Family Nurse Practitioner
Family Nurse Practitioner
Healthcare in the United States in the 1950’s and 1960’s experienced an upheaval with the expanded availability of the Medicare and Medicaid programs and the increased specialization of medicine. The shortage in providing health care coverage to low-income women, children, the elderly, and people with disabilities gave clinically experienced nurses the opportunity to fill the primary care void. This was accomplished with the introduction of the first Nurse Practitioner program. The NP program was co-created in 1965 by a nurse educator, Loretta Ford, EdD, RN, PNP, and a physician, Henry Silver, MD, at the University of Colorado as a non-degree
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The curriculum includes courses in anatomy and physiology, psychology, pharmacology, and must complete an average of five hundred supervised clinical hours (Steiner, McLaughlin, Hyde, Brown, & Burman, 2008).
After graduation these newly graduated family nurse practitioners seeks licensure to begin their practice from the state they intend to practice in. “The State Boards of Nursing regulate nurse practitioners and each state has its own licensing and certification criteria”, so depending on the state further certification may be required. The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners and the American Nurses Credentialing Center are two credentialing bodies that offer further certifications. Family nurse practitioners graduate with Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree and a Master of Science in Nursing degree. At this point it is time for the newly licensed and certified FNP to seek employment (Remedy Health Media, 2001).
Even after half a decade there remains a shortage in primary care providers with only a reported one forth of medical school graduates seeking residencies in family practice, pediatrics, and obstetrics/gynecology. The FNP is a qualified clinically competent healthcare member that can fill this void in primary care in this cost-sensitive society. Despite barriers like the lack of third-party reimbursement, prescriptive authority, and hospital admission privileges the projected employment
Samantha stated that initially many people asked her if she chose to be a family nurse practitioner to be a “mini physician” (S. Hage De Reyes, personal communication, June 22, 2016). In her perspective, it has been an issue to show others in health care professions that nurses just want to expand their knowledge. She “fights battles every day” for her patients because of the holes in our health care system (S. Hage De Reyes, personal communication, June 22, 2016). In her experience, she has seen many individuals without insurance. She has learned that being a family nurse practitioner is being an advocate for the patient and helping them get the resources that they need. Family nurse practitioners help provide care in a more affordable way. In Samantha’s opinion, family nurse practitioners are the answer to creating access to care for the large uninsured population and those that are newly insured under the Affordable Care Act, and I could not agree
Although I enjoy all facets of nursing, I truly believe that it is in the field of family practice that the foundation of the nursing process begins. I have seen many patients over the course of my career without a stable, primary care healthcare provider. Health and wellness begins with day-to-day habits, and a nurse in family care is uniquely poised to give wellness advice and guidance. Family nurse practitioners often perform similar functions to physicians: making diagnoses; prescribing tests and medications; and helping patients over the course of their life trajectories lead more fulfilling lives. Primary caregiving is truly wellness promotion. It involves not simply healing the sick, but also reducing the likelihood that patients will become ill. I have seen so many patients with preventable illnesses that could have
All health care providers are familiar or have some idea of what family focused care entails. Family focused care can be practiced in any settings in healthcare, and nurses are familiar with this concept as this strong theory based teaching is emphasized throughout the nursing curriculum. With the trend of health care delivery shifting towards home based or community setting, it is now more than ever important for nurses and advance practice nurses (APN) to incorporate family nursing practice for improved outcomes for the patient and their families. This paper will discuss one of the many family nursing theory and its impact on the family nursing practice now and in the future.
A baby was just born at 26 weeks gestation. Just over half the normal 40 weeks a baby should stay inside the mother. The baby is immediately whisked away and taken to be evaluated and prepared for a long journey ahead. Ever since I could remember babies and the nursery at the hospital have fascinated me. Whenever we would go visit a friend who had a baby, I would find myself peaking over the windows into the nursery. I have known for a while that working in the neonatal intensive care unit is what I want to pursue. Recently I have been looking into nurse practitioners and furthering my education beyond my BSN. Being able to care for these infants in the most critical stages of their life, and being able to provide them the support they need to survive outside the womb seems so satisfying . Neonatal nurse practitioners have years of education, deep history, detailed job description, high demands and some legal issues.
While the demand of healthcare need increasers the United States facing a physician shortage. In recent years the number of nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) has significantly increased and they are taking the part in providing healthcare cervices to the majority of patients. I believe nurse practitioners and physician assistants can practice independently from doctors and be free of oversight. Expanding the scope of NPs and PAs is essential to overcome the healthcare crisis we are facing; it will increase patient satisfaction and stabilizing the healthcare economy.
