Nursing professionals in the US possess the knowledge and practical experience for delivering primary care to patients, however, in most states the scope of their practice is limited due to legislation. The American Nursing Association (ANA) raises the awareness of this issue and cooperates with local authorities to mitigate it. This paper aims to evaluate ANA initiatives across the US and in Florida in particular and discuss ANA’s impact on advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs).
The impact of these initiatives on APRNs in the country is reflected in the expansion of rights that nurses have in terms of caring for patients, diagnosing them, and presenting interventions for their illnesses. Committee for Assessing Progress on Implementing the Recommendations of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2016), states that “although APRNs are highly trained and able to provide a variety of services, they are prevented from doing so because of barriers, including state laws, federal policies, outdated insurance reimbursement models, and institutional practices and culture” (10). In general, only 13 states within the US have laws, which allow nurses to practice by applying their knowledge to treat patients.
The law that ANA supports would alter the approach to nursing in all states. The Nurse Practice Act serves as a reference for every registered professional in the country because it identifies which procedures an APRN can perform (“State law and regulation,” n.d.). Also, specific organizations aim to govern the practice, for instance, the Board of Nursing. The primary differences that cause the insufficiency in the scope of practice are reflected in the varied definitions if various medical professionals. For instance, some states do not recognize clinical nurse specialists (CNS), which results in the inability to practice in a specific field of medicine.
The issue in question has a significant meaning to nurses in Florida. The American Association created a map that reflects the current scope of practice for nurses in each state (“State practice environment,” 2018). In Florida, APRNs have restricted rights, meaning that nurses have to be supervised throughout their work, cannot be engaged in one specific area of medicine, and need to be managed by a healthcare provider to deliver care to patients.
This will impact my future practice by allowing me to choose a specific field of nursing when I can conduct research and practice medicine for the benefit of my patients. The guidelines in Florida are very restrictive, when compared to other states, for instance, in Washington APRNs are allowed to diagnose patients and manage the treatment process (“State practice environment,” 2018).
The success of ANA’s efforts would result in nurses fulfilling the healthcare needs of the nation. This is especially crucial today, because the US experience a significant shortage of medical personnel, and patients suffer from this insufficiency (Dunphy, Winland-Brown, Poster, & Tomas, 2015). By ensuring that each state provides equal rights and opportunities to all nurses, ANA will ensure that these medical professionals can work to their full potential and provide quality care to their patients.
Overall, ANA partners with local organizations to make sure that nurses can use their knowledge in their daily practice. This is crucial because it allows to mitigate the shortage of medical professionals in the country and enable APRN to apply their skills in all states across the country. Florida would benefit from ANA’s efforts because the current legislations dot nor allow nurses to practice medicine without additional supervision. The change in this law would allow APRNs to choose one field of medicine for their practice and develop as professionals in it.
References
Dunphy, L. M., Winland-Brown, J., Poster, B., & Tomas, D. (2015). Primary care: Art and science of advanced practice nursing (4th ed.). Philadelphia, PI: FA Davis.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2016). Assessing progress on the institute of medicine report: The future of nursing. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
State law and regulation. (n.d.). Web.
State practice environment. (2018). Web.