The Role of Advanced Practice Nursing
As much as advanced nursing practice has continued to develop over the years across the globe, there is a prejudice in regards to the qualification, education preparations, roles, and competencies that nurses gain to qualify them for independent practice. However, research has consistently shown that APNs give patient care that is better or equal to what physicians offer, and at a reduced cost (Jokiniemi, Haatainen & Pietila, 2015). In this regard, it is vital to encourage advanced nursing practice among all registered nurses so as to ensure they all utilize their full potential independently without physicians’ supervision. Certainly, this process must start with a thorough understanding of the roles played by advanced practice nursing and the requirements for each.
Advanced Nursing Practice Specialty
The specialty refers to an advanced level with the nursing practice which utilizes in-depth knowledge and skills gained in nursing to handle a wide-range of clients’ needs. Most countries such as the United States and Canada have developed national frameworks that assist in forming guidelines that define advanced nursing practice (ANP). Across the globe, there has been a wide range of new and emerging roles of ANP, coming with benefits, impacts, opportunities and challenges (Bryant-Lukosius, Spichiger, Martin, Stoll, Kellerhals, Fliedner, & Geest, 2016). Development of the current forms of ANP roles can be attributed to good political climate, gaps discovered within the medical field and a shortage of physicians in various regions (Jokiniemi, Haatainen & Pietila, 2015). Indeed, these can be termed as the main reasons for nurses to pursue the advanced nursing practice. This is achieved through advanced masters’ education to enhance knowledge base among interested nurses and also through gaining advanced skills through years of service. Therefore, in order to specialize as an advanced practice nurse, one must be ready to promote cordial relationships with all other regulated health disciplines such as medicine, midwifery, pharmacy and others.
Role Difference between Clinical and Non-Clinical Masters’ Prepared APN
Masters prepared APNs can undertake different roles either clinical or non-clinical. Non-clinical roles vary and nurses have a wide variety to select the field they would like to pursue. Examples of these roles may include lecturing, medical device sales and training, healthcare recruiting and nursing informatics (Bryant-Lukosius et al., 2016). Often, these non-clinical roles are lucrative and challenging, but based on the APNs’ knowledge and skills, and nurses are usually well positioned to undertake them. Clinical roles include practice that involves dealing directly with patients through diagnosis and treatment of various medical conditions. APNs who undertake clinical roles provide primary care to patients independently and they can also prescribe medicine. Currently, in the United States, 45 States allow advanced practice nurses to prescribe drugs to patients while 16 states allow them to provide patient care independently without any supervision or guidance from physicians (Bryant-Lukosius et al., 2016). Definitely, this shows the extent to which advanced practice nursing is becoming beneficial in the healthcare field.
Roles used to define APNs and their Requirements
APNs can be defined through the roles that they undertake. Currently, there are 4 main roles that advanced practice nurses can undertake after being prepared in masters’ degree programs (Bryant-Lukosius et al., 2016). The first role is nurse practitioners who are meant to deliver primary care in various settings through diagnostic and treatment techniques. The requirement for this role is the ability to treat common illnesses, provide immunization services, and manage various chronic problems such as diabetes and hypertension. The second role for APNs is certified nurse midwifery where a nurse provides gynecological care to women and also assists in the delivery of babies. The requirement for this role is the ability to understand women issues, birth processes, prenatal, and antenatal care. The third role is clinical nurse specialists where nurses provide quality care in specialty fields such as oncology, pediatric, neonatal, obstetric and cardiac areas. The fourth role is the certified registered nurse anesthetists who usually administer anesthetics in hospitals. The requirement for this role is to be a provider of anesthesia for patients requiring the drugs and injections, for instance, in surgery cases.
IOM Report Impacts
An advanced practice role in nursing can have a positive impact on the registered nurses’ career advancements. A registered nurse is usually known for the provision and coordination of patient care, education, and provision of advice amongst the healthcare fraternity (Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, 2016). As such, their full potential can be discovered if they enrolled for an advanced practice course in nursing. In effect, this development can then, in turn, assist in improving the future of nursing while leading positive change and advancing health care (Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, 2016). It is through advanced practice that the registered nurses can practice to the full extent of their education or training through an education system that enhances smooth and unlimited academic progression.
In conclusion, it is clear that advanced nursing practice is vital for ensuring that quality patient care is provided and that nurses are able to reach their full potential through the development of their education, knowledge base, and skills. It is also crucial to differentiate and diversify the roles that advanced practice nurses should provide in the health sector. This should start with eliminating all forms of prejudice and assumptions that hinder registered nurses from becoming full partners with other care professionals, and further allowing the nurses to participate in redesigning healthcare in the region.
References
Bryant-Lukosius, D., Spichiger, E., Martin, J., Stoll, H., Kellerhals, S. D., Fliedner, M., & Geest, S. (2016). Framework for Evaluating the Impact of Advanced Practice Nursing Roles. Journal Of Nursing Scholarship, (2), 201. doi:10.1111/jnu.12199
Jokiniemi, K., Haatainen, K., & Pietila, A. (2015). From challenges to advanced practice registered nursing role development: Qualitative interview study. International Journal Of Nursing Practice, (6), 896. doi:10.1111/ijn.12334
