APRN Advantages And Disadvantages

Mary has decided that she does not want to pursue a career in administration, as she would prefer more patient contact than an administrative role typically provides. Since Mary is prepared to continue her formal education and pursue a graduate degree, selecting which one of the four Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) roles would be the best fit, is Mary’s next step.
All of the APRN roles; Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS), Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA), Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM), and Nurse Practitioner (NP) require a master’s, or doctoral degree as well as specialization in a specific population such as family, adult-gerontology, pediatrics, women’s health, or mental health, and or setting such as oncology, critical

Advantages: Possessing a broad scope of knowledge, CNSs are employed in a variety of health care settings, and sometimes act as educators, case managers, researchers, and quality improvement project managers (Foster & Flanders, 2014). There is no additional licensing requirement for CNSs (DeNisco & Barker, 2015).
Disadvantages: CNSs typically practice within a single specialty area such as cardiology or oncology, (McClelland, 2014). Because the CNS role lacks a clear definition, and due to their depth of knowledge, a CNS who would rather provide direct patient care may find themselves thrust into the role of an educator or quality improvement project manager (DeNisco & Barker, 2015; Foster & Flanders, 2014; McClelland, 2014).
CRNAs provide anesthesia to patients undergoing surgery in a variety of healthcare settings including hospitals and outpatient surgical centers (DeNisco & Barker, 2015; McClelland, 2014).
Advantages: CRNAs are independent autonomous practitioners and usually report high job satisfaction (DeNisco & Barker, 2015; McClelland,

Advantages: CNMs are independent, autonomous, primary care providers with prescriptive authority. CNMs practice is a variety of setting including hospitals, private practices, and home deliveries (Brassard & Summers, 2013; McClelland, 2014).
Disadvantages: Labor and delivery experience is a prerequisite for acceptance into some CNM programs (McClelland, 2014). CNMs are highly specialized, delivering care to a very specific patient population.
NPs provide both primary and acute care with a focus in a practice area such as family practice, pediatrics, or adult-gerontology, and are employed in a variety of settings including hospitals, clinics, and long-term care facilities (McClelland, 2014).
Advantages: NPs are independent, autonomous practitioners with prescriptive authority, and are not constrained to a single specialty area, or healthcare setting (Brassard & Summers, 2013; McClelland, 2014). The shortage of primary care providers is expected to continue, increasing the demand for NPs (Barnes, 2015; DeNisco & Barker,