"Hey you LPN, Can you get the nurse I have a question to ask them?" A common phrase heard in the nursing world and often makes the LPN feel inadequate and frustrated. The nursing field is one that is rich in history and diversity. The registered nurse has been the backbone of the nursing world for many years; however, many people recognize the license practical nurse or license vocational nurse particularly in the geriatric community. LPN/LVN in this setting perform many of the same tasks as the RN, yet is paid less and given much less respect. The LPN makes up the majority of the workforce when working in the geriatric rehabilitation setting and deserves to be treated as equals with the RN. The Scope of Practice, education given to both …show more content…
To a large degree, this was because the RN had more training and is accepted to be educated than the LPN, however many LPNs with experience and additional education are often significantly better nurses. It is often highly recognized that nursing is a profession based on experience and knowledge. Often the knowledge is gained from experience thus the skilled nurse is one with a significant amount of experience. Today much of nursing is based on evidenced based practices, which is performing procedures and tasks based on what is known will produce the greatest positive outcome (Jyothi, 2012). The next part of understanding why the LPN should be treated equally with their counterpart the RN, understanding the differences in scopes of practice. This paper will specifically be referring to the Florida scope of practice, largely in part due to personal experience and the huge LPN population in Florida. According to LPN.com (2014), there are approximately 43,350 working LPN in the state of Florida. LPN 's as previously reported are the backbone of the geriatric population, and Florida has nearly "20 million people over 60, or 23 percent"(ADRC, 2017). The LPN scope of practice in Florida differs in many ways to the RN. The RN is responsible for the initial assessment of the patient (FBON, 2005), however often when caring for this population, the patient is often being seen in the past for similar or
Also in the state of Florida nurse practitioners authority to prescribe does not include controlled substances (Florida Senate, 2008). Another point of difference between both professions lies the fact that physician assistants can work only under the supervision of a physician, while the nurse practitioners are more independent in performing their duties, they do not have to work under a physician, and they can open their own practice. The PA’s working time depends strictly on the working hours of the physician, while the working hours of the nurse practitioners depend on the nurse and the laws of the state governing them (Cresswell, 2013). In the year 2013, the number of practicing NPs in the USA were 155,000 and the number of physician assistants was 83,600 (Garment, 2013). Although there are a few differences that exist between these two professions, they are equally important in the provision of quality health care for all
Consequently, the contemplation of changing professional practice to one of an Adult to Gerontology Nurse Practitioner affords tremendous challenges along with a
First, the state licensure regulates NP practice and it has been a big issue since NPs are not able to practice to the fullest extent despite of their education and training. NPs practice is regulated by state licensure and only about one-third of the nation has adopted full practice authority licensure and practice laws for NPs (Hain & Fleck, 2014). The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) reports that, under a full practice authority model, NPs are still required to meet
State law is made up of two different forms: statues and regulations (Buppert, 2015). Under the established rules and regulations, an ARNP can: (a) monitor and alter drug therapies; (b) initiate therapies for certain diagnosis’; (c) perform additional functions as may be determined by rule; (d) and order diagnostic tests and appropriate therapies (The Florida Legislature, 2016). A practitioner licensed under chapters 458, 459 or 466, must maintain supervision for directing certain course and medical treatment (The Florida Legislature, 2016). Within the context of advanced nursing practice and the Florida Statues chapter 464.003(2), an ARNP may diagnosis, treat, alter medication regimes, diagnose, prescribe and operate, which are approved by a joint committee composed of three members appointed by the Board of Nursing, three members appointed by the Board of Medicine and the State Surgeon General or his/her designee (The Florida Legislature, 2016). On the other hand, the federal government regulates nurse practitioner practice through statutes passed by Congress and regulations (Buppert, 2015). According to Buppert (2015), federal law can override state law, and when federal and state law conflict with one another, federal law usually triumphs. Due to these state and federal statutes and regulations, this can impose a huge threat and impact to NP practice since the BON and the Nurse Practice Act usually help
Nurse Practitioners (NPs) play a key role in long term health care by ensuring provision of holistic healthcare services particularly in remote areas and in those areas that have few physicians. Currently, there is a concern where there is a shortage of physicians in nursing homes and in other critical health care services questioning the care being provided (Colwill, Cultice, & Kruse, 2008). Due to population growth,
Since the inception of the Nurse Practitioner (NP) role in the 1960s, NPs have thrived in the delivery of primary healthcare and nurse case management. Despite patient satisfaction with NPs ' style of care, nurses have been critical of NPs, while physicians have been threatened by NP encroachment on MD practice. Balancing assessment, diagnosis, and treatment with caring defines NPs ' success as primary care providers. Understand the role and Scope of Practice of NPs is sometimes difficult for some to understand. The purpose of this paper is to define the role and history of NP, compare and contrast licensure versus certifications, understand NP Scope Of Practice and Standards of Care, discuss how the State Practice Acts regulate FNP practice, discuss credentialing and privileging, and differentiate between legislative and regulatory processes.
The Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner competencies entail a combination of acute gerontology and primary care. In order to gain entry into this field, there is need to meet the requirements for an adult-gerontology care nurse practitioner. The competencies of this field are based on the APRN along with NP core competencies. Their scope of practice is based on patient healthcare needs. Their healthcare obligations tend to reflect the work of a national Expert Panel that entails a host of adults related to gerontology and acute care (Geetter, et al., 2013).
As resistant as some states’ legislative and regulatory bodies are to grant APNs autonomy of practice, the damage being done by over-regulation is clear (Safriet, 1992). Physicians are forced into a position to either supervise the APN’s practice or be constantly consulted for approval of their practice decisions. Safriet (1992) described that in and of itself, this constant supervision may appear to patients that the APN is not competent to provide adequate or care equivalent to that of a physician. If the role of the APN is to bridge gaps in health care by relieving the medical establishment of some of the patient load by performing the same function as a physician in a primary care setting, it seems wholly unnecessary to restrain their scope of practice in those areas. This type of restrictions affect cost and patient care accessibility (Safriet, 1992). This was a problem stated in the article, however 25 years later, populations of patients remain unseen or cared for and APNs continue to be underutilized (Safriet, 1992). Rigolosi and Salmond (2014) cite the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) when they state that not utilizing nurse practitioners due to practice restrictions costs $9 billion annually in the US (p. 649).
There is an increasing demand for nurse practitioners, which makes this a crucial period in the development of their practice and profession. Nurse practitioners must face increased opportunity and continuing opposition towards independent practice all while defining their role in health care delivery and establishing their connections. The practice of nurse practitioners still varies widely across the states. These inconsistencies make it difficult for nurse practitioners as well as patients when practice
Most of the board’s time was spent dealing with issues that pertained to licensure. They focused a lot on making recommendations to grant, deny or let someone keep a license as a licensed practical nurse (LPN), a registered
Nurse practitioners evaluate, diagnose, prescribe and generally care for their patients. A survey was completed on the satisfaction nurse practitioners felt relating to their current job and the general consensus determined, “Overall, NPs in the workforce reported high levels of job satisfaction. NPs were most satisfied with their level of autonomy, time spent in patient care, sense of value for what they do, and respect from physicians and colleagues (Health Resources, 2014).” Nurse practitioners are practicing independently in twenty other states and the district of Columbia and national surveys and statistics are generally showing average or above average scores when compared to care given by a physician. A study was done to evaluate nurse practitioners in April of 2014, that compared the care of Medicare and Medicaid patients and the avoidance of hospital admissions,
The issue that can create an impact in the practice of the APRNs it is not uniform. One of the main problems in the nursing career is the different type of practice from each state. According to Timmons (2016), each state has their own rules and their regulations for the APRNs. This is the biggest issues in providing the real care to our patients. According to Yee, Boukus, Cross, and Samuel (2013), the clinical role of NPs is governed largely by state scope-of-practice (SOP) laws that determine the range of services NPs can provide and the extent to which they can practice independently. The curriculum and the training are kind of the same almost in every state; nevertheless, the scope of practice is controversial. To benefit the patient’s
Since the start of my nursing career, I made the decision early on to get a few years of Registered Nurse (RN) experience and then continue on the further my education to become a Family Nurse Practitioner. My first job after graduating with my Bachelors of Science in Nursing (BSN), I worked in Pennsylvania as an oncology and hospice RN in a small rural hospital. After gaining one years’ experience, I decided to further my career by starting a career as a travel RN and simultaneously I enrolled at Chamberlain College of Nursing in the FNP program. After graduation, I plan on settling down in Washington and start my career as an FNP. Throughout this paper, I will effectively explore the scope of practice for APNs in Washington, complete a personal assessment that reflects my strengths and weaknesses, explore local and professional organizations that can be accessed to gain information on employment opportunities, determine
The role that nurse practitioner (NP) plays within the increasing complex health care system is a constant changing role with the Consensus Model and the introduction of the Affordable Care Act in 2010. The scope of the nurse practitioner (NP) includes the care of the young, the old, the sick and the well. The educational needs of a nurse practitioner vary greatly from that of a Registered Nurse (RN), in the amount of education as well as the focus of the education. NPs provide coordinated primary care with the use of comprehensive health histories and physical examinations, diagnosing and treating acute and chronic illnesses, the management of medications and therapies, ordering and interpreting tests results, and educating and
Healthcare reform nationwide is making an effort to concentrate on concerns among our aging population due to the amplified rate of chronic diseases and mounting healthcare expenditure. Nursing responsibility is growing in every part of areas in healthcare in the United States consisting of resolutions on health policy and the terms of home health services (Reagan & Salsberry, 2013). Federal laws that are currently managed by home health agencies do not permit advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) to certify care for disabled patients. Furthermore, all orders are required to be certified by a physician or Medicare compensation might be compromised. This obstacle remains to leave a gap to the independent role APRNs participate