Introduction
Advanced Practice Nurses (APNs) require attention in their profession regarding regulatory, skill, and educational matters. The scope of their practice outlines the license, educational requirements, training, prescriptive authority, and regulatory authority. California is similar to many states regarding the treatment and regulatory requirements for APNs. Nurse practitioner core competencies and leadership skills are essential for an APN to be effective in their career. Developing strategies to enhance leadership skills and identifying competencies for potential growth are essential for an APN.
Advanced Practice Nurse Scope of Practice
Educational Requirements
The educational requirements for becoming an APN in California and practicing are relatively lenient. However, a nursing or master’s degree is compulsory, and one must specialize in one of the recognized fields (Wood et al., 2020). They include mental health, family practice, and paediatrics. Moreover, the coursework undertaken must demonstrate that the candidate has received sufficient training (Auerbach et al., 2020). This is in addition to the number of study hours. A National Nurse Practitioner Certificate is mandatory for any California APN. Furthermore, the APN candidate must be a registered nurse in the state of California.
License Requirements
The state of California requires approval to work as an APN. One must pay the licensure fee, give enough proof of education, and present previous certifications for the right to work as an RN (Sterling et al., 2019). The APN must have been granted a furnishing number before being permitted to work as an APN (Ibe et al., 2021). This allows the APNs to order medications since the number is essential for all medical services. Fingerprinting is essential, and some fees may be required for the criminal check to be conducted.
Regulatory Requirements
An APN must comply with the regulatory requirements set in California; failure to do so results in the revocation of the practice license. One is required to have conformed to the requirements of the Board of Registered Nursing. Every two years, each APN is required to have their practice license renewed (Auerbach et al., 2020). This has been set to ensure that no quack nurses practice and prevent those with various issues from endangering the lives of their patients. The Board of Registered Nursing has established continuing education requirements for APNs (Wood et al., 2020). The continuing education requirement is set to 30 contact hours.
Practice Authority
The authority of APNs in the state of California is unlimited. This implies that they do not require any collaboration or oversight from a senior physician (Wood et al., 2020). They are allowed to perform various procedures as they deem necessary within their area of specialization (Ibe et al., 2021). APNs are allowed to diagnose and treat any chronic illnesses without a doctor’s intervention. Patient education and guidance towards the wellness of the clients is part of the APN’s work. Furthermore, APNs are tasked with providing guidance and counselling to their patients when necessary.
Prescriptive Authority
APNs in California have the freedom to manage their patients without a doctor’s intervention. This means they have the authority to prescribe medicine and other medical procedures. However, they only do this within their scope of practice since each specializes in a particular area (Sterling et al., 2019). The BRN approves the APNs once they pass the pharmacology examination after completing the education coursework (Auerbach et al., 2020). Controlled substances and legend drugs are part of the prescriptions that APNs can make. The APNs are given a Drug Enforcement Administration number when prescribing controlled substances.
Nurse Practitioner Core Competencies
The NONPF core competencies give the guidelines for the practice and education of APNs. According to Sterling et al. (2019), practice improvement is essential for APNs; therefore, they are assessed in terms of their growth areas and individual strengths. One must continually improve and make their patients feel better each time they visit for treatment, consultation, guidance, and counseling. Therefore, the experience must increase in proportion to the quality of practice (Brown et al., 2019). Thus, the strengths of APNS and areas for growth must continue to improve, demonstrating that individual APNs are continually enhancing their performance.
Personal Strong Competency Areas
Diagnostic skills and clinical reasoning are areas in which I excel. My diagnostic ability enables me to accurately interpret clients’ various issues and refer them to the lab for accurate results. I only take a small amount of time to diagnose a patient.
The second part is communication and collaboration. Communication is essential in an APN’s work (Auerbach et al., 2020). This allows them to pass important messages to fellow nurses and physicians efficiently and effectively. According to Brown et al. (2019), the probability of making mistakes is drastically reduced when communication ability is high.
Through collaboration, I have achieved a level where I can communicate effectively with my fellow nurses and reach better conclusions. Various issues are discussed in meetings, and collaboration is necessary (Wood et al., 2020). Treating various ailments requires collaboration among different departments(Sterling et al., 2019).
