Upon receiving their license, Registered Nurses have many options to continue their education and thus become and advanced practice registered nurse (APRN). APRN education can be completed in any of following four general areas of specialization: Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs), Certified Nurse Midwives (CNMs), Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNSs), and Nurse Practitioners (NPs). This paper will discuss the education requirements, skills and clinical competency requirements, and formal licensure, registration, certification and credentialing of a Nurse Practitioner.
The Nurse Practitioner occupation originated in the United States in the 1960s, and they are described as “advanced practice nurses who have completed additional training beyond that of a registered nurse. The NP roles has continued to develop and they now work in a range of health care settings in the US and other countries including Canada and the United Kingdom” (Li, Westbrook, Callen, Georgiou, & Braithwaite, 2013, p. 1). A few health care settings that NPs work in include cardiology, emergency, family practice, geriatrics, neonatology, nephrology, oncology, pediatrics, primary care, school health, and women’s health. Within these settings, the NP may work in clinics without doctor supervision or they can work together with doctors to form a joint health care team.
As far as licensure, registration, and certification, NPs are regulated at two different levels. Licensure is completed through a process that takes place within each states laws. These requirements vary greatly from state to state. However, more states are requiring NPs to have a master’s degree as well as national certification. As far as the national certification, it is offered by a ...
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...te of $42.51” and those “ who are practicing at least 35 hours a week report an annual base salary of $84,850 and an annual total income of $91,060” (American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 2013). NPs also usually enjoy several other benefits, including paid vacation, sick leave, educational allowance in order to complete their continued education requirements, professional leave, retirement, health insurance, and professional liability.
In conclusion, Nurse Practitioners carry a great amount of responsibility for their patients and therefore must be properly trained and proficient in their skills. A higher level of education and understanding is required of these professionals initially and also throughout their careers. However, just like a nurse, a Nurse Practitioner must always make prevention, wellness, and patient education one of their top priorities.
While a nurse and nurse practitioner are different in several ways, the similarities between the two are irrefutable. When compared side-by-side you can see that both are a vital necessity to the healthcare system, working in many settings, such as hospitals, physician’s offices, and clinics. They both also interact and care for patients in settings, such as neonatal, intensive care, and geriatric units. Not only do they interact with patients, they also interact with a patient’s family during treatment. Another similarity between a nurse and
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
...rained for specialty practices. Two-thirds of today’s PAs work in specialty care. This, therefore, leaves NPs to work in general practice (p. 828). Woolsey and Cutter (n.d) seem to have a different opinion by stating “PAs are generalists while NPs can be either [specialist or generalist] depending on the area of medicine they practice” (para. 5). They go on to explain that PAs are trained to generalize, so that they can hop from one area to another (Woolsey & Cutter, n.d., para.5). PAs have the ability to specialize if they complete a residency program, but one important thing to note is that a PA is still documented as a generalist whether or not they have specialized (Woolsey & Cutter, n.d., para.5). Woolsey and Cutter (n.d.) then note that NPs often have to have a national certification in a nursing specialty before they can practice within a specialty (para.5).
In tandem with growing scientific knowledge, programs expanded their length and credit loads. Nurse practitioner specialties such as cardiology and intensive care appeared in graduate programs across the country with educational programs aimed at their specialized knowledge. NAPNAP had been founded as one of the first national specialty nurse advanced practice organizations in 1973. By the end of the 1980s, nurse practitioner care was part of the normal menu of services offered by many health care institutions, supported by the 1986 OTA study that found that NPs “provide care whose quality is equivalent to that of care provided by physicians,” particularly when such care depended on preventative services and communication with patients (Office of Technology Assessment, 1986, 5). In 2003, health care institutions began to hire large numbers of NPs in response to the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education’s Resident Duty Hours standards, which limited the number of hours medical residents could work (Nasca, Day & Amis, 2010). Numerous studies, including a Cochrane review, reports from the Rand Health Foundation, Commonwealth Fund, and Western Governor’s Association all provided positive evidence of the value and quality of NP-provided services. Today, NPs have proven their effectiveness in delivering high quality, lower
“The median annual pay for a nurse practitioner was $96,460 in May of 2012, which comes to $46.37 per hour” (Bureau of Labor Statistics 2012). Of course not all people in this field will make that much, half make less than that and half make more. The job outlook for this occupation is exemplary; “employment in this field is expected to grow 31 percent from 2012-2022” (Bureau of Labor Statistics 2012). This actually happens to be much faster than the average of all occupations.
