Professional Organizations Were Created To Assist In The

As this author continues his journey toward becoming an APN the patterns of knowing are very important to understand. By implementing these patterns to practice, and using evidence based findings to guide decision making, the author will be better able to care for his patients.

As nurses, it extremely important for us to have an understanding of mental health so we can decrease the stigma in the healthcare profession. There shouldn’t be a difference between a “psychiatric nurse” and a “general nurse”. Since over 50% of the population suffers from a mental illness, both professions should be equally educated and sensitive towards health care issues.

Professional nursing associations (PNA) can be at a state or national level and is an organization to bring nurses together to promote quality care and measures through observation, experience, education and research.

AANN has chapters located in all 50 states which offer local chapters you may join. For example, The Northeast Florida chapter meets every third Tuesday of the month to talk about numerous neurologic related topics and has its own membership dues as well (Northeast Florida American Association of Neuroscience Nurses, nd).

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,

There have been concerns regarding the identification and credentialing of advanced practiced registered nurses (APRNs). A APRN is a registered nurse who has successfully completed an accredited graduate-level education program, in which the individual is well prepared and successfully passed the nationwide certification examination (APRN Consensus Model, 2008). However, there are still debating issues of who would fall under the APRN category. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) has identified four APRNs who are deem fit to be called ARPNs; however, only two will be named. They would be certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) and certified nurse practitioners (CNPs). Whereas, the nurse informatics and the nurse administrations are not considered to be APRNs; although, they are still license registered nurses but they do not provide direct patient care and are not required to take the national certification examination (ARPN Consensus Model, 2008).

In recent years, APRNs have been very vocal through many nursing coalitions and associations. The voices of all ARNPs seeking full practice authority has been heard with the proposed bills. The Florida Panhandle Nurse Practitioner Coalition (FRNPC), has given information to all ARNPs to keep ahead in legislative issues. A white paper published by the American College of Physicians have been shared to all Floridian ARNPs through 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

The Georgia Board of Nursing is responsible for regulating and supervising practical and professional nursing. They also control the types of offered professional education and the practice of those registered with said board. Through the use of certain legislation, they are able to determine safe standards of practice for the nursing community. On the other hand, professional nursing organizations, such as the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN), give nursing professionals the opportunity to further their education post-university. Through the use of professional research journals,

AANP was founded in 1985 and leads the way in advocacy, continuing education and professional development for over 60,000 members. The mission is to lead NPs in transformation patient-centered health care (AANP, 2015).

An advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) is an umbrella term consisting of but not limited to roles such as Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP); Adult Geriatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGPCNP); Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM); and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). Across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, it is an undeniable fact that APRNs care for multitudes of patients across the entire human lifespan and across many certain from the nursing homes and home care to hospitals, pain clinics, and substance abuse centers.

Advanced Practice Nursing (APN) covers four types: Certified Nurse Practitioners, Certified Nurse Midwives, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists, and Clinical Nurse Specialists.

Part of success when new or inexperienced is knowing your resources. Advanced practice nurses have multiple resources at their fingertips with memberships to professional organizations. These organizations can provide current research and practices, networking opportunities, and job prospects. Professional organizations resources and benefits vary. Finding a membership that meets your needs may take some time and trial and error, but should be well worth the effort.

The role of the Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) is expanding internationally throughout the healthcare system. Since the initiation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in 2010, there has been an increased need for APNs due to the growing demand for primary care services and increased population that have gained healthcare coverage (Lanthrop & Hodnicki, 2014). The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of APN and develop a professional development plan for my future career.

Rungapadiachy and Gough (2004) in a study that explores mental health nursing students’ perception of the nursing role in psychiatry, identifies several themes in which student nurses identify five psychiatric nursing roles. The roles include nurse administrator, agent of physical interventions, medication administrator, and educator. These authors conclude that role identification is highly complex and not always easy to define. However, they contend that the role of the psychiatric nurse should be expanded in order to develop the therapeutic interactions between the nurse and the patient.