Advanced Practice Nurse Analysis

Advanced practice nurses include Certified Nurse Practitioner (CNP), Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS), Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM) and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). Certified nurse practitioners provide primary and acute care in hospitals, community clinics, schools and other settings, and perform services such as diagnosing and treating acute illness and injuries, conducting physical exams, providing immunizations and managing chronic problems (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2017). The restrictive scope of practice of CNP is a barrier to accessible care. In many states, NPs does not have authority to prescribe medications. This is a disadvantage in providing care efficiently.

The report shows that the part of nursing must be expanded so that nurses are able to practice to the fullest degree of their education and training. Currently, advanced practice nurses (APRNs) work according to the scope of practice guidelines set forth by their individual state, meaning these highly educated nurses may not be working to the extent of their training but to the individual state laws. The report offers recommendations to streamline these idiosyncrasies and get rid of the red tape so that nurses can work in their appropriate manner and deliver safe quality care to some 32 million Americans who will before long gain access to health care services (American Association of Colleges of Nursing [AACN], 2012). The report correspondingly finds that nurses need to attain advanced levels of education and training through an enhanced education structure which encourages a cohesive academic progression as to safeguard the delivery of quality health care services. Patients are becoming progressively more complex and nurses need to attain the proper skills to care for these persons. Nursing education must embrace the continuous move towards a streamline approach to higher degree programs (Institute of Medicine [IOM], 2010, p. 2). Nurse residency programs

BSN is expected to also use research studies for a basis for their decision making. ADN analyzes assessment data, where BSN synthesizes comprehensive assessment data to solve problems. ADN’s evaluate and report outcomes and plan interventions from evidence based practice, where BSN nurses compare these interventions and outcomes to benchmarks in research and evidence-based practice and plans follow-up nursing care. They both create teaching plans to promote healthy outcomes, although BSN’s go on to assess population risk (BON,

Nursing is a crucial field, which affects the lives of people. The public does not have enough information pertaining those who practice nursing this led to the introduction of nursing licensure to protect the public from unqualified persons. This license sets qualifications and competence of nursing professionals. Compared to state nursing licensure, national nursing licensure advocates for a more effective practice for nurses. It reduces or lessens nursing shortage by promoting mobility of the nursing professionals. National nursing licensure has a number of advantages over individual state nursing licensure. These include enhanced patient access to quality nursing care, improved discipline and information distribution amongst the states, physical and electronic provision of care by competent nurses, and ease of employers to more movable and proficient nurses (Fraziea, 2012).

(2010) said delegation by RNs is a primary mechanism for ensuring that professional nursing standards of care reach the

Three issues or trends I see that are important with regard to credentialing are reimbursement, malpractice and education. Within each issue are opportunities for the advance practice nurse (APN) to grow in knowledge and participate in change. It is important to understand why each one effects credentialing for the APN.

(APRN Consensus Work Group/National Council of State Boards of Nursing APRN Advisory Committee, 2008) The consensus model for APRNs

As healthcare needs are steadily on the rise, there is also an increasing demand for primary care physicians. According to the American National Association (2011), “an estimated 66 million Americans face threats to their health because of limited access to front-lines primary care.” There has been an increasing focus on utilizing the role of advanced practice providers like clinical nurse specialists, certified nurse midwives, certified registered nurse anesthetists and advance practice registered nurses to compensate for these demands. These forms of providers are master’s-prepared nurses who are have specific certifications and licensures to assess and treat patients independently or under the supervision of a physician. By utilizing these advanced practice providers, there will be an increase in

A registered Nurse can graduate from one of 2 main programs of education and include (ADN) associate degree nursing or (BSN) baccalaureate degree nursing. Both have similarities and differences. Both must take a state board exam of questions that are user specific to gauge whether the student nurse has enough knowledge to go professionally. Both programs hold the mandatory minimum knowledge in order to provide efficient and safe healthcare. But which one is better? Does one program have an advantage over the other?

Credentialing from advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) perspective is defined as “furnishing the documentation necessary to be authorized by a regulatory body or institution to engage in certain activities and use a certain title” (Hanson, 2014). Credentialing is also define from a local institutional process that consider specific documentations for APRN before they assume the practice role as APRN within their facility. In health care system, credentialing ensures individuals meet required standards of practice and is prepared to perform those duties implied by the credentials. National certification and education are considered as part of credentialing for APRN to acquire basic level of competence to practice. (Hanson, 2014)

In 2008 the National League of Nursing (NLN) conducted a survey of students enrolled in nursing schools across the United States. Fifty three percent of students were enrolled in ADN programs, forty three percent were in BSN, while the remaining four percent were in a Diploma of Nursing program (National League of Nursing Data Review 2010). The rate of completion of the ADN nurse has exceeded that of the BSN, creating a deficit in higher educated

1. Comprehensive Nursing Care, Revised 2nd Edition. (2012). Ramont, Reberta P.; Niedringhaus, Dolores M.; Towle, Mary A.

The APRN Consensus Model was released in July of 2008 to define advanced practice registered nurse, identify the titles to be used by APRNs, and define specialty area of practice. The Consensus Model also describes population foci, suggests a process for recognition of new APRN roles, and recommends requirements for implementation (American Nurses Association [ANA], 2010). The APRN regulatory model helps uniform scope of practice of APRN across the United States, which benefit individual APRN, enhance patient outcomes, and improve the quality of care. Consensus Model consists of Licensure, Accreditation, Certification, and Education. The Education criteria in LACE Consensus Model relate to all APRN programs regardless of master’s or doctoral

Advanced practice nurses in the United States are governed by the state boards of nursing of the state in which they practice. There are no uniform rules governing autonomy and prescriptive authority throughout the country. Therefore, there is a disconnect among practitioners who are certified by national credentialing but practice under differing regulations from state to state. This paper will examine support for changes to existing regulations regarding the APRN’s prescriptive authority.

APRNs are structured by the Consensus Model for APRN Regulation. The model was created by the APRN Consensus Work Group and the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) APRN Advisory Committee. This was developed to provide consistency so that the standards and scope of practice of APRNs will be the same (APRN, 2008).