South University: NSG 5000 Role of the Advanced Practice Nurse Final project
Role of the Advanced Practice Nurse
South University
... [Show More]
Final project
The purpose of this paper is to Compare and contrast the roles of the NP, nurse educator, nurse informatics, and nurse administrator in advanced practice nursing pertaining to clinical practice, primary care, education, administration, and research. In the health care sector, advanced practice nurses are those nurses that have advanced specializations in different areas. These nurses are registered as certified medical practitioners in their fields. In some cases, these certified advanced practice nurses venture in to independent practice. Their qualifications give them an advantage as they perform their services professionally and often at a lower cost. These nurses include those certified to give prenatal and gynecological care to women. The other kind of these nurses is those that deliver medical services to community clinics. The clinical nurse specialists are those that deliver medical services in a range of specialized areas. Then there are those that administer anesthesia in surgical centers. All of these nurses are well qualified to perform the activities they deliver (Curley & Vitale, 2012).
Advanced role of nursing
In this section, I will be discussing advanced roles of nursing. Advanced practice nurses deliver quality medical services to all the patients. Most of the nurses in this category can administer and practice medicine independently. Advanced practice nurses are all very capable of functioning without the presence of a physician. This exception is because they have advanced training than the other nurses. These nurses either have master’s degrees or doctorates or additional years of clinical training. This extra training is what brings out the difference between these advanced practice nurses and the medical nurses. As already said, these advanced practice nurses have the authority to practice medicine independently. In the healthcare sector, there are different categories of nursing practitioners that perform different
tasks. However, only the advanced practice nurse passes as qualified enough to practice independently. The extra efforts and training on the usual curriculum are what gives them the extra title (Curley & Vitale, 2012).
Nurse Practitioner (NP)
These are licensed clinicians who focus on managing the health of individuals and preventing illnesses. These NPs also fall under the advanced practice nurses, according to the American Associations of Nursing Practitioners. They are not restricted to particular patients, thus can deliver medical services across the field.
I. Help in all clinical procedures
They can deal with pediatrics and adults both male and female (McBride, & Tietze, 2016). They also deal with dermatology, oncology and cardiovascular health. These professionals require a master’s degree for them to qualify as practitioners. All these services are dependent on the specialization of the NP in question. However, the roles of these practitioners are evolving fast, thus preferring those with a doctor in the same. Before becoming independent practitioners, the NPs are required to meet the set standards. Meaning, they have to have the right medical requirement, the license, and certifications that give them the mandate to be the independent. These requirements are basic for one to qualify as an independent medical practitioner (Hamric, Hanson, Tracy, & O'Grady, 2014).
II. Make sure that patients are all attended to
All patients under the care of the NPs have high satisfaction in their in the quality of medical care given to them. These patients tend to recover quicker with few readmission cases that those under patients. It is, therefore, safe to say that the nurse practitioners take their time with all their patients. The costs of medication from an NP is lower than that from a doctor due to their schooling costs. The schooling cost of the NP is lower than that of doctors,
which are why their services are cheaper (Sullivan-Marx, 2013). It is actually better to receive treatment from nursing practitioners than from doctors. In recent years, most Americans seek medical attention from NPs than from doctors due to their affordability. Research shows that most people opt to study as nurse practitioners than as doctors. Hence, there has been a flood in the sector due to these benefits. All the patients who pass through these nursing practitioners well taken care of by NPs. There are minimized readmissions in this case since the customer satisfaction is on a high rise (McBride, & Tietze, 2016).
III. Performing physical evaluations and diagnostic tests
The NPs examine their patients looking at their medical histories, performing physical evaluations and diagnostic tests. They perform these tests considering the unique factors of these patients and their families. It is from these tests that they come up with appropriate treatment plans and follow-up of the treatment plans. They work in collaboration with other healthcare professionals to maintain a detailed record. The NPs also have an obligation to engage in continuing education so as to keep up with technological advancement. Depending on the state in which they practice, they can deliver medical services not solely to their specialty. Some states allow for full practice, other restricted and others reduced the practice. Full practice gives them full independence; reduced practice requires them to liaise with other healthcare services. Restricted practice requires direct supervision or manager to the NPs (Hamric, Hanson, Tracy, & O'Grady, 2014).
