Nurse Practitioner Research Paper

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 mid-twentieth century, doctors started working with nurses who had “clinical experience” because they needed more people in specialized and primary care. Health coverage like Medicaid and Medicare were offered to low income women, children, elderly and disabled people in the mid-1960’s. Because of the affordable coverage, more people then requested the need to have primary care, and because there were not enough doctors to go around to everyone that could afford the care, the nurses felt that they could take on the important responsibility. The training program for the nurse practitioners, developed by Nurse Loretta Ford and Doctor Henry Silver, was based on the well being of children and their families. The growing interest for primary care, according to Ford, was one of the reasons for the creation of Nurse

The role of the nurse practitioner began in the 1960’s, with the development of an advanced nursing role in pediatrics in Colorado, to meet the need of treating children of low-income families. Since the inception of the advanced nursing role, there has been controversy in educational standards, educational requirements, knowledge base needed, and state imposed restrictions on practice. It is through the rapid development of ARNP programs and inconsistencies in educational standards that have created obstacles in the advancement of these roles, licensure differences, and restrictions that have minimized the role of the ARNP (Stanley, 2011).

These organizations developed the Consensus Model document in 2008 to unify practice, identify APRN clinical roles, identify the acceptable titles to for NPs, and define the requirements for general practice and licensure. Note to mention that laws and regulations statute on the APN scope of practice may vary by states, whereas some adhere to full scope of practice, other to reduced practice, or restricted practice. For instance, the state of Florida defines advanced registered nurse practitioner as a licensed person with ability to practice professional nursing and certified to in advanced or specialized nursing practice (Buppert, 2011). The four advanced clinical specialized roles include certified registered nurse anesthetists, certified nurse midwives, clinical nurse specialist, and nurse practitioners (Buppert, 2011). In terms of licensure, 46 states out of 50 require nurse practitioners to pass a certification exam. The Florida Board of Nursing requires certification by an appropriate specialty board and graduation from a program leading to a master’s degree (Buppert,

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,

deficiencies that appears in the United States has placed the spotlight on the advanced practice nurses, involving nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) to make up for the insufficiency physicians (Kleinpell, Ward, Kelso, Mollenkopf, & Houghton, 2015). With the NPs and PAs coming into the for forth to provide patients with high-quality healthcare at reduce costs. The PAs and NPs continue to inform patients on new medical advancement and treatment pertaining the patients? health conditions to ensure patients continue up-to-date knowledge and to encourage

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,

Merriam-Webster (2015) defines a nurse practitioner (NP) as ?a nurse who is qualified through advanced training to assume some of the duties and responsibilities formerly assumed only by a physician.? The NP is a direct care provider that provides a plethora of services ranging from primary prevention to disease management. For example, the NP has authority to monitor and alter drug therapies and order diagnostic tests.

They have improved access to health care for populations in rural, inner city and other medically underserviced areas. With their training modified as needed to integrate with local health systems, PAs are considered a viable adjunct to physicians in areas with shortages of

There is a crucial need for Nurse Practitioners, especially in an area of shortage such as in the state of Missouri. The trending search for NP’s is at an all-time high. Although the need is great, there continues to be restrictions on NP’s License in regards to practicing. Many of the restrictions make it hard to practice at one’s full capability. My dreams of becoming a Nurse Practitioner still gives me hope with fears at time. Continuing to network in order to help with marketing my skills and resume for a position after school appears to be mandatory.

Nurse practitioners are advanced registered nurses who have been obligated with providing professional care to patients within their jurisdiction. They are expected to perform comprehensive healthcare services from caring for acute illnesses, injuries, and immunization to the treatment of chronic conditions (Cusack, et al., 2015).

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

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

I agree with you that nurse practitioners are becoming the primary care providers of the future. It is amazing to see the evolution that advance practice nursing has taken since the first certificate program for nurses to provide primary care was developed in 1965 to the trend toward DNP programs that we see today. Although advance practice nurses have made extraordinary strides to develop the profession, advance practitioners will need to overcome some significant obstacles, including state practice and licensure, payor policies, and acceptance of the role by physicians (Hain & Fleck 2014) to truly to realize their full potential in primary care.

Nurse practitioners can write orders and diagnosis patients. However, the ability of nurse practitioners to practice to the full scope of their training is a growing debate in many states in the country. Primarily because of the American Medical Association and American Nurses Association conflicting views on the training nurses receive compared to the level of training physicians receive. Physicians complete undergraduate, medical school and depending upon their elected specialty four or more years in residency and possibly fellowships. Nurse practitioners at this time only complete two years. Their limited training is a real point of contingent between the two organizations.