APRNs Can Do It All If Allowed

Advanced Nursing and Shared Perspectives

Competent healthcare requires a nursing workforce that is trained and qualified to meet the needs diverse patient populations. Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) are important because they have specialized skills and knowledge and meet the requirements to be able to provide care that lesser educated nurses do not. The distinct roles of APRNs include Nurse Practitioners (NPs), Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNSs), Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs), and Nurse Midwives (CNMs). They all cater to unique aspects of patient care, but overall APRNs bring advanced clinical training and leadership, which is why they have the scope and practice to act autonomously if permitted by state law, or in collaboration with other healthcare professionals in primary, acute, and specialty care. Each role is distinguished by its ability to diagnose, treat, prescribe, and manage independently patient care. This sets them apart from registered nurses (RNs) who typically operate under the supervision of doctors.

Differences Between Advanced Nursing Practice and APRNs

Advanced nursing practice and APRNs differ in terms of the education they receive, the scope of their practice, and the responsibilities they are allowed to take on. Advanced nursing practice is a generalized reference to all nurses who have acquired post-graduate education. They could be nurse educators, administrators, researchers. APRNs, on the other hand, are a category of advanced nursing practice with specific clinical roles in direct patient care. Nurse Practitioners (NPs) provide primary care like what physicians used to solely provide before so many of them left for specialty practice. NPs can also work in specialty care, but they originated to fill the gap left by doctors leaving primary care (Fraze et al., 2020).

APRNs can diagnose and treat patients; they can prescribe medications; they can do routine check-ups. CNSs are expert consultants who can educate staff nurses on improving healthcare delivery systems with specialized practice. CRNAs specialize in anesthesia care. They are role players in surgical, obstetric, and trauma settings. CNMs give care to women, including gynecological exams, prenatal care, delivery, and postpartum care. Specialized areas define the advanced nursing practice.

Appraising the Population Served by Advanced Nursing Practice Roles

Each APRN role may serve different patient populations. NPs tend to have the broadest role and serve all kinds of patients as they tend to be primary care providers or work with primary care providers. They may treat patients with chronic conditions, acute illnesses, or those who can benefit from preventative care. Or they may serve children and adolescents as pediatric NPs, giving routine check-ups, immunizations, developmental screenings, management for chronic conditions and so on. They can give advice on nutrition, physical activity, mental health, and more for young patients. NPs may also serve women populations by specializing in reproductive health. NPs specializing in women’s health or family practice may focus on giving reproductive health services, contraception counseling, prenatal and postnatal care, screenings for breast and cervical cancers, and other health matters associated with women’s health. They can specialize in giving support to women through all their life stages, as they help with issues like menopause or osteoporosis.

In underserved areas, NPs may be the only primary healthcare provider option, as they have taken to filling gaps where physicians once were. They can thus give essential services to populations with limited access to healthcare, give preventative care, manage common illnesses, and educate communities on healthy lifestyle choices. This is a very important population to serve because in doing so NPs can help to reduce health disparities and improve access to healthcare (Jennings et al., 2021).

As for other roles, CNSs will work with specific patient populations within their specialty areas, such as cardiology or pediatrics. CRNAs will work with patients undergoing surgical or diagnostic procedures that require anesthesia. CNMs will primarily serve women of childbearing age by providing them reproductive health services, prenatal care, and managing labor and delivery.

Certification Opportunities for APRNs

Certification is what serves as legal validation of the expertise of APRNs in their respective fields, so that patients know their nurse is qualified and so that nurses in the field can be regulated to determine that they meet the highest standards of practice. There are many different certification bodies that offer credentials for APRNs. The American Nurses Credentialing Center is one that gives certification for NPs and CNSs in different specialties. The American Association of Nurse Practitioners is another that grants certification for NPs in primary and acute care. The National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists certifies CRNAs. The American Midwifery Certification Board certifies CNMs (Chism, 2021).

Developing a LACE Plan for APRNs

A comprehensive Licensure, Accreditation, Certification, and Education (LACE) plan is helpful for APRNs who want to establish their competency. The LACE plan includes steps for obtaining licensure, accreditation, certification, and education. Licensure involves obtaining state licensure to practice as an APRN, which includes meeting educational requirements. Accreditation refers to the fact that the nursing program attended is accredited by a recognized body, such as the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. Certification refers to gaining certification in the selected APRN role through another recognized certifying body. Education refers to the requirement to complete a graduate-level APRN program, such as a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) (Chism, 2021).

Investigating State-Specific Implications for APRNs

State regulations can have a big impact on APRN practice because of regulatory differences with respect to being able to practice to the full scope of one’s training. Some states grant full practice authority and allow APRNs to operate independently of physicians, but other states do not and require APRNs to have physician supervision or collaborative agreements. APRNs need to know their state’s regulations in order to practice safely.