APN Professional Development

There are four types of Advanced Practice Nurse roles, the nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, certified registered nurse anesthetist, and certified nurse-midwife. The Family Nurse Practitioner is the advanced practice role that will be discussed. According to Hamric, Hanson, Tracy, and O 'Grady (2014) the primary care NP provides care for patients in diverse settings, including community-based settings such as private and public practices, acute, and long-term care settings across the life span (pg. 396). Family Nurse Practitioners have faced many challenges in the medical profession to be recognized as health care providers. Most of these challenges where from fellow nurses. According to Hamric, Hanson, Tracy, and O’Grady (2014) conflict and discord about the Nurse Practitioner role continued to characterize relationships between NPs and other nurses (pg. 18). Despite the resistance to NPs in nursing, physicians increasingly accepted NPs in individual health care practices (Hamric, Hanson, Tracy, and O’Grady, 2014, pg. 18). Physicians readily accepted the role of the Nurse Practitioner, working together to improve patient outcomes and safety.

Credentialing from advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) perspective is defined as “furnishing the documentation necessary to be authorized by a regulatory body or institution to engage in certain activities and use a certain title” (Hanson, 2014). Credentialing is also define from a local institutional process that consider specific documentations for APRN before they assume the practice role as APRN within their facility. In health care system, credentialing ensures individuals meet required standards of practice and is prepared to perform those duties implied by the credentials. National certification and education are considered as part of credentialing for APRN to acquire basic level of competence to practice. (Hanson, 2014)

In 2008 the Alliance for Advanced Practice Credentialing and the National Council of State Board of Nursing published specific masters educational, accreditation, licensure, credentialing, certification processes. The masters educational, accreditation, licensure, credentialing, certifications are based on a set of values steps to practice will ensure that NPs have the skills training to place themselves to serve an fundamental role in national health care reform (Graduate NursingEDU,

The APRN Consensus Model was released in July of 2008 to define advanced practice registered nurse, identify the titles to be used by APRNs, and define specialty area of practice. The Consensus Model also describes population foci, suggests a process for recognition of new APRN roles, and recommends requirements for implementation (American Nurses Association [ANA], 2010). The APRN regulatory model helps uniform scope of practice of APRN across the United States, which benefit individual APRN, enhance patient outcomes, and improve the quality of care. Consensus Model consists of Licensure, Accreditation, Certification, and Education. The Education criteria in LACE Consensus Model relate to all APRN programs regardless of master’s or doctoral

The health care industry is experiencing a surge in the number of baby-boomers needing health care and increased demands on the physicians providing the care. This trend has made the role of Advanced practice providers more important (cite). It is imperative to understand the differences and similarities in the advanced practice provider roles as it pertains to healthcare. This paper will identify specialty nursing roles including advanced practice registered nurses (APRN). It will further compare and contrast the advanced practice nurse (APN) and physician assistant (PA) roles in practice.

There is a growing trend where physicians are choosing different specialties instead of choosing primary care, primarily due to the low reimbursement rate in primary care. According to Iglehart (2014),” the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) still projects a shortage of 130,000 physicians by 2025, split almost equally between primary and specialty care” (para. 1). With this decline comes an answer, an increase in the number of nurse practitioners providing patient care, reported 154,00 in 2012 and growing every year (Iglehart, 2014). This increase in nurse practitioners’ helps fill that gap, allow greater health care access to the community, especially special populations. By gaining access to healthcare were a nurse practitioner is the provider not only with the special population have high quality affordable health care, a trusting long lasting relationship will develop. This relationship will break the barriers of; lack of trust, lack of health care education and discrimination. Nursing is a trusted profession that provides education and care that no other health care professional

In the article written by Ford, (2009), the doctorate of nursing practice (DNP) has an important role to play in the current health care system which is constantly changing. As healthcare around the world is transforming, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) 2011 report mentioned that in the United States, Advanced practice nurses play a vital role in the rapid complex changes based on the full extent of their education and training. This article describes some of the positive role of the advance practice Nurse as a facilitator in the regulatory and policy developments. The Advance practice nurse participates and provide cost-effective care models that will improve the access and quality of care of the population. Another positive area for the APN in this current healthcare system is health promotion, health maintenance, and prevention. In this evolving health care system, it gives the Advance practice nurse the opportunity to set up acute and primary care settings that will positively impact health care delivery as they meet the needs of an expanding, aging, and chronically ill population. All over the world, the NP’s role has developed and is beneficial to health care systems and health care consumers. As Advance practice nurses we must use this great opportunity to advance our role and work with others to improve and transform health care globally. DNP graduate 's role is include leadership, research, practice, education, and