I have found myself in a better position since communication and collaboration have been highly valuable in my career. Through clinical reasoning and exceptional diagnostic ability, I have earned the privilege of delivering high-quality care to patients. Therapeutic relationships are essential, and I have attained them through communication.
Competency Areas with Room for Growth
Practice, inquiry, advocacy, and leadership are two areas where I have excellent growth potential. Through advocacy and leadership, I can address various issues within my area of operation and even in class—challenges everywhere present opportunities to devise solutions to them (Brown et al., 2019). I am innovative in this area, and it is a potential opportunity that could elevate me to higher levels within the practice.
Scholarly Activities for Gaining NP Competencies
During my master’s program, I had the opportunity to engage in various scholarly activities that helped me achieve the competencies required for an APN. Such activities include participating in research and writing articles that could be published in journals (Brown et al., 2019). Taking part in conferences is another way to achieve my APN competencies. More so, joining nursing organizations is another way to help me achieve my APN competencies (Brown et al., 2019). My research skills would be boosted by the skills I get from nursing workshops.
Leadership Skills
Leadership Skills Required in Complex Systems
One of the essential skills required in this role is emotional intelligence. This involves understanding one’s emotions and learning how to manage them effectively, even in environments that provoke them (Ibe et al., 2021). Moreso, it also involves understanding and responding appropriately to the emotions of others. APNs encounter various challenging situations that evoke strong emotions, requiring high emotional intelligence (Sterling et al., 2019). The situations are empathetic and arise when dealing with patients and colleagues.
Strategic thinking is the second leadership skill. This refers to an individual’s ability to think critically in challenging situations and devise effective solutions (Ibe et al., 2021). There are always competing priorities, but making informed decisions is essential for effective strategizing and achieving optimal outcomes. The third skill is effective communication, which refers to the collaboration one must have with colleagues, clients, and patients (Brown et al., 2019). It also extends outside the organization, touching the families of colleagues, patients, and partners. It involves active listening, nonverbal cues, and written communication.
Strategies for Developing Leadership Skills in NPs
The first strategy in developing APN skills is guidance from experienced and senior colleagues. The mentors have extensive experience and can guide individuals in making informed decisions (Brown et al., 2019). Senior colleagues are role models, and when they share their experiences, they motivate one to see the way forward. The second strategy may involve leadership training programs. Experts in various leadership areas can be invited to train the nurses on a routine basis. Leadership programs are designed to guide individuals down the right path, ultimately enhancing their careers.
Conclusion
APNs must possess the necessary skills and competencies and thoroughly understand the scope of their practice. One quickly understands the regulatory, educational, and licensure requirements when researching California’s specifics. Skill enhancement and professional development are attained when areas for growth are identified. APNs can take the lead in health systems, even those that seem to be complex, when they develop leadership skills. APNs can provide high-quality patient care by identifying and participating in professional development opportunities. APNs require active engagement and mentorship to navigate difficult situations and challenges.
References
Auerbach, D. I., Buerhaus, P. I., & Staiger, D. O. (2020). Implications of the rapid growth of the nurse practitioner workforce in the US. Health Affairs, 39(2), 273–279.
Brown, A. F., Ma, G. X., Miranda, J., Eng, E., Castille, D., Brockie, T., Jones, P., Airhihenbuwa, C. O., Farhat, T., Zhu, L., & Trinh-Shevrin, C. (2019). Structural interventions to reduce and eliminate health disparities. American Journal of Public Health, 109(S1), S72–S78.
Ibe, C. A., Hickman, D., & Cooper, L. A. (2021). To advance health equity during COVID-19 and beyond, elevate and support community health workers. JAMA Health Forum, 2(7), e212724.
Sterling, M. R., Echeverría, S. E., Commodore-Mensah, Y., Breland, J. Y., & Nunez-Smith, M. (2019). Health equity and implementation science in heart, lung, blood, and sleep-related research. Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, 12(10).
Wood, B. R., Young, J. D., Abdel-Massih, R. C., McCurdy, L., Vento, T. J., Dhanireddy, S., Moyer, K. J., Siddiqui, J., & Scott, J. D. (2020). Advancing digital health equity: A policy paper of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the HIV Medicine Association. Clinical Infectious Diseases.