Health care is a fundamental element to sustaining the welfare of our society. The ability to become a student in the Grand Canyon University (GCU), Master of Science in Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) program, takes me one step closer to being able to achieve my dream of playing a vital role in helping our society towards disease prevention. My experience in the acute care setting has reinforced my passion in disease prevention and health preservation. My short term goal is to be able to successfully complete the required course work. Secondly, I want to be able to acquire the necessary certifications to be able to practice as a FNP. The program at GCU will provide me with the knowledge, and skills I will need to effectively develop my role. The long term goal I have set for myself is to reach the Doctorate level degree at some point in my career. I would like to practice at an independent level and have my own practice in
Family Nurse Practitioners (FNP) are nurses who have acquired a higher level of education after Nursing. FNP are trained to treat, prescribe, and to provide quality healthcare needs for patients. The role of a FNP varies according to their realm of practice and state requirements. The amount of service that they can provide depends on the freedom of practice the state gives the FNP. Each state has various boundaries set for NPs to practice their field of healthcare. Nurse Practitioners can use their knowledge as a RN to boost their NP skills by using improved patient care techniques and evidence-based practice. Evidence-based practice provide NPs support by laying out the necessary components of healthcare methods in an organized fashion. NP learn to use evidence based practice to provide patients with the best possible care and treatment available. write more..
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.
Every individual in the world deserves to enjoy health and wellness. Maintaining or achieving proper health needs enables individuals to be productive at work and leisure. Traditionally, many people have had barriers obtaining adequate healthcare due to economic constraints or personal inconveniences. Despite impressive technological advances in medicine, the challenge of delivering quality healthcare to the Americans continues to be debated amongst the nation’s political and healthcare leaders. The aging baby-boomers and the increased number of uninsured people add to the equation of population growth which results in limited access to primary healthcare for the entire public. On the
Regarding the history of Nurse Practitioners, in 1965 the first Nurse Practitioner program was developed ("Historical Timeline."). The program was developed by Dr. Loretta Ford and Dr. Henry Silver and was provided at the University of Colorado ("Historical Timeline."). In 1980 there were around 200 Nurse Practitioners in the United States ("Historical Timeline."). In 1995 the College of Nurse Practitioners joined the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners to create the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, also known as AANP ("Historical Timeline."). The American
It is clear that Family Nursing Practitioner Program is increasingly becoming valuable for nurses competing for the best job positions. Pursuing a FNP program can open many doors to students in the field of nursing as well as nursing administrators. Additionally it can result into higher salaries throughout the entire career of an individual.
Family nurse practitioners are in excellent positions to help improve health and wellness on a daily and regular basis. The long term connection a FNP can make with patients and the level of care he/she can provide is both beneficial and rewarding to the patient. The knowledge and skill level required to provide care for patients across their life span is beyond admirable. It’s an honor to have the opportunity to be that provider and to advocate for patients on a much higher level than that as a registered nurse. I am so very eager to expand my knowledge and skills in order to provide that higher level of care. My goal is to learn and experience as much as I can from some of the very best teachers/nurses so that I can provide holistic, detailed,
According to Pomeranz (2014), since the 1960’s, the federal government in an effort to initiate methods to improve health care practices for the poor, developed Medicare and Medicaid. Community Health Centers and introduction of physician assistants (PAs) and nurse practitioners (NPs) has caused the progression of the healthcare system; however there remains a shortage in primary care providers. It has been noted that the PA profession has been on the decline and in contrast, an increase in NPs have been recognized.
According to Institute of Medicine today’s nurse practitioners, together with physicians and physician assistants, provide most of the primary care in the United States.
My goal is to provide primary care at the underserved rural area and be involved with patients throughout their lives, diagnose their illnesses, conduct necessary exams and be able to prescribe necessary medications and treatment. Also, I would like to reduce health disparities by focusing on preventive medicine, education and wellness. I would like to incorporate the knowledge I have acquired from my MPH degree by being involved in prevention of health related problems and educate patient about health related issues. I intend to gain a deeper understanding of the roles, responsibilities and skills of a primary care provider, in order to apply the knowledge learned to better the health of our society by being a bridge for patients between bedside nursing and physician. As a FNP, I plan to be patient advocate as a nurse as well as give access to healthcare as a primary care