Nurse Educators
These individuals combine their clinical expertise with teaching to make up their career. They have advanced training which gives them the role as an educator. The nurse educators are responsible for the preparing and mentoring the present and future nurses. They are the ones accountable for all the nursing curriculum and ensuring that all the nurses are up
to the task. The nurse educators are prepared at the masters and doctorate level and are the faculty in their respective work area. Their experiences allow them to deal with high school graduates, college students and those that are hoping to advance their education. These individuals have an obligation to make sure that all learning taking place is quality and meet the standards (McBride, & Tietze, 2016).
The nursing educators are responsible for designing the right curricular for all the nurse trainees. This curricular has to be relative to the studies of these trainees; this will help cover all the necessities of the course. They are liable to developing courses and programs of study that has to be followed as they teach and guide the learners. They are the ones that evaluate the competence of the learners and document the outcomes of the learning process. They are the people responsible for teaching all NPs.
Nurse Informatics
These are the nurses who work in developing communication and information technologies. They do all the research as well as ensure there is a good communication system in the healthcare sector. They deal with data and communication collection and analysis; research methodologies integrate new knowledge into the system. Nurse informatics take part in the planning, designing, and implementation of electronic health records in the system. Ideally, this group deals with improving the healthcare system through technology and other advancements. They apply new information received to improve clinical and administrative performance. They may not take part in the actual medical practices with the patients, but they make it easy for the NPs (Sullivan-Marx, 2013).
Nurse Administrator
A nurse administrator is responsible for the management of the nursing staff in the healthcare facility. They have licensed nurses with advanced experience in the nursing field
which is a mandatory qualification. Therefore, a nurse administrator is in charge of all the other nurses, ensuring that everything goes as expected. These administrators are responsible for hiring, training, scheduling of shifts, and evaluating their performance (Stanley, 2017).
This check-up is to make sure that the services are efficient and well presented. They are also the body in charge of the budgeting for the department and the healthcare facility. This gives them the authority to communicate the required changes in the facility. Their freedom to make the budget gives them control over on dictating the facilities that need to be purchased. The nurse administrator requires a master’s degree in nursing administration for them to qualify as one. Meaning that they are in charge of the hospital and the nursing staff entirely (Sullivan-Marx, 2013).
The Family Nurse Practitioner
These are the most popular NPs amounting to more than fifty percent of them. These nursing practitioners provide special care to patients throughout their lives. Acute care is the most common of all the services offered by the NPs. These are emergency situations which require immediate attention from these family nurse practitioners. They deal with the sudden emergence of health conditions of the patients. The next in line is adult-gerontology NPs who deal with adults and adult aging populations (McBride, & Tietze, 2016). They focus on providing care to these specific groups of people to ensure their satisfaction. There are the neonatal NPs who focus on the needs of the newborns up until they are of age to deal with the pediatric NPs. The women’s health NPs have a diverse knowledge of the needs of women from puberty through to menopause. These NPs give their expertise in this area with no limit to any category. Lastly, there are the psychiatric mental health NPs who offer a holistic approach to deal with the mental and physical health of the patients. All these nursing practitioners have their own disciplines that they deal with thus making them equally helpful (Hamric, Hanson, Tracy, & O'Grady, 2014).
Licensing and certification needed
The first and most basic requirement is the nursing education from the university or college. This is the most important qualification lack of which is an automatic disqualification. The department of health and human services, the board of nursing under public health division is in charge of the licensing of registered nurses in the state. This department is the one in charge of regulating the licensing of all the advanced practice registered nurses. The family nurse practitioners who fall under the nurse practitioners are not any different. They have to get their license after meeting the required specifications. The family nurse practitioner has to apply for their license by examination. This application also relates to foreign educated nurses as long as their education is relative to the one in this country. If one was previously licensed, they could just apply for a reinstatement by contacting the department (Sullivan-Marx, 2013).
