Dr. Hannans, I recently completed NR 510: Leadership and the Role of the APN. During this class, we thoroughly investigated how the FNP role can vary drastically from state to state. Across the U.S., nurse practice laws and regulations range from allowing a FNP to practice in a reduced or restricted capacity, all the way to having full practice authority and are specific to each state. I found that states also varied in licensure, accreditation, certification, and education requirements. This is often referred to as “LACE”. Prior to this class, I had very limited knowledge on how inconsistent the regulations were in regards to the role of the FNP and their scope of practice. I currently reside in the state of Kansas, which is a reduced
Even so, physicians and nurses debated the best way and extent to which the NP role should be integrated into care, as well as how far NPs could extend their scope of practice. The National Joint Practice Commission (NJPC), funded by the Kellogg foundation in 1972 was one attempt to bring nurses, physicians, and broader professional organizations together to model the collaborative behavior that made nurse-physician teams so effective at the practice level. The NJPC funded nurse Virginia Hall to investigate legal issues related to expanding nursing roles related to nurse practitioner practice. In 1974, she published Statutory Regulation of the Scope of Nursing Practice – A Critical Survey. Hall’s work was one of few nationally unifying positions to guide physicians, nurse practitioners, and state boards (Hall, 1975). The Commission also published Together, as series of exemplars that highlighted effective NP-physician collaborations (Hidgen, Offan, & Starr, 1977). Still, the American Medical Association and other physician organizations could not accept the broader scope of practice recommended by the NJPC, and it folded in 1981 after only 9 years of existence. (Fairman, 2008,
Association, A. N. (2010). Nursing Scope and Standards of Practice. (2nd ed.) Maryland: American Nurses Association. Retrieved January 20, 2014 from http://media.wix.com/ugd/8c99f2_4fde86431966e34f2e03bbb137edfee3.pdf
The role of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN) in health care has been identified as a critical role in the goal to provide high-quality health care. APRNs have a bigger role to play in the health care system and it is important that students are provided with relevant and valuable knowledge as well as experience that improve their abilities. Achieving course objectives are critical for APRNs with the goal of contributing positively to the health care system. As a future APRN, I place high priority on life-long learning and the development of other people’s skill sets. All duties associated with health care require a dedication to excellence and selflessness. These are two components of learning that will improve the capabilities of
The National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is an assessment tool developed to evaluate literacy and numeracy levels of all Australian students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9. The aim of NAPLAN, since its inception in 2008, is to act as a diagnostic test to ensure all Australian students are meeting intended educational outcome (Wigglesworth, Simpson & Loakes, 2011). They are administered by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA; ACARA 2010). The ACARA (2010) website states that the NAPLAN tests "broadly reflect aspects of literacy and numeracy common to curricula in all States and Territories" and that the test questions and formats are "chosen so that they are familiar to teachers and students across Australia".
In 2011, Barbara Safriet published an article “Federal options for maximizing the value of Advanced Practice Nurses in providing quality, cost-effective health care” from a legal perspective. The article focused on the benefits of utilizing Advance Practice Nurses to the full extent of their abilities as well as the current barriers that APNs encounter in their practice. The aim of this paper is to discuss two regulatory provisions to full deployment of APNs in current health care system, as well as three principle causes of current barriers to removal of the restrictive provisions for the APN. Furthermore, I will discuss the critical knowledge presented in the article and how it relates the APN practice. This article was incorporated into a two-year initiative was launched Institute of Medicine (IOM) and by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) in 2008 which addressed the urgency to assess and transform the nursing profession.
There are a variety of health settings that provide patient health services. With the use of health services there has to be some type of health information exchange or system that will enable users to exchange data. Today there are networks that do this. Some of these networks are Community health information network (CHIN), Regional health information network (RHINO), National Health Information Network (NHIN) and Health Information technology for economic and clinical health act (HITECH Act). The purpose of this paper is to identify these networks, discuss the relationship among each other and lastly, explain their relationship to formation of a patient-centered management system and electronic health records (EHRs).
