assignment

The Emerging Role of Nurse Practitioners in Diverse Clinical Settings

In the 1940's and 1950's, Loretta Ford, known as the pioneer for nurse practitioners (NPs), was a public health nurse in rural Colorado. During that time period there was a shortage of physicians to care for children and families. In 1965, Loretta Ford and Dr. Henry K. Silver started the first pediatric nurse practitioner program at the University of Colorado Medical Center. Since this time, nurse practitioners have been in great demand to meet the health care needs of individuals, families and communities. The year 2015, marked the 50th year of NPs providing care to a variety of patients across the lifespan in primary, acute, and subspecialty care areas.

The role of nurse practitioners has evolved over the years. Nurse practitioners are prepared to prevent diseases, promote health, treat diseases, and support health maintenance. Nurse practitioners are well known and equipped to provide safe, quality, cost-effective, and accessible care.

This week you will focus on the emerging role of nurse practitioners and review the history and practices of nurse practitioners. Also, you will explore the emerging role of nurse practitioners in clinical settings, conduct a professional self-assessment, and you will develop goals for mastery of clinical skills.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this week, students will:

Create professional goals to support your transition from RN to NP practice to promote positive social change

Evaluate mastery of NP clinical skills

Evaluate professional strengths and weaknesses

Analyze practices of advanced practice nurses

Learning Resources

Required Readings

American Association of Nurse Practitioners (n.d.). Nurse practitioners in primary care. Retrieved from https://www.aanp.org/images/documents/publications/primarycare.pdf

Buppert, C. (2018). Nurse practitioner's business practice and legal guide (6th ed.). Sudbury, MA: Bartlett & Jones Learning.

Chapter 1, “What Is a Nurse Practitioner” (pp. 1-16)

Appendix 1-B: State-by-State Titles for Nurse Practitioners (p. 36)

This chapter covers the definition of an NP, other names used for NPs, services rendered by NPs, and preparation and license requirements for NPs. It also covers initials used by NPs, areas of practice, legal history, and distinguishing between a nurse practitioner, a physician, physician assistant, registered nurse, and clinical nurse specialist.

CNA, & Nurses Service Organization (2012). Risk control self-assessment checklist for nurse practitioners. Retrieved from http://www.hpso.com/Documents/Risk%20Education/individuals/NP_RM_Checklist_2012.pdf

Ford, L. C. (2015). Reflections on 50 years of change. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 27(6), 294-295.

Hamric, A. B., Hanson, C. M., Tracy, M. F., & O’Grady, E. T. (2014). International development of advanced practice nursing. In Advanced practice nursing: An integrative approach (5th ed.) (133-143). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Saunders.

This chapter defines advanced practice nursing and explores the international evolution of the advanced practice nurse. It also discusses advanced practice nurse issues worldwide.

Kooienga, S.A. & Carryer, J.B. (2015). Globalization and advancing primary care health care nurse practitioner practice. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 11(8), 804–811.

Naylor, M. D., & Kurtzman, E. T. (2010). The role of nurse practitioners in reinventing primary care. Health Affairs, 29(5), 893-899. Retrieved from http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/29/5/893.full.pdf+html

Reinisch, C. E. (2014). Loretta Ford: Envisioning the future. Clinical Scholars Review, 7(1), 82-84. doi:10.1891/1939-2095.7.1.82

Silver, H. K,. Ford, L. C., & Day, L. R. (1968). The pediatric nurse-practitioner program: Expanding the role of the nurse to provide increased health care for children. JAMA, 204(4), 298-302.

Copyright 1968 by American Medical Association. Used with permission of American Medical Association via the Copyright Clearance Center.

Thomas, A. C., Crabtree, M. K., Delaney, K. R., Dumas, M. A., Kleinpell, R., Logsdon, C.,…Nativio, D. G. (2012). Nurse practitioner core competencies. Retrieved from http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.nonpf.org/resource/resmgr/competencies/npcorecompetenciesfinal2012.pdf

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Human Resources (n.d.). SMART goals. Retrieved from http://hrweb.mit.edu/performance-development/goal-setting-developmental-planning/smart-goals

Note: SMART Goals Learning Resource

Required Media

Barnes, S. (2014). What is a nurse practitioner? Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F91gqaQs7Lc

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 5 minutes.

National Council of State Boards of Nursing (2011). The Consensus Model for APRN Regulation - Short-Length Version. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmbfWqxc6PA

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 6 minutes.

Feenstra, R. (2014). SMART Goals - Quick Overview. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-SvuFIQjK8

Note: SMART Goals Learning Resource

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 4 minutes.

Documents

Nurse Practitioner Certification and Licensure

Document: NP Certification and Licensure (PPT)

Nurse Practitioner Certification Applications Education Verification Form

Document: NP Certification Applications Education Verification Form (Word Document)

NP Clinical Skills & Procedures Checklist

Document: NP Clinical Skills & Procedures Checklist (Word Document)

NP Student Clinical Orientation

Document: NP Student Clinical Orientation (PowerPoint file)

Additional Resources

All previous clinical course materials and textbooks.

Optional Resources

It is critical that you familiarize yourself with the essential documents that guide the practice of nursing. The following resources are highly recommended for addition to your professional library and you are encouraged to review these resources each week.

The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (2016). The American Association of Nurse Practitioners. Retrieved from https://www.aanp.org/index.php

It is highly recommended that you become a member of a professional advanced practice nursing organization such as American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). This organization has great benefits for student members, practicing NPs, and retirees, which allows networking, access to journals, and other resources.

Committee on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Initiative on the Future of Nursing, at the Institute of Medicine, & Institute of Medicine (2011). The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. Retrieved from http://www.nap.edu/catalog/12956/the-future-of-nursing-leading-change-advancing-health

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, 42 U.S.C. § 18001 et seq. (2010). Retrieved from https://democrats.senate.gov/pdfs/reform/patient-protection-affordable-care-act-as-passed.pdf

Assignment 2: Practicum Assignment 1: Self-Assessment of Clinical Skills

A self-assessment is an opportunity for you to review what you have learned in the program, evaluate your clinical skills, and develop goals before exiting the NP program. For this assignment, you will complete the Risk Control Self-Assessment Checklist for Nurse Practitioners and identify your areas of strength and weakness. You also will explain how you plan to improve on these weaknesses, as well as how you plan to master clinical skills you have not obtained prior to exiting NP program.

To prepare:

Complete the Risk Control Self-Assessment Checklist for Nurse Practitioners

Review preceptor and faculty evaluations in Meditrek for all completed clinical courses

Consider your strengths and weaknesses

Review types of patients treated and clinical procedures performed

By Day 7

Write a 2- to 3-page paper that addresses the following:

Identify at least three strengths

Explain why you consider these strengths and what you can do to maintain them in your practice

Identify at least three weaknesses

Explain how you plan to address each weakness

Examine at least three clinical skills you need to obtain prior to exiting the program

Explain how you plan to master the clinical skills before exiting NP program

Analyze the history of advanced practice nurses and the emerging role of your specialty area, and discuss what contributions you plan to make to advance the nursing profession