Family Nurse Practitioner: Advanced Practice Roles in Nursing (Essay Sample)

Family Nurse Practitioner
Name of Student
Institution
Family Nurse Practitioner
Introduction:
The future of nursing lies in the growth and development of the curriculum to accommodate different specialties. The American Nurses Association (2014) cites that; advanced practice registered nurses have in the recent past played a very important role in the advancement of health care. The nursing profession has grown to acknowledge nurse specialists as clinical nurse specialists, family nurse practitioners, nurse informaticists, nurse educators and nurse administrators. Acknowledging the specific roles of the different specialties is an important landmark for the development of the nursing profession. For clarity purposes, it is pivotal to differentiate between advanced nursing practice and specializing in a particular area of nursing. According to Hamric et al. (2013, p. 68), specialization in nursing involves the development of expanded skills and knowledge in the area of the nursing profession. In this case, a nurse who has gained experience in a particular area of nursing may be said to have specialized. On the other hand, advanced nursing practice involves the application and integration of a wide range of evidence-based and theoretical knowledge, coupled with advanced nursing education, like graduate nursing. The American Nurses Association (2004) proposed the masters and doctoral education in nursing to enhance advanced nursing practice. In addition, advanced nurse practitioners play a pivotal role in the development of a knowledge base in the nursing profession.
This paper is dedicated to comparing and distinguishing the roles of advanced nurse practitioners, and expounding on the practice background and guidelines for the specialty of the family nurse practitioner. The paper will also expound on the legal requirements, organizational setting, competencies required, and the professional organizations associated with the advanced practice role of the family nurse practitioner. Lastly, the paper will discuss the leadership roles in advanced nursing practice, and the health policy as applies to advanced nursing practice.
Advanced Practice Roles in Nursing:
In as much as there are specific roles of the advanced practice nurse specialists, the curriculum for the essentials of master's education and advanced nursing practice outlined by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN, 2006) provides some similar roles for the advanced nurse practitioners. These roles cut across all the cadres of the advanced nurse practice. According to Hamric et al. (2013), the advanced practice Nurses share the same core competencies and core values, which in turn define the similarity in their roles. Hamric et al. (2013, P. 70) assert that, all the APNs perform the role of direct clinical practice, as a central competency that defines other competencies. The second category of roles common to all the APNs is the focus of care to the families and individuals. According to the AACN (2006), all the APNs must focus their practice to the individual patients, families and organizations. In regard to education, Hamric et al. (2013, P. 71) connotes that all APNs are supposed to teach others, and participate in programs that promote education in nursing and curriculum development. Similarly, AACN (2006) notes that all APNs are mandated with the role of carrying out research. In this area, the advanced nurse practitioners are expected to utilize new knowledge, embrace technology, utilize information systems, apply new knowledge and supervise lower cadres on carrying out research.
The advanced practice nurses are also mandated with the role of understanding policy, and recommending policy and system changes. Hamric et al. (2013) posits that all APNs must be advocates of policy changes where necessary, and should display high-level competence in supporting policy implementation. Additionally, APNs are expected to play the role of initiating and agitating for policy development. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2006) also reiterates that all APNs are tasked with the role of promoting professional ethics and acting as role models for the other members in the profession. They are expected to identify the common ethical dilemmas in the practice of nursing and how the said dilemmas influence the delivery of care, and provide a solution accordingly. The APNs are also tasked with the role of ensuring the development of the profession. As regards professional development, the advanced practice nurses are supposed to advocate highly for the profession, and recruit able students in the profession (AACN, 2006). The development of theory in nursing is also a role of all the advanced nurse practitioners. According to Hamric et al. (2013), advanced nurse practitioners are expected to review, update, apply, build and recommend theories to facilitate the development of the body of knowledge in the nursing fraternity. In relation to human diversity and the varied social issues, the advanced practice nurses are expected to deliver culturally competent care. The master’s curriculum requires that the advanced nurse practitioners practice in collaboration with other colleagues of the multicultural skilled workforce, in order to ensure that the systems address the very needs of the populations. Lastly, all the advanced nurse practitioners are tasked with the role of promotion and prevention of disease. Regardless of there are of practice and specialization, advanced nurse practitioners must show concern and action towards disease prevention and health promotion (AACN, 2006). With regard to health promotion coupled with disease prevention, the advanced nurse practitioners develop, monitor, and implement holistic care plans with a view to addressing the needs of the society.
Despite the similarities in the general roles of advanced nurse practitioners, there are specific roles that distinguish a nurse practitioner, nurse educator, nurse informaticist and nurse administrator. According to Hamric et al. (2013), a nurse practitioner provides specialized and primary health care to families, individuals, communities and other organizational settings. The nurse practitioners practice in a varied range of settings like schools, home-based clinics, hospitals, nursing homes, nurse-managed clinics and workplaces. They provide a wide range of service-products, ranging from adult care, pediatric care, gynecological care, mental health, gerontological care and specialized forms of care. In their practice, the advanced nurse practitioners take health histories, do physical examinations, diagnose injuries and common illnesses and treat them, and manage deviations in vital signs. In addition, the advanced nurse practitioners treat chronic conditions and interpret x-rays and other laboratory parameters (ANA, 2011, p. 2). On the other hand, a nurse informaticist is a nurse who specializes in nursing science, computer science and information science, with a role of managing information, data and knowledge (ANA, 2008). The nurse informaticist plays the role of supporting nurses, patients, other consumers and providers of health care in decision-making in their roles and settings. In doing so, the nurse informaticist utilizes information technology, information processes and information systems. They thus must possess excellent thinking and critical skills. As clinicians, they do extensive research, and are experienced in applying and implementing the nursing process.
Contrary to the roles of the nurse informaticist and the nurse practitioner, a nurse educator's main role is to teach (Zwygart-Stauffacher & Jansen, 2005). The advanced nurse practitioner roles wouldn’t be in existence without the nurse educators. The nurse educators are also tasked with the role of demonstrating high-level competency in the prongs of clinical skills, research and nursing education. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN, 2006) points out that, nursing educators are expected to demonstrate high-level competency and show leadership in the nursing profession. They thus act as role models in the nursing profession. The American Nursing Association (ANA, 2008) reiterates that nurse educators are tasked with developing a learning culture among nurses, and affecting positive change and public policy in the country's political process. On the contrary, a nurse administrator is tasked with the role of managing other staffs in the health care delivery setting. These could be health centers, clinics and medical centers. Their role is to ensure that a cost-effective method has been applied in the implementation of organizational policies (Zwygart-Stauffacher & Jansen, 2005). They thus should possess excellent critical thinking and organizational skills. As administrators, these nurses also oversee the implementation of projects and also participate in handling the pressure of the workplace. Unlike the nurse practitioners who are involved directly with the implementation of policy, the nurse administrators are tasked with setting the policies and overseeing their implementation. Apart from being part of the administrative branch of the organization, nurse administrators deal with the issues of the personnel who are below them directly.
Advanced Practice Role for Family Nurse Practitioners:
Regulation, Certification and Legal Requirements-State of Florida
Chapter 464 of the 2013 Florida Statutes, part 1 outlines the Nurse Practice Act, which documents the regulations of all the nurses in the State of Florida. The statute outlines the legal requirements, as well as the examination regulations for the advanced practice of nursing in the State of Florida. Advanced nursing practice as an FNP falls under the class of advanced nursing practice. In the provisions, section 012 of the chapter outlines the regula...