This paper examines three important professional considerations for Adult Nurse Practitioners: compensation, electronic documentation systems, and evidence-based practice. Drawing on national survey data, it outlines typical salary ranges and benefits for nurse practitioners, noting how geography and practice setting create variation. It then discusses how transitioning from paper to electronic documentation systems improves care efficiency, data integration, and portability. Finally, it addresses evidence-based practice as a rigorous, research-driven process that requires critical appraisal of empirical data and institution-wide education to achieve meaningful change in clinical care standards.
The profession of a nurse practitioner is highly important in the medical and healthcare support industries. Nurses are instrumental in providing the level of care and attention that patients need, deserve, and desire. Simply providing care is only one of the many facets of the nursing profession, however, and there are many considerations that an Adult Nurse Practitioner — and indeed all nurse practitioners — must be aware of and take into account when making large-scale professional decisions, as well as when completing the day-to-day tasks required of their roles in providing care. This paper will examine three specific issues that are important aspects of a nurse practitioner's profession and task performance, focusing specifically on the role of an Adult Nurse Practitioner where applicable.
Though not directly related to either increasing nursing knowledge or providing care to patients, understanding the compensation packages and levels available to Adult Nurse Practitioners is an essential component of making effective career decisions. Compensation can also vary significantly from region to region and even from facility to facility, so understanding the range of options and the factors that influence compensation choices is essential. These matters are complicated further by cost issues and the changing financial landscape of the medical and healthcare industries.
According to a 2009–2010 survey conducted by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, the average hourly wage earned by nurse practitioners is approximately forty-five dollars, with a mean base salary of $89,680 and a mean total salary of $97,340 for full-time nurse practitioners (Goolsby, 2011). The survey also confirmed that geographic setting, practice setting, and other factors can cause significant variations in compensation levels (Goolsby, 2011). Benefits for the majority of nurse practitioners included vacation time, health insurance, professional liability coverage, professional leave, and retirement plans (Goolsby, 2011). Researchers have proposed ways to radically adjust compensation for medical care in order to make the industry more efficient and cost-effective; with changes in national policy appearing to accelerate, it is possible that compensation could change significantly in the coming decade (Goroll et al., 2007).
Many other changes are taking place in the nursing profession and the medical industry beyond discussions regarding financial structures and compensation. The rapid pace of technological development over the past several decades has led to significant changes in the manner in which the business and practice of nursing is carried out. This includes record keeping, which used to — and often still does — occupy a great deal of space and administrative time for most medical offices. Transitioning from paper to electronic documentation systems can increase the efficiency and effectiveness of care when properly utilized (Grossman & O'Brien, 2010).
Electronic documentation systems often contain the same basic fields as the paper documents they replace. Various software programs use different layouts and sometimes different nomenclature, but their general use is relatively straightforward (Grossman & O'Brien, 2010). Medical information and certain identifying information are entered into a software program that creates a database, enabling faster and more accurate retrieval of patient information — including medical history — and allowing for greater integration of data to measure trends and identify other features of community health (Grossman & O'Brien, 2010). Given that nurses are relied upon more and more to provide primary care in a variety of settings, electronic documentation systems have become especially useful due to their portability. With appropriate technology and proper security measures in place, documents can be accessed and updated from multiple locations, which also eases the transfer of records between facilities (Harris, 2010).
"Implementing research-driven clinical practice changes"
The issues examined above — compensation, electronic documentation systems, and evidence-based practice — are only three of a myriad of considerations for nurse practitioners. Adult Nurse Practitioners have these general considerations as well as other more specific factors to take into account when making professional decisions. All nurse practitioners must continue learning in these and other areas in order to remain effective clinicians.
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