequent street usage, causing an increase in substance abuse, overdoses, and suicide attempts and completions related to unrelieved pain. This concern is why I feel it is so important that the United States continues to address the Opioid Crisis, as well as other substance abuse addictions.

I agree with your intervention to incorporate educational encouragement and community action programs. An issue must be brought to social consciousness. Addiction outreach programs should offer mentor programs, workshops, fun activities, awareness-raising rallies, drug take-back events and mediators to reintroduce users and loved ones. A peer education program (PEPs) study was conducted in Turkey. PEPs put into effect the use of providing peers with positive role models for each other. The study was carried out to determine the effect of a PEP on the basic knowledge of adolescents about addiction and on the level of self-efficacy that is needed to avoid substance abuse. The program lasted 3 months, the adolescents were from 14-16 years old. After completing the program it was determined to have shown effectiveness and applicability of the PEP in preventing substance abuse among high-school adolescents (Demirezen, 2020). I feel your discussion post was well thought out and presented. The Opioid Crisis is a much-needed topic to bring awareness to. I enjoyed reading your work!

References

Ahad, A., Chowdhury, M., Kundu, I., Tanny, N., & Rahman, M. W. (2017). Causes of Drug

Addiction\among Youth in Sylhet City of Bangladesh. IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science (IOSR-JHSS), 22(5), 27-31.

Demirezen, D., Karaca, A., Konuk Sener, D., & Ankarali, H. (2020). Agents of Change: The Role of the

Peer Education Program in Preventing Adolescent Substance Abuse. Journal of Child & Adolescent Substance Abuse, 1-12.

Gostin, L. O., Hodge, J. G., & Noe, S. A. (2017). Reframing the opioid epidemic as a national

emergency. Jama, 318(16), 1539-1540. https://10.1001/jama.2017.13358

Rose, M. E. (2018). Are prescription opioids driving the opioid crisis? Assumptions vs

facts. Pain Medicine, 19(4), 793-807. http

A Sample Answer 6 For the Assignment: NURS 6050 Discussion: Presidential Agendas

Title: NURS 6050 Discussion: Presidential Agendas

The healthcare system is highly sensitive and that is why presidents have to make critical decisions and ensure the safety of their citizens. I agree with you that the opioid epidemic is one of the healthcare issues that rose to the presidential level. Opioid misuse presents various health risks and that is why it was necessary to engage the presidential intervention. President Bush’s administration approached the issue in three ways. First, the administration provided efforts to stop the kids from using the drug. Secondly, the treatment for those already using the drug was expanded and finally, the flow of the drug into America was controlled. The measure would be undertaken for infectious diseases that arise, Breaking the infection cycle is important in managing health crises and emergencies (Hedberg, et al., 2019).

The Obama administration approached the issue more comprehensively and approved the CAR bill to fight the epidemic. Similarly, President Donald Trump declared the epidemic a national state of emergency and this was appropriate. I agree that health issues require urgent intervention to curb the causative factors and prevent the issue from spreading further and this is what the three presidential administrations did.

The presidents must be sensitive to identify the impacts of given health issues and develop appropriate policies that will minimize the harmful effects the citizens suffer (Smith, 2020). In this case, the use of opioid drugs was on the rise and the level could have been very disastrous if the relevant measures developed were not adopted. It is important that government systems set aside funds to handle medical emergencies whenever they rise because they cannot be postponed (Katz, Attal-Juncqua & Fischer, 2017).

References

Hedberg, K., Bui, L. T., Livingston, C., Shields, L. M., & Van Otterloo, J. (2019). Integrating public health and health care strategies to address the opioid epidemic: the Oregon Health Authority’s Opioid Initiative. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, 25(3), 214-220. doi: 10.1097/PHH.0000000000000849.

Katz, R., Attal-Juncqua, A., & Fischer, J. E. (2017). Funding public health emergency preparedness in the United States. American journal of public health, 107(S2), S148-S152. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2017.303956

Smith, H. J. (2020). Ethics, Public Health, and Addressing the Opioid Crisis. AMA Journal of Ethics, 22(8), 647-650. doi: 10.1001/amajethics.2020.647.

A Sample Answer 7 For the Assignment: NURS 6050 Discussion: Presidential Agendas

Title: NURS 6050 Discussion: Presidential Agendas

I think there are many lessons to be learned from the Covid-19 pandemic, ranging from the initial response by our healthcare professionals and administrators, some of the response which was based on the deficient knowledge about the Covid-19 pandemic at the time, and some that were largely based on politics and political affiliation. More importantly, one thing that you touched on in your post is about healthcare disparities, and I will focus my response on that. It is clear that huge disparities exist, and the percentage of treatment and recovery success rates depends on the ethnicity of the affected individuals. Multiple factors likely contributed to the observed disparities. Persons living in counties that are both high-poverty areas and majority Black, Hispanic, American Indian, or Alaska Native are less likely to have access to COVID-19 treatment facilities.

