Nurse Practitioners: Summary, Recommendations, and Implications Any country serious about improving its health care standards and make basic health care accessible and cost effective for all, must first and foremost pursue development of its nurses and those in the nursing profession. More than a few countries are faring far better with the primary care of their women and children in the hands of nurses, health workers, and nurse-midwives. U.S. is not doing so well, on the other hand, as far as the end results are concerned.

Primary health care cannot be concentrated in one person or profession, it is a joint effort that needs to be fully understood and every individual should be fully qualified and prepared to handle any situation. There should be no limitations on any practitioner (Pohl et al., 2010, p. 900).

Nurses, even the advanced practice nurses, continue to answer to the decisions of the doctor in many states. Delegated medical acts have a faAade of safety but without the evolution of the nurse's role and involvement outcomes will not improve. Many states have revisited the autonomy of a nurse and are considering the idea of giving advanced-nurses more authority.

The degree to which a nurse has authority differs greatly from state to state. Ironically, though Nurses can provide primary care, order tests and even prescribe medications. They may not be...

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Despite the difference in the number of rights and authorities granted to nurses in different states, the requirements for a nurse practitioner license requires the same qualifications and have a similar procedure. All states demand a graduate degree in nursing, and most even expect certification by a nationally recognized body before granting a practitioner's license (Pohl et al., 2010, p. 900).

Recommendations

The following issues must be resolved before nurses can fully contribute to primary care across the U.S. and they are as follows:

Alterations and amendments must be made to the practice laws and regulations that deter nurse practitioners from exhibiting their full capabilities.

Increase Nurse Practitioner's access to primary care delivery system.

Health care professional education needs to be amended to include, not merely assign roles. Teamwork needs to be emphasized to get full advantage ofdiverse competencies (Pohl et al., 2010, p. 900).

If these goals are accomplished, drastic improvements can be achieved in the outcomes and the primary care delivery system, not to mention lowered costs (Pohl et al., 2010, p. 904).

Implications

The first line of resistance against…