Advanced Practice Nursing

Advanced Practice Nursing

Introduction

The concept of advanced practice nursing (APN) has become very popular in the nursing and healthcare industry and represents healthcare industry with a promising future and professional growth and development. Advance practices nursing a view point that looks and questions the current practices of the nursing and health care industry. It tends to analyze these practices and information critically in order to come up with a better information, skills, knowledge, methods and delivery of nursing and health related services (Patterson &Haddad 1992, pp. 18; Davies &Hughes, 1995, pp. 156; Elliott, 1995, pp. 633; Sutton & Smith, 1995, pp. 1037).

Discussion

Clinical Relevance of APN

Continuous growth and development of APN is of utmost importance and crucial for the growth and health care profession especially nursing for any society or country. There are many live examples as APN has resulted in positive growth of healthcare industry for many countries by introducing latest nursing roles such as acute care nurses, advanced practice managers and clinical nurses or specialists (Bryant-Lukosius etal, 2004, pp. 520). Among all the roles with regards to APN, acute care nursing roles are the ones with dominant growth in both ambulatory and community environment. Though there are many benefits of undertaking advance practice nursing to the population and country but it also poses some challenges when it comes to actual implementation of APN (Bryant-Lukosius etal, 2004, pp. 520). according to an international survey that was conducted with regards to the introduction of new roles in APN, it has been suggested that there is lot of variation and difference in these roles in relation to education, qualification, freedom or autonomy, title, functions and legal and regulatory mechanisms and it becomes quite difficult to identify and decided which role comes under the umbrella of APN. The main purpose behind introduction of APN is to promote and develop the current nursing profession with regards to advance practice and also increase it contemporary scope. Additionally it gives rise to concepts and ideologies such as practice has to be highly autonomous with maximum growth and development of nursing profession and knowledge (Bryant-Lukosius etal, 2004, pp. 520). The main difference between advanced nursing practice and advanced clinical factors is that the former acts as a change agent with innovation and creativity by collaborating with the health care providers and including and engaging them in decision making process while the latter simply deals with clinical care of patients (Bryant-Lukosius etal, 2004, pp. 520). Many models with regards to APN suggest that clinical practice is the main and primary focus of advanced nursing practice and it includes all the roles that are related to the fields of education, research, professional growth and organizational leadership covering each and every aspect of nursing profession and providing for effective strategies with regards to clinical practice. Manley has identified four important sub roles of advance nursing practitioner that are namely education, research and consultation that have direct impact on clinical practice of nurse. The basic definition of APN includes ...