Limited access to treatment is particularly detrimental when patients need timely services, as is required for COVID-19 medications that must be initiated soon after symptom onset. In addition, minority patients’ previous negative experiences with healthcare services could influence their decisions regarding the use of treatments, or racism and implicit biases among healthcare providers might have contributed to treatment disparities. Race and ethnicity also could be proxies for other barriers, such as limited knowledge of treatment options, lack of internet access for telemedicine services, limited transportation, and language barriers (CDC, 2022). A study done by the NIH reveals that people from black and ethnic minority groups have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19. People of all ethnic groups, except those of Chinese background, have a significantly higher risk of being diagnosed with COVID-19 than the white ethnic population.

The risk of serious complications and death as a result of COVID-19 is also increased in these groups. Mortality amongst black people is 2.7 times higher than that of those of a white ethnic background. Considering all COVID-19-related deaths up to July 28, 2020, mortality was highest amongst Black African males. Several reasons for this have been alluded to in recent literature, including the presence of comorbidities which are disproportionately greater in minority ethnic groups compared to white ethnic groups. Despite this, adjusting for comorbidities has shown that other factors contribute, including geographical location, occupational exposure, socioeconomic status, and barriers to accessing healthcare (NIH, 2021). To conclude, Inequalities in health have existed for many decades and have led to unjust consequences in morbidity and mortality. These inequalities have become even more apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic, with individuals from black and minority ethnic groups, poorer socioeconomic backgrounds, and vulnerable groups of society suffering full of the effects of covid-19.

Before even going to nursing school, I wanted to become a nurse-midwife. I think this was because I was cared for by a nurse practitioner throughout my pregnancy with my first child and I was fascinated by the care she gave me. She was very patient, respectful, educative, encouraging, and dedicated. So without any healthcare or nursing knowledge, I had wanted to follow in her footsteps. But plans changed as I entered the field of healthcare right from the beginning. As a nursing assistant, I realized patients always wanted to talk to me about how they felt, their fears, their emotions, family matters, what their stressors were much more than issues concerning the care and service I was there to offer them. As a Registered Nurse, most of the time I have to find excuses to run out of one patient’s room to the other to get work done because every patient needs me to listen to what is going on in their life. As a visiting nurse, I see a lot of patients with psychiatric mental health issues.

A Sample Answer 8 For the Assignment: NURS 6050 Discussion: Presidential Agendas

Title: NURS 6050 Discussion: Presidential Agendas

I, therefore, see a greater need for psychiatric healthcare providers, simply put: my community needs me to answer the call! (Frontier, 2021). The opportunity to serve this patient population moved me to pursue a higher nursing education and career in Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner(PMHNP). I cannot overlook the difficulties providers have to encounter in taking care of this population, which was my challenge initially but after a few visits, I decided to pursue this. Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioners provide compassionate, comprehensive, holistic, evidence-based, high-quality care and are an ideal solution to fill the gap in access to psychiatric and mental healthcare services.

I chose this nursing specialty at Walden University which involves care for the mental and emotional well-being of patients across the life span with an MSN Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) (Walden 2021)

A Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) is an advanced practice nurse who seeks to improve mental health care and the overall health status of communities. With a focus on lifetime care for individuals, PMHNPs are committed to promoting mental health through assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of behavioral problems, mental disorders, and comorbid conditions (Frontier nursing University 2021). According to the Centers for Disease Control, mental illnesses are among the most common health conditions in the United States. One in 5 Americans will experience a mental illness in a given year;1 in 5 children, either currently or at some point during their life, have had a seriously debilitating mental illness; and 1 in 25 Americans lives with a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression (Kessler et al., 2007; SAMHSA, 2016; Marikangas et al., 2010).

I would like to join the American Psychiatric Nurses Association(APNA). APNA supports and serves the interests of psychiatric-mental health nurses both nationally and internationally. There are several types of membership programs, the regular one for nurses requires you to join with an annual membership fee. Some benefits of membership include continued education access and professional networking access.

