Primary Healthcare Nurse Practitioner Practice Essay
Professional Nursing and State-Level Regulations
There are different state-level regulations that are put in place to oversight the functions of APRNs, and these regulations are specific to many states, though some regulations may overlap. The Board of Nursing is in charge of ensuring that each APRN is compliant with the rules and is aimed at ensuring provision of high-quality care to the public (Sarzynski & Barry, 2019). The state of Massachusetts has some regulations that determine how their Nurse Practitioners execute their functions which are different from the State of Michigan. In Michigan, APRNs work under a Physician who authorizes their work. Physicians are therefore the primary care providers to patients (Sheehan et al., 2020) In contrast, APRNs in Massachusetts do not require supervision of a physician to execute their functions. However, certain functions cannot be solely handled by the APRNs (Cuccovia et al., 2021). A close link is created between the APRN and the physician when prescribing for patients. Therefore, APRNs are the primary care providers to patients. Primary Healthcare Nurse Practitioner Practice Essay
APRNs that have the legal authority to practice within the full scope of their education and experience are therefore able to offer high-quality services to their patients, irrespective of their location. The barrier that was normally there due to constant supervision of nurse practitioners by physicians is thus eliminated, and patient care is improved by increasing the contact time with the healthcare providers. Independent responsibility gives nurses more control of their patients resulting in standard care (DePriest et al., 2020). The adoption of allowing APRNs to work within the full scope of their education and experience is achievable in Massachusetts. However, it is still not in practice in a state like Michigan. APRNs may adhere to the regulations by ensuring that they work within the requirements of the Board of Nursing in every state irrespective of their nature of work (Kilpatrick et al., 2023).
References
Cuccovia, B. A., Heelan-Fancher, L., & Aronowitz, T. (2021). A policy analysis of nurse practitioner scope of practice in Massachusetts. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 34(2), 410-417. https://doi.org/10.1097/jxx.0000000000000657
DePriest, K., D’Aoust, R., Samuel, L., Commodore-Mensah, Y., Hanson, G., & Slade, E. P. (2020). Nurse practitioners’ workforce outcomes under implementation of full practice authority. Nursing outlook, 68(4), 459-467. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2020.05.008
https://doi.org/10.1097%2FJXX.0000000000000023
Kilpatrick, K., Tchouaket, E., Savard, I., Chouinard, M. C., Bouabdillah, N., Provost-Bazinet, B., & Atallah, R. (2023). Identifying indicators sensitive to primary healthcare nurse practitioner practice: A review of systematic reviews. Plos one, 18(9), e0290977. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0290977
Sarzynski, E., & Barry, H. (2019). Current evidence and controversies: advanced practice providers in healthcare. Am J Manag Care, 25(8), 366-368. Primary Healthcare Nurse Practitioner Practice Essay
Sheehan, A., Jones, A., McNerlin, C., Iseler, J., & Dove-Medows, E. (2020). How advanced practice registered nurse practice barriers impact health care access in Michigan. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 33(9), 739-745.
Boards of Nursing (BONs) exist in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Virgin Islands. Similar entities may also exist for different regions. The mission of BONs is the protection of the public through the regulation of nursing practice. BONs put into practice state/region regulations for nurses that, among other things, lay out the requirements for licensure and define the scope of nursing practice in that state/region.
It can be a valuable exercise to compare regulations among various state/regional boards of nursing. Doing so can help share insights that could be useful should there be future changes in a state/region. In addition, nurses may find the need to be licensed in multiple states or regions. Primary Healthcare Nurse Practitioner Practice Essay
To Prepare:
Review the Resources and reflect on the mission of state/regional boards of nursing as the protection of the public through the regulation of nursing practice.
Consider how key regulations may impact nursing practice.
Review key regulations for nursing practice of your state’s/region’s board of nursing and those of at least one other state/region and select at least two APRN regulations to focus on for this Discussion.
Post a comparison of at least two APRN board of nursing regulations in your state/region with those of at least one other state/region. Describe how they may differ. Be specific and provide examples. Then, explain how the regulations you selected may apply to Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) who have legal authority to practice within the full scope of their education and experience. Provide at least one example of how APRNs may adhere to the two regulations you selected. Primary Healthcare Nurse Practitioner Practice Essay