Licensing and Professional Organizations

Based on the specialty area and role that you selected in W1 Assignment 4, in a 3- to 5-page paper (excluding the title page, references, and appendices) create a scenario or case study to illustrate the type of organization you would expect to work in as this type of nursing professional. Include in the scenario or case study:

List the type of organization.
List the type of and how many clients it serves.
Identify the professional fit for advanced nursing role.
Implement your new nursing role in the organization.
Identify a board of nursing in your state (specifically the Nurse Practice Act), which would support your role in this type of organization.
Running head: ADVANCED NURSING PRACTICE 1

ADVANCED NURSING PRACTICE 6

Advanced Nursing Practice Role

Student’s Name: Alien R Perez

Institution: South University

Professor: Dawn Julian

Date: 09/06/2016

Introduction

An advanced practice-nursing role in the specialty area is that of a family nurse practitioner (FNP). Typically, FNPs practice in primary care settings. The National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs), the family nurse practitioner’s role is clinical in nature since the practitioner must possess clinical skills to carry out important functions such as management and assessment of chronic and acute conditions. The role of FNP enhances patient safety since it places immense emphasis on health promotion, disease prevention and interdisciplinary collaboration to improve patient care outcomes. The FNP also fosters patient safety through emphasizing on the provision of holistic and culturally congruent care. Conducting further research on the role of the FNP will help in providing greater understanding of the scope of this advanced practice role. Apart from exploring the FNP role, this discussion also highlights insights gained from an expert opinion article and two scholarly research articles that have scrutinized different aspects of the role.

Discussion

FNPs play an indispensable role in the health care system, particularly in the primary care settings where the mainly practice. The NPSGs affirm that the FNP role is clinical in nature. To this end, it recognizes these practitioners as clinical experts with an obligation of implementing holistic interventions that focus on both cure and care. According to Hamric, Hanson, Tracy, & O’Grady (2014), FNPs offer comprehensive, continuing and client-centered care to individual patients as well as members of their families. Therefore, they must have the desired academic expertise and clinical skills needed for guaranteeing the success of disease prevention initiatives, and health promotion efforts. The clinical skills are also critical for ensuring the FNPs are effective in dispensing their duties of assessing, managing and treating acute as well as chronic illness in populations of interest (Hamric et al., 2014).

Distler (2013) acknowledges that apart from diagnosing and treating illnesses, FNPs additionally provide preventive care services that often include routine check-ups, immunizations, screening tests, personalized counseling and health risk assessments in the target populations. As such, these nurse practitioners play a central role in promotion of patient safety. Moreover, through emphasis on providing holistic care, FNPs are able to build strong, lasting relationships with patients, families and communities. These relationships empower the family nurse practitioners to dispense culturally sensitive care. Eventually, the strong relationships promote patient safety in addition to improving access and enhancing quality of care. Hamric et al. (2014) contend that FNPs must exhibit various attributes to guarantee their success. For instance, they must have empathy, effective communication and critical thinking skills. They must also be willing to implement evidence-based practices in their daily routines.

Various research and expert opinion articles have dissected the scope of the FNP role. For instance, an article by Freed, Dunham, Loveland-Cherry, & Martyn (2011) strived to investigate the role of family nurse practitions with specific emphasis on the pediatric setting. The title of this study published in the journal Pediatrics was “Family Nurse Practitioners: Roles and Scope of Practice in the Care of Pediatric Patients”. The method Freed et al. (2011) utilized to conduct their inquiry was mailing surveys to FNPs working in pediatric settings across the nation. The researchers make a clever observation by acknowledging that even though the US has witnessed a drastic rise in the number of well-trained family nurse practitioners over past decades, a majority of them are nonetheless not practicing in the pediatric settings. Empirical results from the study by Freed et al. (2011) revealed that although 66% of the respondents reported catering to children, pediatric patients only constituted a miniature fraction of the overall patient population seen by the FNP. In light of their findings, the scholars concluded that even in the near future, there is little likelihood that FNPs will have any considerable effect on the accessibility of either primary or subspecialty care for children.

