This document discusses finalizing an academic success and professional development plan for an MSN student nurse. It compares the family nurse practitioner (FNP) specialty and psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) specialty. The student chose the FNP specialty because it allows treating patients across the lifespan for any illness, while the PMHNP focuses only on mental health. Justifications for choosing FNP include its similarity to a general physician and greater opportunities for employment and autonomy. FNP is especially needed to provide healthcare access to underserved groups who gained insurance through the Affordable Care Act. The American Association of Nurse Practitioners is the relevant professional organization.

1. NURS 6003 Assignment Paper
NURS 6003 Assignment PaperAcademic Success and Professional Development Plan Part 6:
Finalizing the Plan NURS 6003 Assignment PaperBeing an MSN student is definitely a very
important milestone. However, successfully completing the course is the most satisfying
experience of all. But often times an MSN student nurse finishes the course while not yet
being very sure if the specialty they have chosen is the best one for them. At the back of
their minds, there is always that second option that they have kept alive even though they
are completing training and education in the first specialty that they chose. This paper is
about making a definitive choice and cementing the MSN nurse’s career path going
forward.ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HEREStep 1: Comparing Nursing
SpecialtiesThere are four recognized roles of advanced practice registered nurses or APRNs,
according to what is known as the Consensus Model. These four roles are the certified nurse
practitioner (CNP), the certified nurse midwife (CNM), the clinical nurse specialist (CNS),
and the certified registered nurse anesthetist or CRNA (Registered Nursing.org, 2019). All
the four roles also have different specialties and population foci depending on a particular
APRN’s interest. My particular specialty of interest as at no is the family nurse practitioner
specialty (FNP) which belongs to the role of the certified nurse practitioner or CNP. This is
an ARN that cares for all age groups across the lifespan by treating all types of illnesses and
injuries at the primary health care level. In states that have in place the legislative policy of
full practice authority and full prescriptive authority, the FNP is allowed to practice to the
full extent of their education, knowledge, and competencies. As such, they autonomously
assess patients, order laboratory investigations and others including radiological
examinations such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT)
scans, interpret the results of the investigations, plan for the patient’s treatment, prescribe
medications, and review/ follow up the patient. All this is done without the need for
supervision by any practicing physician as is the case in jurisdictions with reduced or
restricted practice (Nurse Journal, n.d.). This is what attracted me to this specialty. I found it
very satisfying that I would not be pigeonholed into treating only one particular age group
but the entire lifespan.The other specialty that I consider as my potential second choice is
the specialty of psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner or MHNP. This specialty also
happens to belong to the APRN role of certified nurse practitioner or CNP. However, instead
of treating all kinds of illnesses across the lifespan, the PMHNP is able by training,
education, and licensure to treat only mental health illnesses as the title implies. NURS 6003
Assignment Paper However, those practicing in states with full practice authority can

2. independently without any supervision whatsoever assess, treat, prescribe, and follow-up
psychiatric and mental health patients and clients. The PMHN is also qualified and allowed
to deliver nonpharmacologic psychotherapeutic interventions such as cognitive behavioral
therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior training or DBT (Walden University, n.d.). Both the
FNP and the MHNP must be educated up to at least master’s level with a postgraduate level
education. Both of these specialties also require certification for ease of licensure and for
credibility. For the FNP, she can get certification from either the American Association of
Nurse practitioners (AANP) or the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).
Certification of the PMHNP is done by the ANCC after which the PMHNP becomes board-
certified (BC). The full title then becomes PMHNP-BC (Nurse Practitioner Schools, 2019). As
stated, I settled for the FNP specialty as a first choice because unlike the PMHNP who only
handles only mental health across the lifespan, the FNP handles all kinds of illnesses and
health problems across the lifespan. I figured out by this choice that I would be able to apply
all that I have learnt so far across the board.Step 2: Justification for Choosing the Particular
Nursing SpecialtyIt is already alluded to above that the main justification for choosing the
FNP specialty over the PMHNP was the fact that it offered an opportunity to practice widely
without having to give up some of the knowledge acquired through concentrating on only
one population demographic. The FNP is akin to or comparable to the general physician or
GP.NURS 6003 Assignment Paper And since there is shortage of physicians willing to
practice at the primary healthcare level in rural communities, being a FNP carries with it
many opportunities in terms of not only employment but also autonomy. With the advent of
the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (also known commonly as
“Obamacare”), there would be an additional 32 million Americans accessing medical
insurance coverage. These are citizens who had hitherto not been able to pay for healthcare
insurance due to the cost. Of course, almost all of these thirty-two million Americans belong
to the poor demographic of the society. Because of this Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the
relatively small numbers of physicians, the demand for FNPs at the primary healthcare
community level is now greater than ever (Nurse Journal, n.d.).Given the above narrative,
the choice of the FNP is also definitely a move for affirmative action, equity, and justice. Why
is this so? The truth of the matter is that majority of the citizens in the United States who
could not afford healthcare insurance and who have now been brought into the coverage
bracket by Obamacare are overwhelmingly Hispanic and African American. Taking up the
specialty of FNP is therefore guaranteeing that a part of this community that is marginalised
will receive proper healthcare at the primary healthcare level. In other words, it will assure
them access to quality healthcare. Health authorities around the world recognize that access
to healthcare is one of the social determinants of health or SDOH. These are factors that
come into play from the time a person is born, their entire lifetime, and death. The factors
are referred to as social determinants of health because they have a great influence on the
health status of the person. Other SDOH include socio-economic status or income status,
environmental sanitation, and level of education.ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER
HEREStep 3: Professional OrganizationsThe professional nursing organization or
association that relates to my specialty of choice is the American Association of Nurse
Practitioners or AANP. It is the body that brings together all those APRNs that belong to the

3. role of certified nurse practitioner (CNP). It presents an opportunity for advocacy and
professional development for both postgraduate nursing students and practicing NPs. In
order to join the association, one is required to subscribe either as a student member or as a
qualified and practicing NP. As a professional NP, one of the coveted titles is to be referred
to as a Fellow of the AANP (Rossiter et al., 2017). NURS 6003 Assignment
PaperReferencesNurse Journal (n.d.). Role and scope of practice of a family nurse
practitioner. Retrieved 11 July 2020 from https://nursejournal.org/family-practice/role-
scope-of-practice-of-a-family-nurse-practitioner/Nurse Practitioner Schools (2019). What
is a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP)? Retrieved 11 July 2020 from
https://www.nursepractitionerschools.com/faq/what-is-a-psychiatric-np/Registered
Nursing.org (2019). Advanced practice registered nurse (APRN). Retrieved 11 July 2020
from https://www.registerednursing.org/aprn/Rossiter, A.G., Sabol, V.K. & Hicks, R.W.
(2017). So you want to be a Fellow in the American Association of Nurse Practitioners:
Navigating the Fellowship process to ensure your success. Journal of the American
Association of Nurse Practitioners, 29, 501-505. Doi: 10.1002/2327-6924.12508Walden
University (n.d.). Master of Science in Nursing (MSN). Retrieved 11 July 2020 from
https://info.waldenu.edu/walden-programs/nursing/masters/master-of-science-in-
nursing-msn?utm_expid=.WgncbhwNR06v7FZi2Zix-
A.0&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2NURS 6003 Assignment Paper