How to write an essay on the Role of A Nurse Practitioner (Solved)

How to write an essay on the Role of A Nurse Practitioner (Solved)

The Role of A Nurse Practitioner

Advanced nurse practitioners (ANPs) are now well-recognized individuals in the field of healthcare in many countries. These individuals are involved in the diagnosis and treatment of patients, advising on public health issues, and continuous education to remain ahead of advancements in medical practice (Htay & Whitehead, 2021). Advanced nurse practitioners are prepared at master’s or doctoral degree levels to provide high-quality care to patients. These individuals are at the forefront of providing preventive services to patients (Sarzynski & Barry, 2019). This paper focuses on the role of ANPs in healthcare and the need for these providers as described by the Institute of Medicine (IOM).

Advanced Nurse Practitioner Role

Advanced nurse practitioners are educated at master’s or doctoral levels and are competent in their practice using expert clinical knowledge and skills. Because of their preparations, APNs have the freedom to act and make autonomous decisions regarding the diagnosis and treatment of patients (Htay & Whitehead, 2021). Apart from this crucial role in primary care, I will like to discuss the advanced nurse practitioner role in health policy. ANPs are crucial players in healthcare when it comes to advocating for healthcare policy. Depending on the level of health policy, ANPs influence the type of care provided to patients and can change legislation on healthcare issues. For instance, ANPs conduct quality improvement projects in their working environment and use these findings to implement policies (Chilton, 2015). Their participation in board and local meetings ensure the facilitation of processes to address challenges in achieving primary care for the improvement of patient outcomes.

The involvement in matters of health policy is the most important role ANPs can have in impacting positive health care change. As strong advocates for the entire profession, ANPs are members of professional organizations that fight for the rights of nurses and patients (Htay & Whitehead, 2021). For example, ANPs join other nurses in advocating for state health policies like independent practice for APRNs. Through their input and research in matters of healthcare, many states have recognized the importance of independent practice for nurse practitioners (Sarzynski & Barry, 2019). These individuals have managed to influence changes in policies such as patient care standards and the use of EHRs to influence patient outcomes.

Coping with the complex and evolving healthcare environment requires nurses with expertise in evidence-based practice and the implementation of new strategies. ANPs have been at the forefront to propose strategies to deal with chronic diseases and other illnesses through policy change. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic saw ANPs propose strategies to protect the health of healthcare workers and improve access to healthcare services (Htay & Whitehead, 2021). State-specific guidelines like the use of telehealth to maintain access to healthcare during COVID-19 were developed by ANPs and other expert healthcare team members.

Research Article Summary

The selected research article talks about the essential role of nurse practitioners in health policy. Nurse practitioners are observed to be essential advocates for health care policy because of their educational background. Because they treat multiple patients, APNs can determine the unique needs of patients and analyze legislative measures that can address identified challenges. For example, the article discusses how APNs conduct quality improvement projects in their work environments and the use of findings to implement new policies in respective institutions (Chilton, 2015). Apart from working in organizations, ANPs play an important role in influencing local policy. They attend local meetings and influence changes in school programs that lead to improved health outcomes.

Advanced nurse practitioners can influence policy through writing to state or federal legislators regarding healthy policy bills. These individuals share personal stories and analyze the impact of proposed bills to give legislators a picture of how the bill can impact patient outcomes. As members of state and national organizations, APNs have the power to offer personal testimonies supporting the need for a bill (Chilton, 2015). The article concludes by explaining that involvement in health policy is the most important role APNs can have in impacting positive change in health.

Institute of Medicine (IOM)

The Institute of Medicine, in their report “The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health,” highlights the unique role of nurses in enhancing and promoting quality. To achieve quality in healthcare, the IOM report explains that nurses should practice to the full extent of their education and training (Shalala et al., 2011). The federal and state governments should take advantage of the full capacity and education of APRNs to promote quality and achieve desirable outcomes. The second point about APNs from the report focuses on the advancement of education for nurses across all levels. IOM stresses that nurses should achieve higher levels of education and training to ensure the delivery of safe, quality, and patient-centered care (Shalala et al., 2011). Attaining this education will enable the nurse practitioners to work in diverse areas including healthcare centers and educational institutions, and assume leadership positions. The report emphasizes that nurse practitioners should be full partners with physicians and other healthcare providers to identify healthcare problems, devise, and implement plans.

References

Chilton, L. (2015). Nurse practitioners have an essential role in health policy. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners11(2), A19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nurpra.2014.10.009

Htay, M., & Whitehead, D. (2021). The effectiveness of the role of advanced nurse practitioners compared to physician-led or usual care: A systematic review. International Journal of Nursing Studies Advances3, 100034 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnsa.2021.100034 .

Sarzynski, E., & Barry, H. (2019). Current evidence and controversies: Advanced practice providers in healthcare. Am J Manag Care25(8), 366-368. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31419093/

Shalala, D., Bolton, L. B., Bleich, M. R., Brennan, T. A., Campbell, R., & Devlin, L. (2011). The future of nursing: Leading change, advancing health. Washington DC: The National Academy Press. doi10, 12956. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK209881/

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