¶ … Status of Advanced Practice Nursing in Your State or Country The status of advanced practice nurses (APNs) in the United States has changed significant in recent years, and the scope of their practice now extends into areas that were previously not available to them. Indeed, the American Association of Colleges of Nurses (AACN) reports that APNs can now prescribe medications in at least 45 states, and another 16 states (including Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Montana, Oregon, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wyoming and the District of Columbia) have authorized APNs to practice independently completely without physician collaboration or supervision (Expanded role for advanced practice nurses, 2016).

Who are the stakeholders?

From a broad perspective, the stakeholders involved in the debate over the precise role of APNs extend to all Americans. The extent to which APNs are authorized to provide healthcare services comparable to physicians will likely be the extent to which all Americans enjoy better medical...

For instance, the AACN points out that, "Americans will never realize greater access to care and lower costs if policymakers continue to define health care according to the needs and interests of only one profession" (Expanded role for advanced practice nurses, 2016, para. 2). Likewise, the American Nurses Association (ANA) emphasize that, "[Advanced practice nurses] are often primary care providers and are at the forefront of providing preventative care to the public" (Advanced practice nurses, 2016, para. 2). Taken together, it is therefore reasonable to suggest that all Americans are stakeholders in this situation.
What strategies are being used to influence legislation or rule making?

There have been organized letter-writing, networking and lobbying efforts at the national, state and local levels by prominent nursing organizations including the AACN, the ANA and American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) among others.

What additional health policy strategies do you think would help in your state or country?

Perhaps the most important additional health policy strategy currently under consideration in the United States that would help the country would be to provide APNs practicing in U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) healthcare facilities with the same level of expanded full practice authority authorized by other states irrespective of the state in which the VA facility is located. At present, state-level laws prescribe practice authority for APNs while legislation under consideration by the U.S. Senate…