Explain the importance of thorough psychiatric assessment for children and adolescents

Explain the importance of thorough psychiatric assessment for children and adolescents

NRNP 6650 Week 1 Assignment: Child and Adolescent Assessment

Week 1: Child and Adolescent Assessment

All diagnoses, from infancy to adulthood, begin with an examination. While an organic basis for most medical disorders can be determined through the use of diagnostic testing, the field of psychiatry is different in that patients cannot be sent to the lab for blood tests to determine the degree of depression. Similarly, patients cannot be sent to the radiology department for a “scan” to determine the severity of their bipolar disorder. Instead, the field of psychiatry must use psychiatric assessments, such as the comprehensive integrated physical exam, diagnostic interviews, and questionnaires to make diagnoses. These tools must be specialized to address the needs of children and adolescents.

Diagnostic assessment of the child and adolescent is a specialized area of expertise. The PMHNP will often see children who have already been seen by a primary care provider. Many PCPs are comfortable handling attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other straightforward childhood disorders. That means that the PMHNP will often treat the more complicated patients. This week, you explore psychiatric assessment techniques and tools for children and adolescents. You also examine the role of the parent/guardian in the assessment process for this patient population.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

Evaluate comprehensive integrated psychiatric assessment techniques for children and adolescents
Recommend assessment questions for child and adolescent patients
Explain the importance of thorough psychiatric assessment for children and adolescents
Identify rating scales that are appropriate for child/adolescent psychiatric assessment
Identify psychiatric treatments appropriate for children and adolescents
Explain the role of the parent/guardian in child/adolescent psychiatric assessment
Learning Resources

Required Readings (click to expand/reduce)

Required Media (click to expand/reduce)

Recommended Reading (click to expand/reduce)

Optional Discussion Forum: PMHNP Study Support Lounge

The PMHNP Study Support Lounge is offered throughout the course as a place of academic refuge where you can ask questions, offer insights, and interact with your peers. Your Instructor may also weigh in to provide global feedback to the group based on trends, common problems, and common strengths in student posts.

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You are encouraged to provide constructive, helpful feedback to your peers. Advanced practice nurses always

NRNP 6650 Week 1 Assignment Child and Adolescent Assessment
NRNP 6650 Week 1 Assignment Child and Adolescent Assessment

benefit from the feedback of others. Your Study Support Lounge posts may be procedural (“How do I attach a Kaltura video to a Discussion post?”), conceptual (“How does this relate to the other therapy approaches we have studied?”), or analytical (“What do these diagnostic results actually mean in the context of this specific patient case?”). Although not mandatory, this is an opportunity to interact and study together as you navigate the assignments, so you are highly encouraged to take part in this activity. Full participation in activities like this is a statistically significant predictor of success.

To Participate in this Optional Discussion:

PMHNP Study Support Lounge

Acknowledgment

Practicum Manual Acknowledgment

The Practicum Manual describes the structure and timing of the classroom-based and practicum experiences and the policies students must follow to be successful in the nurse practitioner (NP) specialties.

Field Experience: MSN Nurse Practitioner Practicum Manual
Click here and follow the instructions to confirm you have downloaded and read the entire MSN Nurse Practitioner Practicum Manual and will abide by the requirements described in order to successfully complete this program.