Controversial or Evolving Issue Most Likely to Impact Scope of Practice or Role
An evolving and controversial issue that is most likely to impact the roles of advanced registered nurses or the scope of practice is the ongoing debate regarding full practice authority for advanced nurse practitioners. Full practice authority can be defined as the ability of nurses to utilize their expertise fully without necessarily working under the supervision of physicians. The full practice authority regulations vary from state to state. The scopes of practice are, therefore, classified into full practice, reduced practice, and restricted practice. Full practice is defined as the ability of advanced nurses to work independently without collaborating with physicians. States that allow full practice include Minnesota, Lowa, South Dakota, New Mexico, and Arizona, among others. Reduced practice, on the other hand, allows nurse practitioners to perform within some of the scope of practice without physician supervision. However, nurses are not allowed to order tests and diagnose independently (Clarke, 2023). Some states with reduced practice include Kentucky, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, among others. Other states have restricted practice where advanced nurse practitioners must operate under the supervision of physicians. States with restricted practice include Texas, California, and Oklahoma.
The controversy on whether or not to grant full practice authority revolves around different opinions on patient safety, resource distribution, and healthcare access. Those in support of full practice authority argue that granting practice autonomy to nurse practitioners will address the issue of physician staff shortage, mostly in the underprivileged arrears (Yang et al., 2021). As a result, there will be improved health access in remote areas. On the other hand, those against full practice argue that granting full practice to nurse practitioners will compromise the safety of patients during treatment as nurse practitioners have no similar competencies as physicians.
Certainly, these controversies have an impact on the scope of practice of nurse practitioners. Should all states approve full practice authority to nurse practitioners, there will be improved health access, especially in places with limited physicians, job satisfaction, and professional autonomy (Stucky et al., 2021). In contrast, if all states stick to the restricted practice regulation, the healthcare needs of the population may not be met, and issues of health inequity will persist.
Other than influencing the profession, healthcare stakeholders such as patients, physicians, and the healthcare system will also be influenced. With full practice authority, patient access to healthcare will be enhanced, and this will generally improve the overall health of the population, especially in rural areas (Htay & Whitehead, 2021). Furthermore, the healthcare services will also be affordable. Secondly, the full practice authority will enhance the relationship between the physicians and the nurse practitioners, enhancing interprofessional collaboration, and nurses and physicians will be working towards one goal. In the health system, full practice will impact the deployment of the workforce as the healthcare organization will mandated to adopt a staffing model allowing nurse practitioners to work independently.
The outcome of the issue of full practice will significantly play a role in the job satisfaction, professional autonomy, and roles of advanced nurse practitioners. As stated previously, full practice will enable nurses to fully utilize their expertise when providing care. This will lead to increased job satisfaction and better patient outcomes (Waltz et al., 2020). On the other hand, restricted practice will limit the nurse practitioners’ ability to practice fully, and this may lead to demotivation and job dissatisfaction. This matters since all healthcare professionals look forward to job satisfaction as the motivation factor to work effectively (Yasin et al., 2020). Besides, full practice will enhance healthcare access, and the healthcare providers collectively look forward to affordable and accessible healthcare for a healthy population. Lastly, since nurse practitioners would be able to make independent decisions without having to depend on the physicians, there will be enhanced patient-provider relationships and, hence, patient-centered care.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the evolving landscape of advanced nursing practice is marked by critical issues such as full practice authority for nurse practitioners. This debate underscores the tension between the need for increased autonomy to address healthcare gaps and concerns about patient safety. The outcome will significantly impact the professional scope of advanced registered nurses, influencing their role, autonomy, and contribution to patient care. As these discussions unfold, advanced