Discussion: Ethical and Legal Foundations of PMHNP Care NRNP 6665
Discussion: Ethical and Legal Foundations of PMHNP Care NRNP 6665
Discussion: Ethical and Legal Foundations of PMHNP Care NRNP 6665
Discussion: Ethical and Legal Foundations of PMHNP Care
Advanced practice nursing in all specialties is guided by codes of ethics that put the care,
rights, duty, health, and safety of the patient first and foremost. PMHNP practice is also
guided by ethical codes specifically for psychiatry. These ethical codes are frameworks to
guide clinical decision making; they are generally not prescriptive. They also represent the
aspirational ideals for the profession. Laws, on the other hand, dictate the requirements
that must be followed. In this way, legal codes may be thought to represent the minimum
standards of care, and ethics represent the highest goals for care.
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For this Discussion, you select a topic that has both legal and ethical implications for
PMHNP practice and then perform a literature review on the topic. Your goal will be to
identify the most salient legal and ethical facets of the issue for PMHNP practice, and also
how these facets differ in the care of adult patients versus children. Keep in mind as you
research your issue, that laws differ by state and your clinical practice will be dictated by
the laws that govern your state.
To Prepare
Select one of the following ethical/legal topics:
o Autonomy
o Beneficence
o Justice
o Fidelity
o Veracity
o Involuntary hospitalization and due process of civil commitment
o Informed assent/consent and capacity
o Duty to warn
o Restraints
o HIPPA
o Child and elder abuse reporting
o Tort law
o Negligence/malpractice
In the Walden library, locate a total of four scholarly, professional, or legal
resources related to this topic. One should address ethical considerations related to
this topic for adults, one should be on ethical considerations related to this topic for
children/adolescents, one should be on legal considerations related to this topic for
adults, and one should be on legal considerations related to this topic for
children/adolescents.
By Day 3 of Week 2
Briefly identify the topic you selected. Then, summarize the articles you selected,
explaining the most salient ethical and legal issues related to the topic as they concern
psychiatric-mental health practice for children/adolescents and for adults. Explain how this
information could apply to your clinical practice, including specific implications for
practice within your state. Attach the PDFs of your articles.
Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses.
By Day 6 of Week 2
Respond to at least two of your colleagues on 2 different days by sharing cultural
considerations that may impact the legal or ethical issues present in their articles.
Note: For this Discussion, you are required to complete your initial post before you will be
able to view and respond to your colleagues’ postings. Begin by clicking on the "Post to
Discussion Question" link, and then select "Create Thread" to complete your initial post.
Remember, once you click on Submit, you cannot delete or edit your own posts, and you
cannot post anonymously. Please check your post carefully before clicking on Submit!
Submission and Grading Information
Grading Criteria
To access your rubric:
Week 2 Discussion Rubric
Post by Day 3 of Week 2 and Respond by Day 6 of Week 2
To Participate in this Discussion:
Week 2 Discussion
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Learning Resources
Required Readings (click to expand/reduce)
American Nurses Association. (2015). Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements.
https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/nursing-excellence/ethics/code-of-ethics-for-
nurses/coe-view-only/
American Psychological Association. (2017). Ethical principles of psychologists and
diagnostic formulation. http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/
American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. (2014). Code of ethics.
https://www.aacap.org/App_Themes/AACAP/docs/about_us/transparency_portal/aacap_c
ode_of_ethics_2012.pdf
American Psychiatric Nurses Association. (2020). APRN psychiatric-mental health nursing
practice. https://www.apna.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageID=3846
Anderson, S. L. (2012). Practice parameter on gay, lesbian, or bisexual sexual orientation,
gender nonconformity, and gender discordance in children and adolescents. American
Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 51(9). 957–974.
https://www.jaacap.org/action/showPdf?pii=S0890-8567%2812%2900500-X
Hilt, R. J., & Nussbaum, A. M. (2016). DSM-5 pocket guide for child and adolescent mental
health. American Psychiatric Association Publishing.
Chapter 2, “Addressing Behavioral and Mental Problems in Community Settings”
Thapar, A., Pine, D. S., Leckman, J. F., Scott, S., Snowling, M. J., & Taylor, E. A.
(2015). Rutter’s child and adolescent psychiatry (6th ed.). Wiley Blackwell.
Chapter 19, “Legal Issues in the Care and Treatment of Children with Mental
Health Problems”
Zakhari, R. (2020). The psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner certification review
manual. Springer.
Chapter 1, “Preparing to Pass the Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
Certification Exam”
Reminder: Keep Your Library of Advanced Practice Nursing Texts at Your Fingertips
Several textbooks are assigned in multiple courses in your program. That is, you will see
reading assignments from the books assigned in the Learning Resources of more than one
course. You should, however, keep all prior textbooks—not just the ones explicitly
assigned—readily accessible. The expectation is that you will independently consult these
prior textbooks to synthesize information needed to complete your final courses. This is
your time to “put it all together” and to more fully embrace the advanced practice nursing
role. Part of the responsibility of advanced practice is developing information literacy skills
to know where to locate needed information for your clinical practice.