In Georgia, Nurse Practitioners practice is regulated by the nursing board and is restricted. NPs are not allowed the same autonomy as other states and their capability to practice independently is not supported. According to American Associate of Nurse Practitioners (2017), restricted practice is when state practice and licensure law install limitations on the NP’s ability to practice to the full extent of their training and education. Today Georgia’s NPs are required to work collaboratively with a physician which restricts their ability. I believe that NPs are educated and competent to deliver quality care without physician oversight. Removing practice barriers can promote optimal role fulfillment and assessment for the NP providing
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
Whether the changes are related to evidenced-based practice or laws related to practice, the nursing field is constantly evolving. Although APRNs are heading in a great direction, there are still many limitations to their practice. As shown in Barton Associates’ (2015) law guide, there is a trend in the chart that shows more restrictions placed on NPs the farther southeast one works. Considering I live in South Carolina, I witness these restrictions first hand. However, to our advantage, South Carolina has a lot of influence from the military community considering it’s high population of military personnel. “The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is proposing to amend its medical regulations to permit full practice authority of all VA advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) when they are acting within the scope of their VA employment” (Department of Veterans Affairs, 2016). Therefore, APRNs will be able to practice independently within the VA system, regardless of the state’s rules and regulations. I am looking forward to the changes this will bring within the next few years. I believe this will help motivate states to relieve some, if not all, of the restrictions placed on APRNs as they see more efficient use of healthcare resources in the VA system in every
Nurse practitioners (NP) are committed to serving communities, patients, and other health care professionals. They are trained to operate within a prescribed scope of practice. This means that patients can be assured of receiving optimal health care services. Despite this, battles still remain regarding the scope of practice for NPs. Some physicians are uncomfortable, unsupportive, and impediment the progress made for NS. With this, the issues of restraint of trade surfaced as an argument against the NP scope of practice. According to Miller (2010), NPs are working to achieve consensus in all states for Np scope of practice, while physicians are inclined to safeguard their profession as they assert that NPs are extending into their territory.
The rules for safe practice the Registered Nurse is accountable for assuring the actions and behaviors meet all applicable standard for safe competent ethical decision making. Rules for safe practice between California and Texas are similarity the same. The Board of Nursing in each stated requires Registered Nurses to complete schooling from a board approved program. A nurse must pass the state board licensing to become a Registered Nurse, then may use the title RN, and practice nursing according to the state's Nurse Practice Act. The Texas Boards of Nursing, nurses must complete two additional hours of nursing jurisprudence and nursing ethics, complete twenty hours of continuing education, keep the board informed of name and address changes
This paper explores the practice of the APRNs autonomy in the state of Georgia and compares it with other states. Also to advocate for policy recommendations of the APRNs scope of practice that are needed to improve the healthcare in the state of Georgia. APRNs are registered nurses that provide continuous care and treatment in many different areas, such as pediatrics, primary care, acute care, maternity, mental health and chronic disease management. APRNs also have advanced education, training, and national certification in specific areas of practice. Even with the changing and expanding of healthcare, APRNs continue to face challenges in practicing to the full extent of
According to the Pearson Report, there is a total of 147,295 Nurse Practitioners throughout the United States (Pearson, 2009). However, for NPs in some states the battle continues over some forms of prescriptive authority or physician involvement in NP prescribing, such as the state of Pennsylvania. State regulatory approaches to NP prescribing range from no authorization for prescribing (in Georgia, 2006 legislation passed which recognized NPs as prescribers, but the rules have not been approved at the time of this writing) to unencumbered prescriptive authority (Arizona, DC, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming) (Lugo, O’Grady, Hodnicki & Hanson, 2007).
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).
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
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.
The role of the Nurse Practitioner (NP) can be described as diverse and challenging; while at the same time, rewarding and the mainstay for future healthcare. Like many early nursing pioneers, breaking misperceptions by focusing on national recognition and public awareness of the role continues to be an emphasis of today’s NP. Both similarities and distinct differences can be seen between nurse practitioners, registered nurses, and physicians. The nursing model, whether as a registered nurse (RN) or NP, has holistic care at the core of patient care.
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
According to American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), NPs rank as one of the fastest growing health-care professions with more than 135,000 NPs presently practicing in the United States, as opposed to increased from 125,000 NPs in 2008 (Martin, 2011). The Doctoral of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs positions NPs as leaders and advocates in policy development (National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF), 2005). The NONPF emphasizes entry-level competencies for DNP graduates are influencing health care policy and evaluating health care policy globally. In fact, exploring other nations’ health system problems and solutions may provide alternatives in managing local, state, and national healthcare needs. Many health system solutions start by getting involved with our local and state legislators. This area is one, which is an area I am exploring as I transition from FNP to a potential DNP student.
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
Nurse Practitioners (NP’s) play a major role in health policy due to being on the front lines of health care. They are able to take situational experiences from the patients in which they treat and educate the legislation in hopes of passing issues in health care. “NP’s can conduct quality improvement projects in their working environments and can use their findings to help implement the new policies at the facilities where they work”, (Chilton,