Choosing a Role in the Field of Advanced Practice Nurse
A choice of a role in the field of advanced practice nursing requires a good understanding of the various factors that revolve around the field of nursing. In effect, the main roles that Advanced Practice Nurses (APNs) undertake concentrate on patient care and fall into four categories.
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, Nurse Practitioner, Clinical Nurse Specialist, and Certified Nurse-Midwives are the four categories, which espouse the four roles that APNs undertake in the course of duty. Imperatively, nursing activities performed by APNs take place in and outside healthcare centers (Florida Nurses Association, 2008). As such, the scope of APNs’ service delivery is wide and comprises several areas in and outside the medical facilities.
While a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist is responsible for the administration of anesthetics to patients, Nurse Practitioners help in the examination and treatment of acute and chronic illnesses in and outside the medical facilities. Consequently, practitioners also handle issues relating to diabetes, asthma, and immunization.
On the other hand, the Clinical Nurse Specialist helps in the assessment and control of cancer, heart problems, and issues that affect women and young children. Pulcini, Jelic, Gul, and Loke (2010) state that Certified Nurse-Midwives are concerned with birthing issues, which incorporate the administration of prenatal and antenatal care to expectant women to ensure healthy delivery and optimum infant care. The activities involved in each of the four roles facilitate informed selection concerning the likes and preferences of a particular APN.
Pros and Cons of the Four APN Roles
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist
Pros
- Improves the expertise of a nurse in the role of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist.
- Improves the quality of care that patients, who need anesthetics like sedatives and painkillers receive.
- Encourages specialization, which is a good ingredient in the delivery of exceptional services.
Cons
- Limits the skills of a nurse to the role of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist.
- Encourages specialization, which over time reduces flexibility.
- Lowers productivity because it limits expertise and initiates specialization.
Nurse Practitioner
Pros
- Improves the quality of care that patients receive.
- Offers a wide spectrum of choice for nurses, who execute diverse roles in the healthcare sector.
- Encourages specialization, which is a good ingredient in the delivery of exceptional services.
- Improves the expertise of a nurse in the respective role.
Cons
- Limits the skills of a nurse to the role of Nurse Practitioner.
- Lowers productivity because it limits expertise and initiates specialization.
- Encourages specialization, which over time reduces flexibility.
Clinical Nurse Specialist
Pros
- Encourages specialization, which is a good ingredient in the delivery of exceptional services.
- Improves the quality of care that patients receive.
- Improves the expertise of a nurse in the Clinical Nurse Specialist role.
Cons
- Encourages specialization, which over time reduces flexibility.
- Limits the skills of a nurse to the Clinical Nurse Specialist role.
- Lowers productivity because it limits expertise and initiates specialization.
Certified Nurse-Midwives
Pros
- Improves the expertise of a nurse in the respective role.
- Encourages specialization, which is a good ingredient in the delivery of exceptional services.
- Improves the quality of care that women and young children receive.
Cons
- Limits the skills of a nurse to a midwifery and infant care role.
- Lowers productivity because it limits expertise and initiates specialization.
- Encourages specialization, which over time reduces flexibility.
References
Florida Nurses Association. (2008). Improving Access to Health Care and Containing Costs. An Action Plan for the State of Florida, 1(1), 1-22.
Pulcini, J., Jelic, M., Gul, R., & Loke, A. (2010). An International Survey on Advanced Practice Nursing Education, Practice, and Regulation. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 42(1), 31–39.