This certification will strengthen as well as show potential employers an intiative towards personal growth as well as professional achievement. To be specialized in a particular area of this field, one must amass knowledge by going through continuing education programs, formal coursework, self-study, and clinical experience. Then, you must successful pass a certification exam, which will then show their recognition of expertise. There are two programs, The National Association of Practical Nurse Education and Service (or NAPNES) and National Federation of Licensed Practical Nurses (or NFLPN), that offer certification courses in such areas as: infection control, nursing administration long term care, hospice and palliative, managed care, among
Everyday in this world, elderly, adults, teens or children become ill or get into accidents and need medical attention. Whether these elderly, adults, teens or children are taken to a hospital, pediatrician, specialist, or clinic, a doctor and a nurse will tend to them. The nurse plays a role that is just as important as the doctor. Nurses work very closely with the families as part of the caring process. Every member of the family plays a role in different ways. The nurses are there to help the patient as well as the family step through the illness or injury. They provide information for the prevention of future illness and injury, and help to comfort the patient and his/her family. It is vital that a nurse understands that to be a nurse, you need a certain personality and understanding of the field.
Advanced practice registered nurses play a significant part in extending access to health care by providing primary care and specialty care services to clients. Advanced practices registered are mentors, educators, researchers, and administrators. According to Health Resources and Services Administration, “Ninety-six percent of the NP workforce reported being in clinical practice, providing direct patient care” (Health Resources and Services Administration 2016). Furthermore, “Nearly three percentages were in faculty positions and approximately one percent was in administrative positions”(Health Resources and Services Administration 2016).
The first key message that is discussed is that nurses should practice to the fullest extent of their education and training. Most of the nurses that are in practice are registered nurses. Advanced nurse practitioners are nurses that hold a master’s or doctoral degree and include nurse midwifes, clinical nurse specialists, nurse practitioners, and nurse anesthetists and consist of about two hundred and fifty thousand of the nurses currently working today. Advanced practice nurses are limited to what
The type of education varies based on the type nurse one pursues to become. Becoming a licensed practical nurse (LPN) or licensed vocational nurse (LVN) requires you to attend a yearlong educational program. This program is offered at technical schools, vocational schools, or community colleges. At these various programs, the student will receive lectures and hands on clinical practice. However, those seeking to be become registered nurse (RN) must receive at the least, an associative degree in nursing. After obtaining an associative or bachelor’s degree in nursing, the graduate will have to pass the licensing exam to officially become a registered nurse. Being successful on the licensing exam is required to become a registered nurse. Becoming an advanced practical nurse (APN), requires the student to obtain a Master’s of Science in Nursing. After graduating, the graduate will have to successfully pass the licensing exam also. The type of nurse one chooses to become dictates the type of education he or she has to
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,
The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (2015) describes an advanced practice nurse as a nurse with a graduate level education in a specific area of study including nurse anesthesia, nurse midwifery, nurse practitioner, and clinical nurse specialist. Advance practice nurses have been crucial to meeting the demands of the growing patient population due to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. These nurses bridge the gap between physician and patient and are a vital part of the healthcare team. There are a variety of specializations and educational paths nurses may pursue in order to advance their career towards advanced practice nursing.
The salary in this career mainly does not change by experience, but the most experienced individuals in the career earn only little more than those with least experience. According to Duchscher & Boychuk (1109), most of registered practical nurses are generalists and mainly work in different health care areas, while some work on specialized settings including in-home care as well as nursing homes. RPNs are allowed to provide care to dependent patients and to start intravenous fluids. According to (Home: Career Outlook), registered practical nurses are subjected to work on nights, weekends as well as holidays. The RPN’s can also face some occupational hazards when at work such as exposure towards radiation, infectious diseases as well as workplace
Most APNs or NPs posses a master’s degree; however the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) member institutions voted to change the current level of preparation for advanced nursing practice from a masters degree to a doctorate level by 2015”. “An individual who wished to apply for a license must meet the following requirements; a complete application, pass the NCLEX, provide any felony or misdemeanor conviction information, any drug related behavior, functional ability deficit and license fee to Virginia State Board of Nursing”. Most RNs gain their clinical experience by working a staff nurse before entering into a graduate program for their nurse practitioners, but once they gain a significant of experience as a nurse t...
According to Hamric, Spross and Hanson (2005), “advanced practice nursing is the application of the expanded range of practical, theoretical and research based- competencies” to provide patient care in different settings (Pulcini, 2013). Advanced practice registered nurse APRN is a nurse that completed a graduate level program that can practice as a certified nurse practitioner, (NP) certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA), clinical nurse midwife (CNM) or clinical nurse specialist (CNS) (Scope and standard, 2010). To be licensed to practice as APRN, they need to pass a national certification exam and maintained their license via recertification through continuous competencies.