Role of Nurse Practitioner

¶ … Nurse Practitioners

Clinical Experience and the Role of the Advanced Nurse Practitioner

For so long, nursing was so limited from a clinical perspective. It was only recently that nurses of all levels were allowed to actually participate in the clinical process in any sort of meaningful manner. Yet, this new development illustrates how important Advanced Practice Nurses are in the actual field. Clinical experience is an absolute must for all Advanced Nurse Practitioners because it gives them the experience they need to push forward with innovative thinking that can help solve real health issues and prevent future ones from plaguing patients later in life.

From almost every research perspective, clinical experience is a must for the advanced nurse. This goes for Clinical Nurse Specialists, but also anyone in an Advanced Practice nursing field. According to the research, "direct clinical practice is a core competency of any APN role, although the actual skill set varies according to the needs of the patient population" (O'Grady, 2008). For any specialty or role, clinical experience is an absolute necessity because it empowers the APN to make better decisions and create more innovative health solutions for patients and patient populations in need. Clinical experience is like nothing else one can ever learn in a class room. It is real, raw, and uncut. As such, it provides the APN with experiences that are process. Essentially, "the APN is prepared to assume responsibility and accountability for health promotion and the assessment, diagnosis, and management of patient problems, including the use of prescription and pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions" (O'Grady, 2008). This is impossible without a certain degree of clinical experience that would amplify what was learned in the class room. Clinical experience and training is absolutely essential for the APN. Without clinical experience, the APN is lacking in the real world skills set that would allow them to make innovative decisions within the field.

Clinical experience provides for the acquisition of new skill sets in order to provide innovative solutions in the real world. In the modern world, the APN "must demonstrate specific clinical performance and patient outcomes" (O'Grady, 2008). As such, the APN must draw on clinical experience to improve the status of their patients, but also of the entire health care situation as a whole. Thus, they must engage "in direct clinical practice, function as consultants in their area of expertise, provide expert coaching and guidance, interpret, evaluate, and participate in research, provide clinical and professional leadership, collaborate, and employ ethical decision making" (O'Grady, 2008). It is also important for APNs to get acquainted with clinical data systems. Clinical experience keeps APNs at the forefront of the medical field, which is also crucial for innovation.