One needs a graduate degree and the advanced practice nursing education program that equips them with the right tools of specialization. Then, one has to earn their national certification under the advanced specialized program. The registered nurse then has to apply for the license by offering necessary information for the department. They have to attach their transcript, their national certification, their registered nursing license. On top of that, they have to provide their criminal record, their practice agreement and pay the processing fee. All these are addressed to the Nebraska state health department (Sullivan-Marx, 2013).
Getting the right group for this task is important as they contribute to how the work will be done. Having a group often is enough to interchange between shifts and carry out their duties effectively. The staff has to be competent enough to deal with all the medical cases presented to us regardless of its nature. To begin with, it is important to target a small population of about one community. This selection makes it easy to avoid too many risks that
may emanate from the newly started project. It is not a guarantee that the entire community will embrace the project, which is why it is important to take precautions (McBride, & Tietze, 2016).
Leadership attributes
The quality of democratic leadership is already in check when it comes to my leadership skills. Therefore, this makes me a democratic leader, meaning that although I am willing to listen, it does not mean I can respond in their favor always. Sometimes, being strict is the best way to deal with things since it keeps you informed and in control. This control is what drives the project to run since there will be few disputes. Keeping everything in check is an assured strategy of promoting the growth of the project altogether (Kendra, 2016).
Qualities I need to process
It is imperative for all leaders to improve their leadership skills and fine-tunes their relations with their staff. This need is raised by the fact that the system receives new graduates time and again, who have different approaches to the system. Therefore, as the leader, they have to learn how to accommodate all these differences and work towards an improved program. Sensitivity to the staff is very important as it shows that the leaders care about the needs of the staff. Working with an insensitive person is hard as they cannot relate to you. It is for this reason that a leader ought to be compassionate of the staff and relate with them (Kendra, 2016).
Improve professionalism; this makes work easier as the entire body will be aware of what is expected of them. Enhancing professionalism not just as a leader nut also as a body gives the clients confidence in the project. The main reason for starting the project is to provide medical services to the patients in this area. Therefore, this means that the staff led by the leader have to have a sense of professionalism. As a leader, therefore, it is my obligation
to ensure that I have fulfilled this requirement. Professionalism is a must have in the nursing field, not to say that this staff does not possess this quality. It only asserts that improving professionalism will improve the chances for improved services (Stanley, 2017).
How to attain these qualities
The best way to attain these qualities is by interacting more with nurse practitioners or any other staff in the health care department. This association brings me closer to attributes that are relative to my course. This is an improvement on my side as I move a step closer to being a better leader. Good leaders are hard to come by, mainly because they lack the right role models. My next step would be to re-evaluate the people I associate with as they could be the fall of me. Reorganizing my personal interactions and my circle will help me improve my leadership skills. Exposure is very important in taming and shaping good leadership skills. Therefore, the other agenda would be to attend seminars which will help me learn new things. In these seminars, one can actually learn more than they can with their colleagues.
Through the seminar, I can learn how to improve my leadership attributes (Stanley, 2017).
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation comes up with policies that help in the healthcare sector. These policies aim at improving the healthcare system of the country which is why they are raised. Pointing them out gives a chance to addressing them and finding solutions to the same. This foundation simply raises concerns on the matters that seem to be failing to fulfill their function to the health of the public. This address then receives the attention it deserves and thus improves the services altogether (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2017)
The relationship between school attendance and health policy
The article deals with the fact that there has been prolonged absenteeism in schools which raises the alarm to the concerned eye. This malingering has been going on for a long time, which results in poor academic performance of the students. Of course, there is a reason for this absence which led to the implementation of the policy. The reason is children who are mostly absent from school to suffer from health issues. Although one cannot dismiss the fact that other factors could be the cause. These include bullying, hunger or unstable housing and transportation; these could be other contributors to the absenteeism of the children. The most culpable children for this crime are children from a poor background, coloured families, and minority populations (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2017).
Missing more than ten percent of school days is what is known as severe absenteeism.
