Dustin K. McKague Ph.D., FNP-BC, CWON-AP, became GW’s second School of Nursing Ph.D. graduate after successfully defending his dissertation on June 15, 2023. Dr. McKague's study, Factors Influencing Confidence in Caring for Pediatric Mental Health Disorders in Primary Care: A National Survey of Family Nurse Practitioners, has provided pivotal insight into the clinical practices of family nurse practitioners (FNPs) and their experiences with pediatric patients with mental and behavioral disorders.
This study surveyed a national sample of 141 FNPs in primary care settings and found that only fifteen percent of their clinical practices were pediatrics and adolescents; thus, they had very few pediatric mental health experiences. Further, this sample also reported low confidence in caring for these patients during each pillar of the care process (that is, assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and evaluation). These low confidence and experiences have implications for pediatric mental health care in the US. FNPs are an excellent conduit for improving access and care for pediatric patients, but they need to feel confident in doing so.
During his time in the Ph.D. program, he received the GW Nursing Education Research Dissertation Award. Dr. McKague has published three articles and contributed a book chapter on APRN simulation during his time in the program. He is dedicated to continuing his research in education and simulation to further help address the mental health crisis in this country and ways that APRNs can address this problem.
Dr. McKague’s committee was comprised of Drs. Angela M. McNelis, Asefeh Faraz Covelli, Pearl Zhou, and Anthony Roberson. He also had contributions from Heather Schlessmen, a pediatric nurse practitioner at PeaceHealth Medical group.