Access to quality healthcare is a growing concern in the United States especially in light of healthcare reform coverage expansions made possible by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. It is estimated that 94% of all Americans will acquire healthcare coverage under the law, an increase of nearly 30 million people (King, 2011). This dramatic influx of patients into the healthcare system has projected to cause an immediate increase in added pressure on an already challenged healthcare workforce (King, 2011). Notably, at a time when healthcare demands are growing, graduate rates from medical schools remain unchanged while advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) graduate rates are rising (Cipher, Hooker, Guerra, 2006). The increased availability of APRNs, along with enhanced delivery of healthcare skills, gives the role a unique advantage in the current state of healthcare. These specialized advanced practice nurses provide services often at a patient’s first (and in some cases, primary) point of contact into the healthcare system (Brassard, 2013). Due to this, many states have started to take action to mitigate the increased healthcare system burden by enhancing the APRN’s scope of practice by broadening prescriptive authority. This has been shown to be one of the fundamental ethical avenues of increasing not only access to healthcare, but also efficiency and quality of care (Ross, 2012).
Both Nurse Practitioners and Nurse Practitioner-students work closely with patients to monitor their health and provide care for acute and chronic illnesses. However, in the academic-clinical setting, the NP-student may only perform this function at the discretion of the supervising NP. Although work environments and responsibilities bestowed upon these distinctive nurses can be quite different, Nurse Practitioners, Registered Nurses and students is bound to the same laws and regulations governed by all states and territories that have enacted a nurse practice act (NPA). The NPA itself is insufficient to provide the necessary guidance for the nursing profession, therefore each NPA establishes a state board of nursing (BON) that has the authority to develop administrative rules or regulations to clarify or make the governing practice law(s) more specific (NCSBN
The American Nurses Association (ANA) developed a foundation for which all nurses are expected to perform their basic duties in order to meet the needs of the society we serve. The ANA “has long been instrumental in the development of three foundational documents for professional nursing; its code of ethics, its scope and standards of practice, ands statement of social policy.” (ANA, 2010, p. 87) The ANA defined nursing as “the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and populations” and used to create the scope and standards of nursing practice. (ANA, 2010, p. 1) These “outline the steps that nurses must take to meet client healthcare needs.” () The nursing process, for example, is one of the things I use daily. Other examples include communicating and collaborating with my patient, their families, and my peers, and being a lifelong learner. I continually research new diagnoses, medications, and treatments for my patients. As a nurse of ...
In 1990 a group of educators, called the National Task Force for Family Nurse Practitioner Curriculum and Evaluation, created the initial curriculum guidelines for nurse practitioners (Graduate nurse practitioners education competencies, n.d.).Today, the NONPF represents most NP educational institutions worldwide and they continue to develop/improve the NP competencies and guidelines in order to prepare healthcare professionals across the world (Graduate nurse practitioners education competencies,
Describe how the things that are most important to you in your RN role have prepared you for the APRN role.
Blais, K. K., & Hayes, J. S. (2011). Professional nursing practice: Concepts and perspectives (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson PLC.
The practice of nursing requires specialized knowledge, skill, and independent decision making. The level of autonomy can pose a risk of harm to the public if practiced by professionals who are unprepared or incompetent (Russell, 2012). The state is required to protect its citizens from harm. States are able to provide this protection in the form of reasonable laws to regulate nursing. Each state government has enacted laws which protect the public’s health and welfare by overseeing and ensur...
The continuous evolving of the health care system necessitates reconceptualization of the health professions education to match the demands of the health care delivery system. More than ever before, nurses are expected to deliver quality effective, safe care that is within the ethical realm. DNP graduates are at the forefront of healthcare and therefore must assess the impact of procedures and policies on the population they serve (Zaccagnini, and White 2014). The Advanced Practice Nurse must possess both skills, knowledge and competencies in order to apply scientific knowledge to improve health outcomes. DNP graduates must think ahead and find effective ways to address current and unforeseeable complex situations. The best approach to future problem prevention begins with the deep analyzation of the current data. Good leadership provides input and feedback that guides decisions (Zaccagnini, and White
To briefly summarize, the report identifies nurses as an important factor in enabling access to high quality, affordable health care. This was supported by the development of four fundamental recommendations. The first suggests that nurses be allowed to practice within the scope of their degree. This becomes evident in the differences in state laws that pertain to nurse’s who have acquired advanced degrees, such as the nurse practitioner.... ...