NR 510 Week 6 TD Leadership and the Role of the Advance Practice Nurse

NR 510 - Leadership and the Role of the Advance Practice Nurse-Chamberlain College of Nursing-WK TD NR 510 - Leadership and the Role of the Advance Practice Nurse-Chamberlain College of Nursing-WK TDYou have completed your nurse practitioner education, likely one of the most challenging tasks you have ever undertaken. Several of your graduated colleagues live in different states, including California, Washington, and Illinois. After a year of primary care practice in your respective states, you get together for a reunion and share your practice perspectives. It is apparent that your experiences are not equal. Discussion Question: How do licensure, accreditation, certification, and education (LACE) considerations differ for APN clinical roles for these three states: California, Washington and Illinois? Provide evidence for your response.PART 2: Inconsistent regulation of APN role and scope prevent a seamless healthcare system in which APN can practice. Discussion Question: What evidence-based strategies should be implemented to achieve continuity between state regulatory boards? Provide evidence for your response. As we learned in the first discussion, there is no continuity among the various state regulatory boards. The vast differences between state regulatory boards may prevent some APRNs from obtaining licensure from other states. If an APRN lives close to the border of another state, they could provide care to multiple populations. However, if there are various regulations and hurdles to jump through, one may become discouraged and not obtain the second license; this is a disservice to the surrounding populations and to the nursing profession. The barriers to APRN practice in the U.S. include variation amidst the 50 states regarding the scope of practice, collaborative practice requirements, and prescriptive authority; removing barriers to care can improve the quality of healthcare, reduce the costs of healthcare, and increase a patient’s choice in receiving care (Kleinpell et al., 2014). It appears that about one-third of the U.S. allows full practice authority for NPs (Madler, Kalanek & Rising, 2012). NPs need all of the states to allow full practice authority. The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) describes full practice authority as “the collection of state practices and licensure laws that allow for NPs to evaluate patients, diagnose, order and interpret diagnostic tests, initiate and manage treatments, including prescribing medications under the exclusive licensure authority of the state board of nursing”(2017). Accomplishing full practice authority would provide multiple benefits, including streamlining care, improving access to care, protecting patient’s choices, and decreasing the cost of care (Madler, Kalanek & Rising, 2012). One way to accomplishing full practice authority is by actively campaigning to bring awareness to the issue and influencing policymakers to remove the practice restrictions (Kleinpell et al., 2014).