Developing in to the Role of an Advance Nurse Practitioner
Lizan Tofiq
Union University
Developing in to the Role of an Advanced Nurse Practitioner
Human growth is measured by taking on new responsibilities. As an individual prepares to enter into a new role in life it is important to take time to reflect on this new position. When reflecting, it is crucial to consider certain aspects such as: the significance of the role, the skills required to fulfill all responsibilities and an action plan to achieve new obligations. This paper will discuss how important these aspects are in regard to developing into the role of an Advance Practice Nurse.
Significance of Advance Nurse Practitioners As the global population grows, a positive correlation can be seen for the need for quality affordable health care and a heightened interest in Advance Nurse Practitioners (APNs) worldwide. Million of individuals go without primary health care every day. According to The World Health Organization (as cited in Joel, 2013), there is an estimated deficit of 2.4 million health care workers. Many factors contribute to this shortage, a few f these factors are increased disease prevalence, increased emphasis on preventative care, limited access to care, and increased cost of health care. The lack of healthcare providers has stimulated the need for expanding current roles and developing new roles within the healthcare system. Current literature supports APNs ability to close the healthcare gap as one of the major factors contributing to their heightened interest internationally. According to Ponte and O’Neil (as cited in Hariharan, 2015), APNs are an invaluable resource to the healthcare community by being able to provide care at a lower cost, fulfill rural health care shortages, and provide adequate primary care during this time of need. This confirms how valuable and useful future APNs, such as myself, will be in reducing the strain of high demand on the healthcare system locally and internationally. One way APNs have reduced the stress on the healthcare system is by providing high quality care at the right price. A study by Fund and Swanson-Hill (2014) concluded that, care provided by APNs was just as effective as care provided by a primary care physician, as well as care by APNs was associated with greater patient satisfaction and compliance. Skills Used The role of APNs is divided in to several subcategories including Nurse Practitioners (NPs). NPs are master prepared registered nurses who provide patient care throughout the lifespan. While NPs are prepared to perform duties such as assessing, diagnosing and treating, their scope of practice is limited by the state they reside in as well as the office where they are employed. Many specialized skills such as joint injections may be permitted within their scope of practice but restricted by the facility where they are employed. Joel (2013) describes scope of practice as “functions performed by the APRN and the minimal competencies needed to perform those functions. These descriptions and guidelines …show more content…
Effective communication is vital among individuals in the healthcare team. Ineffective communication can lead to medical errors, a decrease in desired patient outcomes as well as decreased patient satisfaction. Many factor contribute to ineffective communication in the healthcare system, these factors include but are not limited to increase demand for healthcare and increase demand on healthcare providers to generate more revenue. This demand has resulted in providers sacrificing time spent with patients. A study conducted by Farmer et al, (as cited in Burley, 2011) looked at the reduced quality of consultation due to less time spent with patients. “Practitioners attempted to ‘speed up’ patient stories and identified that many history-taking episodes and diagnoses were flawed in their processes. Many questions were closed, and focused too much on practitioners’ provisional diagnoses or hypotheses” (Burley, 2011, p. 36). This reinforces my belief, as a practitioner it is imperative to develop and utilize effective communication skills regardless of time constraints to better serve my …show more content…
Throughout the Gospel, Jesus is seen as an agent of change, there are numerous encounters of unselfish desire to teach and serve others. I believe the core of nursing is also driven by this the desire to provide unselfish care and service to others. In my role as an APN, I will continue to maintain a holistic view by not only providing physical care but also spiritual and emotional support to patients. I will focus on these commitments when considering future employers and seek to find corporations that correlate with my
Lizan Tofiq
Union University
Developing in to the Role of an Advanced Nurse Practitioner
Human growth is measured by taking on new responsibilities. As an individual prepares to enter into a new role in life it is important to take time to reflect on this new position. When reflecting, it is crucial to consider certain aspects such as: the significance of the role, the skills required to fulfill all responsibilities and an action plan to achieve new obligations. This paper will discuss how important these aspects are in regard to developing into the role of an Advance Practice Nurse.
Significance of Advance Nurse Practitioners As the global population grows, a positive correlation can be seen for the need for quality affordable health care and a heightened interest in Advance Nurse Practitioners (APNs) worldwide. Million of individuals go without primary health care every day. According to The World Health Organization (as cited in Joel, 2013), there is an estimated deficit of 2.4 million health care workers. Many factors contribute to this shortage, a few f these factors are increased disease prevalence, increased emphasis on preventative care, limited access to care, and increased cost of health care. The lack of healthcare providers has stimulated the need for expanding current roles and developing new roles within the healthcare system. Current literature supports APNs ability to close the healthcare gap as one of the major factors contributing to their heightened interest internationally. According to Ponte and O’Neil (as cited in Hariharan, 2015), APNs are an invaluable resource to the healthcare community by being able to provide care at a lower cost, fulfill rural health care shortages, and provide adequate primary care during this time of need. This confirms how valuable and useful future APNs, such as myself, will be in reducing the strain of high demand on the healthcare system locally and internationally. One way APNs have reduced the stress on the healthcare system is by providing high quality care at the right price. A study by Fund and Swanson-Hill (2014) concluded that, care provided by APNs was just as effective as care provided by a primary care physician, as well as care by APNs was associated with greater patient satisfaction and compliance. Skills Used The role of APNs is divided in to several subcategories including Nurse Practitioners (NPs). NPs are master prepared registered nurses who provide patient care throughout the lifespan. While NPs are prepared to perform duties such as assessing, diagnosing and treating, their scope of practice is limited by the state they reside in as well as the office where they are employed. Many specialized skills such as joint injections may be permitted within their scope of practice but restricted by the facility where they are employed. Joel (2013) describes scope of practice as “functions performed by the APRN and the minimal competencies needed to perform those functions. These descriptions and guidelines …show more content…
Effective communication is vital among individuals in the healthcare team. Ineffective communication can lead to medical errors, a decrease in desired patient outcomes as well as decreased patient satisfaction. Many factor contribute to ineffective communication in the healthcare system, these factors include but are not limited to increase demand for healthcare and increase demand on healthcare providers to generate more revenue. This demand has resulted in providers sacrificing time spent with patients. A study conducted by Farmer et al, (as cited in Burley, 2011) looked at the reduced quality of consultation due to less time spent with patients. “Practitioners attempted to ‘speed up’ patient stories and identified that many history-taking episodes and diagnoses were flawed in their processes. Many questions were closed, and focused too much on practitioners’ provisional diagnoses or hypotheses” (Burley, 2011, p. 36). This reinforces my belief, as a practitioner it is imperative to develop and utilize effective communication skills regardless of time constraints to better serve my …show more content…
Throughout the Gospel, Jesus is seen as an agent of change, there are numerous encounters of unselfish desire to teach and serve others. I believe the core of nursing is also driven by this the desire to provide unselfish care and service to others. In my role as an APN, I will continue to maintain a holistic view by not only providing physical care but also spiritual and emotional support to patients. I will focus on these commitments when considering future employers and seek to find corporations that correlate with my