The restrictions of nurse-practitioner collaborations place Nurse Practitioners (NPs) in a challenging position in regards to advocacy and career development. In Alabama, NPs are not recognized as primary care providers in the legislation (Scope of Practice Policy, 2020). This implies that nurses are placed lower than physicians on a scale for wages, opportunities, and responsibilities. Apart from that, this lack of recognition of NPs as professional care providers puts a strain or nurse-physician working relationships. The opinion of the NP may be undervalued in a discussion with their supervisor. Furthermore, conflicts can arise and harm the nurse more than other medical workers at a higher level. Therefore, as noted in the original post, the participation of nurses in nurse-advocacy organizations (such as the discussed AANP) is a crucial part of strengthening the position of this profession in the industry.
Furthermore, one may present the findings from states with the limited and full practice of NPs to raise awareness about the dated restrictions and call for policy change. According to Hart, Ferguson, and Amiri (2020), the most recent data demonstrates an apparent divide in quality and access to care among such states. NPs with the Master’s level of education are able to provide help in areas where physician shortage leads to poor access to healthcare. Thus, advocacy should concentrate on educating the public and demanding from the government to recognize NPs as primary care providers. This policy improvement will provide benefits for many involved communities, including nurses, underserved populations, and other groups of patients (Hart et al., 2020). NPs should be engaged in the political and academic spheres to modernize care in states with limited practice, such as Alabama.
References
Hart, L., Ferguson, R., & Amiri, A. (2020). Full scope of practice for Alabama nurse practitioners: Act now. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 16(2), 100-104.
Scope of Practice Policy. (2020). Alabama scope of practice policy: State profile. Web.