Exploring the experiences of advanced practice psychiatric nurses : implications for developing a psychiatric nurse practitioner role

The provision of mental health services in Manitoba, Canada has been affected by a number of problems, including but not limited to: prolonged wait times for services, varying availability of psychiatrists, differing attitudes towards the recovery movement, and shifting scopes of practice among professional groups. These problems appear to have created inefficiencies in existing mental health services, such as the absence of services for vulnerable populations, and ambiguity concerning the best way to plan for services. Effective problem solving involves taking an inventory of what resources already exist or are easily obtained that could increase the efficiency and effectiveness of systems. In mental health services, one such exploration is to consider what further role advanced practice psychiatric nursing (APPN) might play in the delivery of mental health services in Manitoba. The research question in this study was, “What are the experiences of clinical advanced practice psychiatric nurses?”. Nine registered psychiatric nurses (RPNs) participated in one to one interviews using van Manen’s hermeneutic phenomenology. Four main themes emerged from the data analysis: practice affected by the role and availability of other health care providers, practice from a person-centered perspective, pushing the frontiers, and navigating institutional systems and structures. Exploring the experiences of APPNs illuminated ideas which can be applied to positively affect the delivery of mental health services in Manitoba, through the possible creation of a psychiatric nurse practitioner (PNP) role.