Introduction
An Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) is a full-time nurse with specific training. These nurses work as general practitioners in hospitals and independently diagnose and treat patients. APN status is obtained through specialized education, extensive practice, and efficient patient care skills (Hu & Forgeron, 2018). They not only deal with ordinary cases but observe patients in severe lifelong conditions for many years. Advanced practice nurses have a lot of obligations and are accountable for a more comprehensive health area. They need the ability to adapt quickly and effectively manage the disease through pharmacological knowledge and appropriate treatments.
The Importance of Dexterity and Other APN Characteristics for Disease Management
Nurse practitioners are trained in the examination and treatment of general illnesses. During their extensive education program and practice in a healthcare system, APN learns how to work within the best treatment modalities for comprehensive and systematic disease management. This approach is already more relevant to the role of the doctor, but still, the services of a nurse in this position prevail. In the case of chronic diseases, nurses in the status of AP are involved in the process of treatment. This particular level requires decent dexterity and professionalism to move from regular patients to more complex cases instantly. It demands a high speed of adaptation and readiness for potentially stressful circumstances. APN might perform an important role in hospitals, schools, clinics, and long-term rehabilitation facilities. They operate as a diagnostic therapist and work as a link between the assigned specialist and the patient (Parker & Hill, 2017). These responsibilities demand such characteristics as versatility, flexibility, and stress tolerance. Thanks to self-discipline, high professionalism, and patience, nurse practitioners treat, diagnose and monitor patients according to the highest treatment modalities.
Responsibilities of an APN and Features of Work with Chronic Diseases
APN has the essential authority to examine and diagnose patients, track laboratory tests, record patients’ data, and participate in studies for research purposes. They also provide family counseling and referrals of patients to other health facilities if needed. All duties are accompanied by greater responsibility not only for their work but also for the quality of work of junior staff. APN performs diagnostic, therapeutic, and even administrative functions. Some cases might require additional professional skills, practice, and knowledge, specifically, when it comes to critical patients in long-term critical conditions (Goldsberry, 2018). This category of people is especially vulnerable and requires additional help and care. In this case, nursing practitioners need narrow-focused pharmacological knowledge of appropriate medical equipment, drugs, and treatment approaches. The development of a support and treatment program rests with the practitioner and APN, who are assigned to such a patient for an extensive time. The nurses set up an effective plan and help to determine the fittest treatment. In critical cases, treatment is carried out at home using the necessary equipment brought in, such as droppers, inhalers, oxygen masks.
Conclusion
APN nurses are an integral part of the healthcare industry due to their exceptional practice and multitasking ability. This position requires highly professional and efficient work with patients of different categories and conditions. Nurse practitioners are considered valuable personnel, they are mainly involved in specific cases requiring additional experience and education. A job of this level is impracticable without a high-quality medical education and proper specialized training. It is also necessary to consider the high workload of the medical sector, which can only be dealt with high adaptability and experience. Specific work algorithms and systemic checks of the organization’s effectiveness are also aimed to minimize failures in diagnostics and risks in treatment.
References
Goldsberry, J. W. (2018). Advanced practice nurses leading the way: Interprofessional collaboration. Nurse Education Today, 65, 1–3.
Hu, J., & Forgeron, P. (2018). Thinking, educating, acting: Developing advanced practice nursing. The National Center for Biotechnology Information, 5(2), 99–100.
Parker, J. M., & Hill, M. N. (2017). A review of advanced practice nursing in the United States, Canada, Australia and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), China. International Journal of Nursing Sciences, 4(2), 196–204.