A nurse practitioner (NP) or registered nurse (RN) who has had an additional education and special training in the area such as family practice or pediatrics. They are often referred as advanced practice nurses (APNs). They possess a master’s degree in nursing (MS or MSN) and the board certification in their specialty field. They are simply the registered nurses who have acquired the expert knowledge, gained complex decision-making skills and developed clinical competencies for the sake of expanded practice. Licensed as NP and RN need to follow the rules and regulations set by the Nurse Practice Act of the state in which they work. They are also assisted by CNAs in completing their tasks. If accredited through the national board exam, the NP will have an additional credential. In short, NP is someone who holds a graduate degree in advanced nursing practice.
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Job Responsibilities of Nurse Practitioners
- Taking the patient’s history
- Conducting a physical exam
- Ordering laboratory tests and procedure
- Diagnosing, treating, and managing diseases; interpreting diagnostic studies
- Providing prescriptions and coordinating referrals
- Prescribing rehabilitation treatments
- Promoting healthy activities together with the patient
- Performing certain specialized procedures, such as a lumbar puncture or a bone marrow biopsy
- Diagnosing, treating, evaluating and managing acute and chronic illness and disease
- Providing with prenatal care and family planning services
- Providing with primary and specialty care services, health-maintenance care for adults, including annual physicals
- Providing with acute and critical health care to the patients
- Assisting in minor surgeries and procedures; with additional training or under physician supervision
- Providing with child care involving screening and immunization
- Counseling and educating patients about health behaviors, self-care skills, and treatment options
- Providing training to the certified nursing assistant (CNA)
These are able to work in a variety of medical and health care settings such as cardiology, emergency, family practice, geriatrics, neonatology, nephrology, oncology, pediatrics, primary care, school health, women’s health, etc. Most of them work in clinics together with doctors as a joint health care team; while others work without doctors’ supervision. Their scope of individual or supervised practice and the authority depends on the state laws. These practitioners are regulated at two different levels. They are licensed through a process at the state level under a set of state laws. They are certified through national organizations, with a continued professional practice standards across all the states.
Certification of Nurse Practitioners
The certification has a limited time validity period after which the candidates need to get re-certified. They have to submit the proof of continuing education for the same. Only certified NPs hold an authority to use a “C” either in front of or behind their credentials e.g. FNP-C. This indicates an advanced practice nurse; a broader category involving clinical nurse specialists, certified nurse midwives, and nurse anesthetists.
Nurse Practitioner Licensure
Scope for Nurse Practitioners
The International Council of Nurses (ICN) highlights the salient characteristics of advanced practice nursing.
- Integrated research, education, practice and management
- High degree of professional autonomy and independent practice
- Case Management/personal case load
- Advanced health assessment skills, decision-making skills and diagnostic reasoning skills
- Recognition of advanced clinical competencies
- Provision of consultant services to other health care service providers
- Plans, implements and evaluation programs
- Recognized first point of contact for the patients and other clients
Scope for Nurse Practitioners
Related Careers
- Career as an Obstetrics Nurse
- Become a Certified Nurse Midwife
- How to Become a Nurse Manager
- How to Become a Neonatal Nurse
- How to Become a Medical Assistant
- How to Become a Licensed Vocational Nurse
- How to Becoming Flight Nurse
- Overview on Cardiac Nursing Career
- Career as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist
- Become a Medical Laboratory Technician
- Career as Clinical Nurse Specialist
- Become a Pediatric Nurse
- Become an Oncology Nurse
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