Today, more than ever before, it is increasingly becoming evident that advanced practice nursing (APN) has gained immense popularity in the United States and globally as healthcare systems the world over attempt to address the rising healthcare needs (Kotzer, 2005). This paper not only attempts to compare and contrast the definitions of APN, but also sheds light on the two factors that are deemed as most important in the textbook’s definition of APN.
Advanced practice nursing (APN) has been defined differentially depending on context and scope of practice. In their textbook, Hamric, Hanson, and Tracy (2013) define APN as “the application of an expanded range of practical, theoretical, and research-based competencies to phenomena experienced by patients within a specialized clinical area of the larger discipline of nursing” (p. 89). The Consensus Model for APRN Regulation and the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) define advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) as a “nurse whose practice builds on the competencies of registered nurses (RNs) by demonstrating a greater depth and breadth of knowledge, a greater synthesis of data, increased complexity of skills and interventions, and greater role autonomy” (Consensus Model for APRN Regulation, 2008, p. 7).
The two definitions are similar in arguing that APNs must undergo higher-level or advanced education to gain the skills and competencies required in effectively playing the role of “clinical nurse specialist (CNS), nurse practitioner (NP), certified nurse-midwife (CNM), and certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA)” (Shiu, Lee, & Chau, 2012, p. 1781). The definitions are also similar in demonstrating advanced practice nurses as professionals who combine expert knowledge and practice skills into a holistic framework with the view to availing patients and family members with a complete assortment of all-inclusive healthcare services across a multiplicity of settings. To date, these roles guide the practice of advanced practice nurses in most states across the United States.
Specialization is also underscored in both definitions, with available literature demonstrating that APNs “are educated in one of the four roles [CNS, NP, CNM, and CRNA] and at least one of the six population foci: family/individual across the lifespan, adult-gerontology, pediatrics, neonatal, women’s health/gender-related or psych/mental health” (Consensus Model for APRN Regulation, 2008, p. 6). Although the two definitions underscore the importance of independence or autonomy in APN, none of them mention that advanced practice nurses are required to work collaboratively with physicians and other professionals across health care settings. Additionally, the AACN definition places greater emphasis on the professionals’ capacity to synthesis data, while the textbook’s definition underscores the importance of practical, theoretical, and research-based competencies.
The two factors that are most important in the textbook’s definition of APN, in my view, are competency development and specialization. According to the definition, advanced practice nurses must demonstrate practical, theoretical, and research-based competencies in dealing with the healthcare needs of patients and their families. Such competencies, according to Roche et al (2013), require the professionals to obtain postgraduate or doctoral qualifications and are needed in today’s healthcare systems due to shortage of physicians as well as treatment cost implications. The next factor revolves around demonstrating how the advanced practice nursing has specialized roles and functions, implying that they are professionals in their own scope of practice (Kotzer, 2005). It is this specialization that accords the advanced practice nurses the leverage to practice autonomously or in collaboration with physicians as the nurses are professionals in their own right (Shiu et al., 2012; Taylor, 2014).
This paper has not only compared and contrasted the two definitions of APN, but also illuminated the two factors that are deemed as most significant in the textbook’s definition of APN. Overall, it is evident that the definitions have striking similarities, though a few differences and deficits of information exist.
References
Consensus model for APRN regulation: Licensure, accreditation, certification & Education. (2008). Web.
Hamric, A.B., Hanson, C.M., & Tracy, M.F. (2013). Advanced practice nursing: An integrative approach (5th ed.). Philadelphia: Saunders.
Kotzer, A.M. (2005). Characteristics and role functions of advanced practice nurses in a tertiary pediatric setting. Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing, 10(1), 20-28.
Roche, M., Duffield, C., Wise, S., Baldwin, R., Fry, M., & Solman, A. (2013). Domains of practice and advanced practice nursing in Australia. Nursing & Health Sciences, 15(4), 497-503.
Shiu, A.T.Y., Lee, D.T.F., & Chau, J.P.C. (2012). Exploring the scope of expanded advanced nursing practice in nurse-led clinics: A multi-case study. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 68(8), 1780-1792.
Taylor, C. (2014). Boundaries in advanced nursing practice: The benefits of supervision. Mental Health Practice, 17(10), 26-31.