The other enlightening research article is by Hoyt & Proehl (2015), which goes by the title “Family Nurse Practitioner or Acute Care Nurse Practitioner in the Emergency Department?” Unlike the article by Freed et al. (2011), the one by Hoyt & Proehl (2015) looks at the shifting trends characterized by nurse practitioners increasingly preferring to work in EDs (emergency departments). The researchers in this study reiterate that the ability of ACNP and/or FNP to work in an ED depends upon various factors including academic preparation, credentialing, regulatory agency (mainly state board of nursing), on-the-job training and continuing education. From conducting a comprehensive survey regarding demographics, certification, additional preparation, routine responsibility and practice setting, Hoyt & Proehl (2015) established that a vast majority (approximately 65%) of FNPs that practiced in a non-traditional setting worked in a high acuity emergency department. According to the researchers, additional training that prepared the FNPs to succeed in the high acuity emergency departments included training in pharmacology, ordering of diagnostic tests and laboratory interpretation. Hoyt & Proehl (2015) reached the conclusion that since there is an emergent trend of NPs and FNPs practicing more in nontraditional settings, they can reap significant benefits from increased mentorship and formal, on-the-job training.

In an expert opinion article dubbed “The Role of the Family Nurse Practitioner”, Distler (2013) provides a thoughtful commentary on the evolution, expanding scope and projected future of the FNP role. The writer commences by acknowledging that the amplification of healthcare coverage as necessitated by the ACA (Affordable Care Act) calls on nurse practitioners including FNPs to take an active role in order to ensure that all Americans including the growing population of the elderly receive the needed coverage. In addition, the researcher affirms that in the various settings where they work such as private practice, community/public health, independent practice and armed forces, FNPs must strive to ensure that the care they dispense is holistic and client-centered. Distler (2013) also avers that family nurse practitioners play a central role in meeting the nation’s escalating primary care needs because of their advanced preparation and knowledge in health care literacy, health promotion and disease prevention. In conclusion, Distler (2013) estimates that the demand for family nurse practitioners between 2008 and 2025 in the US will increase by 94%. This highlights the need for improving training institutions across the nation to help produce competent and well-qualified FNPs.

Conclusion

FNPs play a critical role in dispensing holistic care to patients, their families and entire communities where they practice, which is mainly in primary care settings. These professionals usually possess the desired clinical skills and relevant academic knowledge needed for undertaking various duties such as health literacy promotion, disease prevention, management and assessment of acute and chronic conditions. Hence, FNPs have a positive contribution on patient safety. Noteworthy, the articles by Hoyt & Proehl (2015), Freed et al. (2011) and Distler (2013) have aided to offer revealing insights into the scope, nature of work and role of FNPs in the contemporary society. The lessons learned will find meaningful application in my professional development.

References

Distler, J. (2013, December 18). The role of the family nurse practitioner: Let’s take a look. Retrieved August 05, 2016, from http://www.healthcarecommunication.com/Main/Articles/The_role_of_the_family_nurse_practitioner_11775.aspx

Freed, G. L., Dunham, K. M., Loveland-Cherry, C., & Martyn, K. K. (2011). Family Nurse Practitioners: Roles and Scope of Practice in the Care of Pediatric Patients. Pediatrics , 126 (5). Retrieved August 04, 2016, from http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/126/5/861

Hamric, A. B., Hanson, C. M., Tracy, M. F., & O’Grady, E. T. (2014). Advanced practice nursing : an integrative approach (5 ed.). St. Louis, Missouri: Elsevier/Saunders.

Hoyt, K. S., & Proehl, J. A. (2015). Family Nurse Practitioner or Acute Care Nurse Practitioner in the Emergency Department? Advanced Emergency Nursing Journal: , 37 (4), 243-246. Retrieved August 05, 2016, from

http://journals.lww.com/aenjournal/Fulltext/2015/10000/Family_Nurse_Practitioner_or_Acute_Care_Nurse.1.asp

 

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