Np Vs Nurse Practitioner

Both Nurse Practitioners (NP) and Physician Assistants (PA) are two very important professionals in the field of medicine. They both work under the supervision of a licensed physician, and their functions are also quite similar with very minor differences between the two. Due to such similarities it has become very difficult for the general population to differentiate between these two professionals (Nurse Practitioner School, 2015). The nurse practitioners are registered nurses who have gone on to earn a master's or doctorate degree in a specialty area of nursing, such as family practice, adult practice, pediatrics or women's health. Their duties include diagnosing and treating acute and chronic conditions, prescribing medication,

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 Nurse Practitioner Core Competencies (NP Core Competencies) forms and builds upon ongoing Master’s and DNP core competencies and these are the channels and background for all graduating NP students. The NP Core Competencies can input their full scope of practice as an independent licensed practitioner. These essential competencies of an NP is fully developed by graduation, no matter what the NPs preferred speciality is. The core competencies are an essential part to face the multispecialty challenges of the changing health care system. By adding knowledge, skill, and ability to independently handle different

A1. The nursing profession has evolved significantly over the decades. One of the factors that have greatly influenced these changes has been the involvement of nurses in the development of theories and data base needed to support the advancement of our profession. In the last half of the twentieth century, nurse researchers (1950s) and nurse theorists (1960s and 1970s) greatly contributed to the expanding body of nursing knowledge with their studies of nursing practice and the development of nursing models and theories (American Nurses Association, 2010, p. 16). Like in any other research activity, a special set of

The success of NPs depends on practicing evidence-based care with competency in assessment, diagnosing, managing patients, and maintaining a caring practice. The nursing component of the NP role continues to be challenged from within nursing, as well as by large national physician organizations. NPs are extensions of nursing practice who are guided by nursing theory. The transformation from nurse to the advanced practice role of NP involves development of advanced knowledge and skills for listening, knowing, being with patients, connecting patients to their communities, promoting health,

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).

Hamric explains, advanced practice nursing as patient centered and skillful activities provided to improve population outcomes. Hamric focuses on educational and clinical practice, criteria and competencies. The baseline criteria include graduate education, certification and patient/family focused. The education of an APN is graduate level with specialized knowledge of an advanced practice role and supervised practice. Professional certification is required for advanced practice with a focus on a certain population. The competencies include: direct clinical practice, holistic perspective, therapeutic partnerships, expert clinical performance, reflective practice, use of evidence, and diverse approaches to health (Hamric et al., 2014, p. 76).

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).

An advanced practice nurse is a registered nurse who has attained the expert knowledge base, complex decision making skills and clinical competencies for extended practice. They are competent in diagnosing and management of common medical conditions including chronic illnesses. They work collaboratively with physicians and other health care providers to provide complex health care services to patients. Advanced Practice Nurses (APN) use their advanced assessment and clinical skills to anticipate and manage complex situations, administer therapies to manage the actual and potential health issues. They also participate in the development of evidence based practice and integrate theoretical and practice-based knowledge to influence the development

Hain, D., & Fleck, L. (2014). Barriers to NP Practice that Impact Healthcare Redesign. Nursingworld.org. Retrieved 29 April 2017, from http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/Vol-19-2014/No2-May-2014/Barriers-to-NP-Practice.html

Nursing Practice continues to evolve in order to adapt to perpetual revamping and reshaping of the healthcare system. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) calls for a dramatic and rapid metamorphosis of patient care delivery models in order to provide cost effective, safe, efficient, and high quality care to every American (Cherry & Jacob, 2016).

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.

“Studies have found NP care to be at least equivalent and, in some cases, superior to physician care” (Hook, 2012). Nurse practitioners start out

These impose severe constrictions on the ability of the nurse to move forward or advance into the areas of practice where traditional nursing practices were not allowed {Institute of Medicine, 2010}. However with the increase in the number of nurses graduating with advance degrees in nursing; the situation is changing. These well educated nurses are leading the charge to confront the complex issues that the rapidly changing health care situation presents. Regulatory barriers must be lifted so that nurses can practice within their scope in order to be reimbursed by private insurance for the services they provide. These changes can be done through the federal and state legislators as well as supervisory agencies and bodies such as congress and licensing regulatory boards. The IOM also recommends that nurses will expand their scope of practice and increase their responsibility through teaching and counseling of patients. {Institute of Medicine,2010}. The use of Advance Practice Registered Nurses and Physician Assistant in providing primary care services will decrease wait time and increase patient satisfaction. The high turnover of nurses transitioning from school to practice also affects the quality of care. These nurses do not have enough experience to make decisions in patient care.{Institute of Medicine,2010}.The IOM and JCAHO{2012} report supports the recommendations for the introduction of nursing residency