Health can be the contributing factor to this absence due to children with physical health issues. The most common case in this category is asthma. However, it is not the only health problem that drives these children to miss school days. There are cases of poor dental health which of course with interfering with the concentration of the pupil. There is vision impairment, diabetes, and obesity. These are health factors which can really interfere with the learning of the child and thus result in their absence from school (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2017).
a. Mental health
The mental health of the child is another reason that drives them to miss school. These cases include fear, depression and social anxiety. These are all factors that drive the children into trauma if they are not addressed. The mental state of the child is unstable, thus cannot even concentrate when in class. This mental unrest makes these children hate school, thus do not see the loss of missing classes. Then there are the safety issues which drive the children to absenteeism. These are as a result of bullying of the victims by other children in school. This
is mostly practiced through racial segregation or just minority population segregation. This makes the children feel unsafe in schools and thus skip school altogether (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2017).
b. Family background
The most affected children are those who come from the financially unstable background. Therefore, they are always picked on by the bullies of the school, which gradually instil fear in them that results in their absence. Sometimes these children are mentally traumatized and stressed, which then develops into something bigger which may refuse to settle. It is these little things that do not seem to make any sense that contributes in causing absenteeism.
c. Major contributors
The key players in this field are the teacher, the student leaders, the parents and the law. It is up to the four players to synchronize their efforts and come up with a long-term solution for the same. There should be strict rules that govern the children in school so as to enhance equity and respect among them. Every child should feel safe going to school since it is their right as American citizens. The law does not allow for such chronic truant behavior which is why the collaboration of the four bodies mentioned above is important. If at all of them played their required role, then the cases of absenteeism would reduce rapidly. The parents have to ensure that they provide a good home for their children with an ample environment for growth. The teachers should ensure that all the children in school feel safe and secure. It at any time the teacher notices strange behaviors of the children, they should address it immediately. The student leaders should tell on the bullies so as to prevent extreme cases of bullying. And the federal law should come up with strict policies to diminish malingering (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2017).
How to make sure the policy works
I would ensure all the players have done their part to completion and create a free and open communicative teacher-pupil forum. It is hard for children to relate to their teachers if they are always hard on them. Therefore, the best step is to ensure that the teachers loosen up a bit so as to relate well with children. In other words, the children have to trust these adults for them to open up to them. This should be the key agenda initiated to reduce absenteeism. The healthcare sector will experience a rise in the services provided due to the focus on this population. Research shows that many children suffer from either of the categories named above. Thus a large number of them miss school days. Therefore, the healthcare sector will have an improved flow of clients thanks to the new policy. The clients who sought to eliminate absenteeism from their families will definitely want medical help. And with the new health policy that accommodates the majority, then the healthcare sector will definitely thrive (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2017).
Conclusion
The Advanced Practice Nurse are more preferred to the doctors. Most students are advised to pursue this training rather than train as doctors. They are more equipped to deal with patients and satisfy their needs. With the new policy in place at least more students will be at ease with attending school regularly. With the support of the key players in the education and health sector, this problem will be addressed accordingly. The recovery of all patients is dependent on the trust that they have on their physicians. Otherwise the process will take longer than expected.
References
Curley, A. L. C., & Vitale, P. A. (2012). Population-based nursing: Concepts and competencies for advanced practice. New York, N.Y: Springer Pub. Co.
Hamric, A. B., Hanson, C. M., Tracy, M. F., & O'Grady, E. T. (2014). Advanced practice nursing: An integrative approach. St. Louis, Mo: Elsevier/Saunders.
Kendra, C. (2016, June 16). Reviewed by a board-certified physician. What Type of Leadership Do You Have? Retrieved April 05, 2017, from https://www.verywell.com/whats-your-leadership-style-3866929
McBride, S., & Tietze, M. (2016). Nursing informatics for the advanced practice nurse: Patient safety, quality, outcomes, and interprofessionalism.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. (2017, March 16). Providing research, insight, and analysis on key issues affecting health and health care in the United States. Retrieved April 05, 2017, from http://www.rwjf.org/en/library/collections/health-policy.html
Stanley, D. (2017). Clinical leadership in nursing and healthcare: Values into action.
Sullivan-Marx, E. (2013). Nurse practitioners: The evolution and future of advanced practice. New York [N.Y.: Springer Pub. [Show Less]