Advanced nurse practitioner PDF

ADVANCED NURSE PRACTITIONER 1
ROLE OF ADVANCED
NURSE PRACTITIONER
Name:
Institutional affiliation:

ADVANCED NURSE PRACTITIONER 2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
1.Introduction 3
2.Role of advanced nurse practitioner 4, 5 ,6
3.Standards of practice in Australia 7 , 8
4.Standards of practice internationally 9
5.Impact of the role on healthcare system 10
6.Conclusion 11
7.References 12

ADVANCED NURSE PRACTITIONER 3
INTRODUCTION
Nursing is a core pillar in the healthcare system. Nurses play a major role in the care of
patients; they provide primary care ensuring the needs are met and assess if the priorities are
changing. Nurses are also involved in implementing health policies in the health sector. There
are different cadres of nursing including enrolled nurses, registered nurses, nurses specializing in
oncology and emergency and nurse practitioners. An advanced nurse practitioner is a nurse who
has attained their master's degree o consequently their doctoral degree and has the responsibility
to make a diagnosis, order diagnostic imaging, prescribing medications and performing minor
surgeries. According to the Australian College of Nurse Practitioners, the roles of an advanced
nurse practitioner involve performing physical assessment, ordering and interpreting diagnostic
tests and prescribing medications. Furlong and Smith,(2013) state that advanced nurse
practitioners are important in the health care system since they make a huge contribution to the
healthcare system in client-centered care. American Nurses’ Association,(2014) states that a
nurse practitioner has been trained at masters and doctoral level to provide care to acute and
chronic illnesses. The advanced nurse practitioner has autonomy to practice as an individual,
provide primary care and increase the availability of healthcare opportunities (Fitzpatrick,2010).
The availability of specialized nurses in the health care system provides an opportunity
for evidenced-based care provision to patients hence improved outcomes. The nurses have the
opportunity to provide the best care with their areas of specialization. Various world nursing
organizations have come up with the scope of practice of advanced nurse practitioners(American
Nurses Organization,2012). There is a need for various countries to make policies that favor the
independent practice of advanced nurse practitioners. This increases the availability of health
which is among the basic human rights according to(Yamin,2013).

ADVANCED NURSE PRACTITIONER 4
ROLE OF ADVANCED NURSE PRACTITIONERS
In Australia, advanced nurse practitioners are employed by state and territory
governments while in private practice the nurse practitioner can be in their own practice. A nurse
practitioner has a role in management. This involves leadership in the hospital for example as the
chief nurse and overseeing nursing activities in an assigned ward. The junior nurses are
accountable to the nurse practitioner and they are the channel of communication to and from the
administration. According to Carryer, Gardner, Dunn& Gardner,(2013) in Australia, the nurse
practitioner is a clinical leader who advocates for the rights of the patients while at the same time
is involved in policy-making which produces positive patient outcomes. Therefore nurse
practitioners in leadership provide chances of proper decisionmaking and consultation between
different cadres of healthcare workers.
An advanced nurse practitioner is involved in the diagnosis of a patient, ordering
laboratory investigation for a patient and interpretation, ordering imaging studies and interpreting
them and prescribing medications to the client. Therefore a nurse practitioner provides clinical
care to the patient. This is as a result of a shortage of physicians whose job description mainly
involves this role. According to Mundinger, Kane, Lenz, Totten, Tsai, Cleary & Shelanski,
(2013), a study conducted showed that patients assigned to physicians and nurse practitioners
had the same outcomes in terms of satisfaction and health status. The physicians and nurse
practitioners had the same responsibilities. Therefore a nurse practitioner is up to the task to
perform proper primary nursing care with the right training.
Research is a key element in the observing changes in the healthcare sector while at the
same time steering new introduction of drugs and vaccines to combat diseases. An advanced
nurse practitioner is involved in conducting research affecting nursing practice, medicine, and