Licensing as a Family Nurse Practitioner, I

Licensing

As a family nurse practitioner, I would expect work in a type of organization such as a doctor's office. There are several factors that have led me to consider this highly distinct possibility, not the least of which is the increasing trend for family nurse practitioners to provide primary care to patients. The provisioning of such care, of course, is usually conducted under the auspices of a formally trained physician. However, there are several recent developments that may contribute to nurse practitioners working with patients in a primary care role even without direct supervision of physicians. Regardless, it is highly likely that I will find work as a family nurse practitioner in a formal doctor's office, either small or big.

There has been a projected shortage for qualified health care professionals for quite some time now. The factors that have contributed to this shortage include the fact that there have been a number of advancements in science and medical care so that people are living longer now than they ever have before. As such, the baby boomer generation will more than likely be around for some time, and as the principle aging population in contemporary society, it will need many health care providers. The other principle factor affecting the shortage of health care professionals is the Affordable Care Act, which will have significant components take effect in 2014. This act will grant health care to increasing numbers of U.S. citizens, and will require a plethora of health care providers to provision care for them.

Due to the massive influx of patients pertaining to these two factors, the aging baby boomer generation and the legislative changes related to health care, the demand on primary care physicians is projected to be exceedingly high (Britt, 2012). Within their private practices, therefore, these professionals will need trained, qualified family nurse practitioners to assuage some of their work load in general family health care. Family nurse practitioners in these types of organizations, then, will have a substantial amount of responsibilities that are comparable to those of a physician. Nurses will be able to work with a wide range of the population from prenatal care to individuals in advanced age. Specifically, they will be expected to provide services such as diagnosing and treating health problems,; performing prenatal, well-child, and adult care check-ups; diagnosing and managing minor trauma, including suturing and splinting; prescribing medications; and teaching health promotion and disease prevention to patients (Brit, 2012).

Virtually all of these expectations for family nurse practitioners apply to those who are licensed to work within the state of Massachusetts in doctors' offices. Nurses will be able to engage in the aforementioned activities; there are several clauses in the state board of nursing's Nurse Practice Act that permit nurses to do so. One of the most salient of these activities which is really at the heart of family care in the health care industry is the promotion of salutary practices that will ideally keep patients out of the doctor's office -- except for check-ups, of course. In the section of this document dedicated to practical nurses, the author explicitly states that "It is the responsibility of the qualified license nurse to promote patient/client education and to involve the patient/client and, when appropriate, significant others in the establishment and implementation of health goals" (CMR Board, 1994, p. 12). This passage is important because not only does it outline this specific duty for family nurse practitioners, but also it denotes the fact that these professionals will be involved with other practitioners (such as physicians) to help patients achieve optimal health status.

In addition to the aforementioned responsibilities of family nurse practitioners in settings such as doctor's offices, their collaborative approach to assisting patients also includes disseminating orders to other health care personnel. Therefore, not only will these professionals work under the supervision of physicians, but they will also have health care professionals working under their supervision. The Nurse Practice Act contains specific guidelines to what sorts of responsibilities nurse practitioners can delegate to their subordinates, which includes administrative and basic tasks related to patient welfare such as mobilization or the obtaining of blood pressure and other sorts of data (CMR Board, 1994, 11). This fact confirms the notion that family nurse practitioners can work in doctor's offices, where oftentimes physicians have minor health care workers such as physician's assistants who perform these menial tasks for them. Family nurse practitioners will suitably fit in such an environment, because they will not only be able to work under the supervision of a physician as needed, but will also be able to supervise other workers such as physician's assistants as needed.