Grading Rubric Guidelines

Performance Category	10	9	8	4	0
Scholarliness Demonstrates achievement of scholarly inquiry for professional and academic decisions.	Provides relevant evidence of scholarly inquiry clearly stating how the evidence informed or changed professional or academic decisions Evaluates literature resources to develop a comprehensive analysis or synthesis. Uses valid, relevant, and reliable outside sources to contribute to the threaded discussion	Provides relevant evidence of scholarly inquiry but does not clearly state how the evidence informed or changed professional or academic decisions. Evaluates information from source(s) to develop a coherent analysis or synthesis. Uses some valid, relevant, reliable outside sources to contribute to the threaded discussion.	Discusses using scholarly inquiry but does not state how scholarly inquiry informed or changed professional or academic decisions. Information is taken from source(s) with some interpretation/evaluation, but not enough to develop a coherent analysis or synthesis. Little valid, relevant, or reliable outside sources are used to contribute to the threaded discussion. Demonstrates little or no understanding of the topic.	Discusses using scholarly inquiry but does not state how scholarly inquiry informed or changed professional or academic decisions. Information is taken from source(s) without any interpretation/evaluation. The posting uses information that is not valid, relevant, or reliable	No evidence of the use of scholarly inquiry to inform or change professional or academic decisions. Information is not valid, relevant, or reliable
Performance Category	10	9	8	4	0
Application of Course Knowledge – Demonstrate the ability to analyze, synthesize, and/or apply principles and concepts learned in the course lesson and outside readings and relate them to real-life professional situations	Posts make direct reference to concepts discussed in the lesson or drawn from relevant outside sources; Applies concepts to personal experience in the professional setting and or relevant application to real life.	Posts make direct reference to concepts discussed in the lesson or drawn from relevant outside sources. Applies concepts to personal experience in their professional setting and or relevant application to real life Interactions with classmates are relevant to the discussion topic but do not make direct reference to lesson content	Posts are generally on topic but do not build knowledge by incorporating concepts and principles from the lesson. Does not attempt to apply lesson concepts to personal experience in their professional setting and or relevant application to real life Does not demonstrate a solid understanding of the principles and concepts presented in the lesson	Posts do not adequately address the question posed either by the discussion prompt or the instructor’s launch post. Posts are superficial and do not reflect an understanding of the lesson content Does not attempt to apply lesson concepts to personal experience in their professional setting and or relevant application to real life	Posts are not related to the topics provided by the discussion prompt or by the instructor; attempts by the instructor to redirect the student are ignored No discussion of lesson concepts to personal experience in the professional setting and or relevant application to real life
Performance Category	5	4	3	2	0
Interactive Dialogue Replies to each graded thread topic posted by the course instructor, by Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. MT, of each week, and posts a minimum of two times in each graded thread, on separate days. *(5 points possible per graded thread)*	Exceeds minimum post requirements Replies to each graded thread topic posted by the course instructor, by Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. MT, of each week, and posts three or more times in each graded thread, over three separate days. Replies to a post posed by faculty and to a peer Summarizes what was learned from the lesson, readings, and other student posts for the week.	Replies to each graded thread topic posted by the course instructor, by Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. MT, of each week, and posts a minimum of two times in each graded thread, on separate days Replies to a question posed by a peer Summarizes what was learned from the lesson, readings, and other student posts for the week.	Meets expectations of 2 posts on 2 different days. The main post is not made by the Wednesday deadline Does not reply to a question posed by a peer or faculty	Has only one post for the week Discussion posts contain few, if any, new ideas or applications; often are a rehashing or summary of other students’ comments	Does not post to the thread No connections are made to the topic
	Minus 1 Point	Minus 2 Point	Minus 3 Point	Minus 4 Point	Minus 5 Point
Grammar, Syntax, APA Note: if there are only a few errors in these criteria, please note this for the student in as an area for improvement. If the student does not make the needed corrections in upcoming weeks, then points should be deducted. Points deducted for improper grammar, syntax and APA style of writing. The source of information is the APA Manual 6th Edition	2-3 errors in APA format. Written responses have 2-3 grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors. Writing style is generally clear, focused, and facilitates communication.	4-5 errors in APA format. Writing responses have 4-5 grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors. Writing style is somewhat focused.	6-7 errors in APA format. Writing responses have 6-7 grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors. Writing style is slightly focused making discussion difficult to understand.	8-10 errors in APA format. Writing responses have 8-10 grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors. Writing style is not focused, making discussion difficult to understand.	Post contains greater than 10 errors in APA format. Written responses have more than 10 grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors. Writing style does not facilitate communication. The student continues to make repeated mistakes in any of the above areas after written correction by the instructor
	0 points lost				-5 points lost
Total Participation Requirements *per discussion thread*	The student answers the threaded discussion question or topic on one day and posts a second response on another day.				The student does not meet the minimum requirement of two postings on two different days
Early Participation Requirement *per discussion thread*	The student must provide a substantive answer to the graded discussion question(s) or topic(s), posted by the course instructor (not a response to a peer), by Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. MT of each week.				The student does not meet the requirement of a substantive response to the stated question or topic by Wednesday at 11:59 pm MT.