Advanced practice nurses have core competencies that are similar or are specific to each specialization defined as an advanced practice. The profession of nursing presents favorable circumstances for nurses to specialize in roles with distinct responsibilities and opportunities to contribute to the function of a health care industry with growing demands and complexity. The profession of nursing continues to debate to whom the title advanced practice nurse applies to. Examination of the core concept frame works described by nurse leaders and professional organizations tend to either support or refute the argument related to the use of the term, advanced practice nurse for nursing administrators and educators. For the purpose of this paper the author will explore the core competency similarities and differences of a nurse practitioner and a nurse educator. Nurse educators and nurse practitioners are registered nurses that possess advanced education, skills, and experience. Each specialty nurse has defined scopes of practice with distinct sets of responsibilities, requirements, and skills. Each role represents distinct educational requirements and activities that contribute to the complex and diverse health care industry.

The report shows that the part of nursing must be expanded so that nurses are able to practice to the fullest degree of their education and training. Currently, advanced practice nurses (APRNs) work according to the scope of practice guidelines set forth by their individual state, meaning these highly educated nurses may not be working to the extent of their training but to the individual state laws. The report offers recommendations to streamline these idiosyncrasies and get rid of the red tape so that nurses can work in their appropriate manner and deliver safe quality care to some 32 million Americans who will before long gain access to health care services (American Association of Colleges of Nursing [AACN], 2012). The report correspondingly finds that nurses need to attain advanced levels of education and training through an enhanced education structure which encourages a cohesive academic progression as to safeguard the delivery of quality health care services. Patients are becoming progressively more complex and nurses need to attain the proper skills to care for these persons. Nursing education must embrace the continuous move towards a streamline approach to higher degree programs (Institute of Medicine [IOM], 2010, p. 2). Nurse residency programs

The historic article by Safriet (1992) fully lists and analyzes the major challenges facing the advanced practice nurse (APN). At the time the article was written compared to now, a few aspects are changing. In areas where change has occurred, it has been an exceedingly slow process. Change for APNs is often dependent on legislation and regulatory authorities which receives half-hearted support, at best, from the medical establishment (Safriet, 1992). Since the first day nurses were given any authority to practice outside of regular practice, physicians only objected when it began to encroach upon their perceived hierarchal status or potential for compensation (Hamric, Hanson, Tracy, & O’Grady, 2014). The concern that this

As the young and rapidly-aging population continues to increase, the demands of primary, acute and chronic disease management will also increase. As a result, more health care professionals who provide primary care will be needed to meet these demands. Thus, the emergence of Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) evolve. APRN is a nurse who has completed a graduate degree and has acquired advanced knowledge and skills. APRNs are grounded with theory, concepts and principles that enable them to assess, diagnose, treat and manage their patients. APRNs can work in conjunction with other health care professionals or independently. APRNs improve access to health care by providing care in the rural and underserved areas. APRNs also reduce the cost to health care (Joel, 2013).

For current and future needs we need to enable all healthcare professionals especially nurses to practice to the full level of their education and training. Advanced practice nurses can fulfill the primary care needs. This will free up physicians to address more complex cases which needs their expertise. Current practice focus on specialty and acute care only and a shift in practice to deliver more primary care and community care services is essential to improve the quality of nursing care and address the growing need of care in these areas.

The educational requirement for advanced nursing practice is a master’s level education in a program or track leading to APN licensure, including graduate degree-granting and post-graduate certificate programs with established educational standards and attainment of the APN core, role core and population core competencies (National Council of State Boards, 2012). APN’s acquire increased knowledge in the sciences of anatomy, physiology, microbiology, chemistry, pathophysiology, and pharmacology. The core curriculum for the advanced practice role includes priorities in

Advanced Practice Nurse’ is a term used to define nursing interventions that positively healthcare outcomes. It entails direct care of individual patients, administration of nursing in healthcare setups as well as the formulation and implementation of healthcare policies (Cusack, et al., 2013).

“Advanced nursing practice is the deliberative diagnosis and treatment of a full range of human responses to actual or potential health problems.” (Calkin, 1984). Advanced nurse practitioners attempt to maximize the use of knowledge and skills and improve the delivery of nursing and health care services. The field of advanced nursing practice differs from basic practice as the former requires clinical specialization at the master’s level. At this level, nurses become expert practitioners whose work includes direct and indirect patient care. Direct patient care involves caring for patients and their families; this is the focus of my section on nurse clinicians. Indirect patient care includes work as an educator, researcher, and a