Discussion Prompt There are three troublesome issues that have emerged in the advancement of APRN practice. These issues in APRN include: 1) the clear role development and morphed to fill gaps in services; 2) the lack of clarity regarding role uniqueness; and 3) the dearth in nursing specific outcomes. From your readings this week, discuss 1 of the 3 questions. Begin your discussion with the question you will be addressing.
Future Considerations for the APN Role
The question addressed in this discussion is, “In what ways can an APRN distinguish his or her role from other nursing roles and medical counterparts? Why might this be important”. Advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) differentiate their roles from registered nurses (RNs) and other healthcare professionals during training. APRNs are majorly trained in creating plans of care, while other nurses, such as RNs, are trained on how to implement the patient care plans created by APRNs. An APRN who fully understands their scope of practice and cadre description will be able to recognize roles that are meant for RNs. APRNs refer to the Nurses Practice Act, where their roles and scope of practice are highlighted. The Nurses Practise Act also highlights the roles of other nurses, such as RNs, which assists APRNs in understanding the roles of other nurses (Huynh & Haddad, 2022). Patients are handled by several healthcare professionals, such as pharmacists, physicians, and nurses. Each group of professionals has a unique scope of practice. In addition, novel APRNs learn the roles of other healthcare professionals through interactions during practice.
APRNs training is unique and involves specializations that are not accorded to RNs; therefore, APRNs should understand their roles to ensure their medical knowledge and training are utilized. Skills from RNs and APRNs are equally important; however, underutilization of APRNs skills translates to poor patient outcomes and decreased quality of nursing care. Allocation of APRN tasks to RNs increases the risk of medical errors. Each group of trained nurses has a unique skill set required for a patient’s recovery. Therefore, understanding the scope of practice of other healthcare professionals ensures a healthy work environment and teamwork since every healthcare professional will have a chance to perform their role without interruption (Haddad & Geiger, 2022).
References
Haddad, L. M., & Geiger, R. A. (2022). Nursing Ethical Considerations. StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK526054/.
Huynh, A. P., & Haddad, L. M. (2022). Nursing Practice Act. StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559012/.