Advancing the Scope of Practice- Exploring the Role of Advanced Registered Nurses in Shaping and Transforming the Healthcare Landscape
In the United States, the scope of practice varies from state to state. However, there are general roles that apply to advanced nurse practitioners. The purpose of this paper is to discuss in depth the scope of practice of advanced registered nurses, including the accreditation, certification, and regulation of nursing practice. The paper will also include a description of the three most influential professional organizations and a further discussion of the most appealing organization among the three. Lastly, the paper will discuss the controversy and evolving issues that influence the scope of advanced nurse practice.
The Scope of Future Role as an Advanced Registered Nurse
Generally, an advanced registered nurse can be defined as a nurse who has undergone advanced training in a given specialty. Advanced education is a master’s or doctoral level in a given discipline. ARNs include clinical nurse specialists, nurse practitioners, certified nurse anesthetists, and certified nurse midwives, among others (Boehning & Punsalan, 2023). After training, the nurses must be certified by nationally recognized professional bodies or nursing organizations. For instance, in the United States, nurses get certified by organizations such as the Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB) and the American Nurse Credentialing Center (ANCC). The certification enables the nurse’s practice and is, therefore, mandatory. The accreditation bodies, on the other hand, include the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) and the Commission of Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The role of these accreditation bodies is to ensure the nursing training meets the set national standards (Chappell et al., 2021). In addition to the accreditation and certification bodies, there are also regulatory bodies that ensure the licensing of the nurses to practice. An example of a regulatory body in the United States is the National Council of States Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), which is responsible for the NCLEX-RN examination.
The role of advanced registered nurses varies depending on the state in which they are licensed to practice. As an advanced registered nurse in pediatrics, future roles will include, first, an autonomous practice that enables ARNs to work independently while assessing, making diagnoses, and treating patients (Clarke, 2023). This is, however, determined by the state of practice. The second future role concerns the prescription authority that enables ARNs to prescribe medications based on the diagnosis made. For instance, working in a pediatric department, I will be allowed to prescribe medications for pediatric patients I have assessed and diagnosed. Another role regards patient referral, where an ARN is allowed to refer patients to the appropriate physician or a health facility should further management be required. In the old days, all nurses, irrespective of their academic qualifications, were to strictly work under the supervision of physicians. However, with a widened scope of practice, the ARNs can independently carry out some duties, such as patient referral.
Three Influential Professional Nursing Organizations
Essentially, there are several professional nursing organizations nationally that play a crucial role in influencing the scope of advanced nursing. To begin with, the American Association of Nurse Practitioners is a body that represents all nurse practitioners in the United States. This organization mainly focuses on training nurse practitioners, leadership, and advocacy (American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 2023). The body also encourages the involvement of nurse practitioners in policymaking. The second organization is the American Nurses Association, which is a professional body for all registered nurses. The association has an important role in healthcare policy, promotion of nursing practice, and advocating for patients’ and nurses’ rights (American Nurses Credentialing Center, 2022). The association also has well-developed and defined ethics that guide the nursing practice nationally. Thirdly, the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists is also an influential nursing organization. Its main role is to promote quality, evidence-based nursing practice in addition to influencing healthcare policies.
The Most Appealing Professional Organization
Of all the three professional nursing organizations described, I would like to join the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). The mission and goals of AANPs are to empower nursing education, leadership, and advocacy. AANP’s mission and goals align with the worldview of patients’ and nurses’ right advocacy for effective healthcare service delivery (American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 2023). Besides, the organiz