Advanced practice nurses: roles, education, and clinical autonomy

¶ … Advanced Nursing Practice

Defining Advanced Practice Nursing

Advanced Practice Nurses (APRNs) and are licensed Registered Nurses (RNs) who have pursued advanced educational degrees, typically master's level degrees in specialized areas of nursing. Generally, APRNs are more thoroughly prepared than RNs to provide for the comprehensive care of patients across a broader range of needs arising from disease and illness as well as in connection to supporting wellness and general health. The route to becoming a Nurse Practitioner requires first achieving a bachelor's degree and then a subsequent master's degree in Nursing, followed by achieving national certification and demonstrating professional competencies. In principle, the defining characteristic that distinguishes the APRN from the RN is that APRNs are better qualified to provide nursing services autonomously and with less direction from physicians (NCBON, 2011).

The Advanced Practice Nursing Role in Healthcare

Generally, advanced practice nursing comprises four specific roles or sub-specialties: Nurse Practitioner, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, and Certified Nurse Midwife (Hamric, Spross, & Hanson, 2009). In principle, advanced practice nursing differs from traditional nursing by virtue of the degree that advanced nursing practice emphasizes nursing theory, and the practical application of evidence-based research knowledge directly to the clinical setting (Hamric, Spross, & Hanson, 2009). One of the most significant roles of advanced practice nurses is their responsibilities as liaisons between physicians and patients. In contemporary clinical medicine, patients actually interact with nurses much more than with physicians and rely on them tremendously to inform and educate them. The continual pressure on physicians to treat high volumes of patients in short amounts time has greatly increased their reliance on APRNs in that capacity (Laurent et. al, 2005).

Promoting Advanced Practice Nursing to the Public

In many cases, patients are completely unaware of the distinctions between Nurses, Advanced Practice Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, and Physician Assistants. Advanced practice nursing professionals can help publicize and promote a better public understanding by communicating directly with patients in their clinical capacities and by introducing themselves by their proper titles. They may also make the effort to explain to patients receiving advanced clinical nursing care exactly why their nurse is treating them in connection with providing details about the extent of their training and qualifications. Since APRNs are also typically involved in public health promotions, they should also take advantage of those opportunities to educate patients and other members of the public about their roles, qualifications, and responsibilities.