Family Nurse Practitioner Case Study

Discussion Post NURS 6531 Week One Nurse Practitioner Competencies Quality As we further our education to become advanced practice nurses (APNs), it is crucial that we understand the behaviors or core competencies expected of all APNs. For the purpose of this discussion, I will evaluate the core competency of quality and how I will integrate this behavior into my daily practice.

A family nurse practitioner (FNP) is a member of the health care team who provides quality and cost-effective care to patients across the lifespan, from newborn to old age. They provide care in various healthcare settings such as outpatient clinics, hospitals, community health centers and public health departments. They focus on disease prevention, health and wellness promotion. The FNP empowers patients through patient education and partnerships in clinical treatment decisions (Hamric, 2014; “Nurse Practitioner,” 2014). How does one become an effective Family Nurse Practitioner?

Practice Policy Appropriate health care continues to be one of the major challenges throughout the nation. Financial and educational hindrances can produce negative health effects on individuals and communities. Advanced practice nurses can implement their evidence based knowledge and skills within any environment to increase the knowledge and health of the surrounding populations. However, nurse practitioners must comply with the protocols and laws mandated by the board of nursing. This paper will discuss the setting in which nurse practitioners practice in, along with the laws and limitations that they must adhere to at all times.

APRN’s have more access to EHR. For example, they have access to pictures of MRI, Echo and x-rays. Business/Finance Family Nurse Practitioners play a significant role in delivering cost effective health care to the community by emphasizing more on healthy life styles, preventive health care and provide better primary care compared to physicians by listening to the patients and spending more time with

The Affordable Care Act has shifted focus on health and wellness of patient populations urging hospitals to do a community needs assessment and come up with a strategy to address these needs. Hospitals most often partner with community and professional organizations to address the health need (Stempniak, 2014). This is an example of how the four spheres are all interrelated. Nurses are at the heart of this movement, providing the necessary skills, experience and expertise to address the needs of the population being served (Shamian,

Interestingly, OTA analysis revealed that out of 14 studies reviewed, 12 studies showed the quality of care given by NP’s was better than physicians. Quality of care was measured by number of diagnostic tests, interpersonal management, thoroughness of tests and documentation and outcome measures such as reduction in patient symptoms, control or managed chronic care condition, lower hospitalizations etc. Most importantly patient satisfaction was equal and in some cases, higher with NPs care as compared to physicians. Nurse practitioners have continued to provide high quality care and this has not changed. There has been a lot of supportive literature in recent times on NP’s high quality care.

The focus of this role analysis paper will be on the role of the family nurse practitioner (FNP), specifically within New Mexico, since the scope of practice can vary from state to state. An FNP, also referred to as simply nurse practitioner (NP) in many studies, is a nurse with an advanced practice degree as well as national certification. Their focus is on preventative care for people of all ages, from young children up to elderly adults. A majority of FNPs work in primary care clinics, but are not limited to this field, some also work within hospitals or in specialized clinics as well. When discussing the difference between the NP and the clinical nurse specialist, one study stated that "initially developed to meet the needs of underserved

They assess, diagnose and treat acute and chronic illnesses as well as preventative healthcare for individuals and families. As their care is family-centered, they must also be able to understand the relevance of the family’s identified community. In addition to the nine essentials as outlined by the AACN, the FNP must meet competencies in advanced health assessment skills in order to differentiate between normal and abnormal findings. They should able to use screening and diagnostic strategies to develop diagnosis and they must be able to prescribe medications to enable them to work as independent practitioners (Competencies for Nurse Practitioners, 2012). In order to meet these competencies, the Consensus Model for APRN Regulation (2008) requires three separate graduate-level courses in advanced physiology and pathophysiology, health assessment and pharmacology as well as appropriate clinical experiences across the age

Decision makers will need to determine how to best utilize nurses, technicians, and other professionals to close the gap in providing services to patients. Nurses require less time to train, are less expensive to train, cost less to employ, and can increase the efficiency and productivity of physicians who provide care to patients. The increase in the use of health care services as well as the increase in the number of venues where health care is provided has also increased the job opportunities for nurses and other members of the healthcare workforce. The demand for primary care services has stimulated the training of nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and certified nurse

Recently the advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) became a very important profession due to the major changes in the healthcare system and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) goals that focus on providing patients with affordable but quality care, improving patient health outcomes, expanding care to the underserved areas, and lowering the costs. It became apparent that over the years nurses played an important role in healthcare system. According to the National Governors Association (2012) “The demand for primary care services in the United States is expected to increase over the next few years, particularly with the aging and growth of the population and the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA)” (p. 1). In addition,

As we have been noted the role and the scope of practice of the nurse practitioners in the healthcare system are unmeasurable. The nurse practitioners (NPs) play a tremendous role in providing healthcare to the people in the United States. Their presence has been recognized in developing the health care industry not only in the US but also globally. Despite the role that the NPs have played into the healthcare system, they still encounter some challenges that can impact their practice. One of these challenges is the NP autonomy of practice.

One similarity between NPs, other APNs and PAs is that, they all play a very important role in health care and patient centered approach of care is their objective. Also, their practice is based upon their education, training and certification in collaboration and under supervision of physicians. Another similarity is that, their scope of practice face limitations and restrictions in practicing be it state base or nationally. State laws and regulations act as barriers towards the broadening of PAs professional competencies same as NPs face licensure and practice laws that prevent full extent of their education practice. NP practice requires supervision, delegation, or team-management by an outside health discipline in order to provide

This is a personal statement for my application to the Family Nurse Practitioner Concentration in the Ball State School of Nursing. My personal statement provides details on my personal background and the unique impact that Family Nurse Practitioners have had on my life. I describe my undergraduate studies and how I firsthand gained interest as well as insight on the skills of a Family Nurse Practitioner. I go into detail about my aspiration to be a Family Nurse Practitioner to directly affect the patient care of a variety of patient populations. The personal statement connects qualities of my current practice as a Registered Nurse to the proficiencies of a Family Nurse Practitioner. I describe my learning habits and how the plan of study that Ball State offers coincides with my current work life. I conclude by describing the skills I attain and connect those skills to the Family Nurse Practitioner Concentration at Ball State.

After reviewing Healthy People 2020 goals for maternal, infants, and child I can see that an APN can play many different roles to achieve these goals. The main role of an APN in the primary care setting is of educator, patient’s advocate, and care coordinator. As a primary care provider, an APN plays an important role in health promotion and disease prevention across the life span by supporting and providing needed education and information. APNs also facilitate quality care and provide treatments to improve the quality of life, reduce pain, suffering, and prevent further progress of the disease. There are several ways an APN can help achieve Healthy People 2020 goals for maternal, child and infants health.

Nurses play an essential role in the healthcare industry. The nurse workforce is made up of licensed nurses: registered nurses (RNs), licensed vocational nurses (LVNs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs), along with nurse aides. Registered nurses are responsible for assessments of patients’ needs, development of care plans, medication administration, and treatments, while licensed vocational nurses perform specific care under the delegation of the registered nurses and supervisions. Nursing aides perform activities of daily living (unskilled attention) to the patient. Adequate nursing staffing is essential to both patient care and outcomes, also to the retention of nurses while inadequate staffing creates problems for both the patients and