Annotated bibliography paper

Running head: FAMILY NURSE PRACTITIONERS 1

FAMILY NURSE PRACTITIONERS 2

Family Nurse Practitioners

Name

Institution

Family Nurse Practitioners

Family nurse practitioners (FNPs) play a crucial role in enhancing the health standards of families and individuals across the categories of age, gender, type of disease, and body systems. In the discharge of their duties, these practitioners usually encounter a wide range of challenges that require the input of professional aptitude and insight at all levels. One of the problems that FNPs often encounter relates to the wide scope of their practice. The growing diversity of health hazards and risks in the society has increased the demand for experienced FNPs yet their supply remains limited. The implication is that the current distribution of FNPs is insufficient to deal with the healthcare needs of the society. Pressure on the available practitioners can compromise the quality of services and lower the levels of patient satisfaction.

Surveys on the levels of accessibility of healthcare services in the society have revealed that the services of FNPs do not cover the entire scope of the society’s health needs (Ellis, Anderson, & Spencer, 2015). According to the findings, the problem of poor staffing, inexperience, and lack of motivation have undermined the capacity of FNPs to deliver quality services that accord with the society’s health needs. Besides, the nature of their practice seems to favor certain demographic categories, particularly younger generations. The elderly generation is largely left out because of the model is inappropriate for catering for the generation’s needs. Besides, surveys have shown the most of the services that are provided by the FNPs are preventive in nature (Stanik-Hutt, et al., 2013). In some cases, there is a mismatch between the services that the FNPs provide and the healthcare needs of the society. In this regard, the impact of FNPs in the society remains largely unfelt, particularly among the most vulnerable segments of the society.

According to Ellis, Anderson, and Spencer (2015) the problem of a wide scope of coverage is often compounded by lack of logistical support that can enhance the access of FNPs to bigger areas of need. The organizational structures of some healthcare institutions tend to undermine the capacity of the FNPs in various respects. For instance, some organizations to not specify clearly the roles of the FNPs, which makes it difficult for them to optimize their potential as required by the nature of their profession. Due to the shortage of staff in some healthcare institutions, FNPs are usually deployed to serve in other departments (Kutzleb, 2015). The consequence of such measures is that these practitioners are unable to optimize their capacity in the field of healthcare. Confusion in the definition of the roles of the practitioners is another factor that undermines their value in the society.

One way of addressing the problem of insufficiency is to design unique models of work that entail organization of the nurses into categories that cover different segments of the population. The new model work should be aimed at covering the various health needs of the society. Such distribution should be aim at ensuring that the FNPs attend to all or most of the health needs within their areas of coverage. Motivation through rewards and improved terms of service is another way of encouraging the nurses to go beyond the normal call of duty by increasing their work rate so that more patients can be served within a specified area. Such a move would condition the nurses to focus beyond the preventive type of care to a holistic approach. Overall, FNPs play a significant role in the society despite the fact their contribution is affected by logistics, organizational structures, and lack of motivation.

References

Ellis, K., K. & Anderson, K., M. & Spencer, J., R. (2015). The Living Family Tree: Bridging the Gap Between Knowledge and Practice in a Family Nurse Practitioner Program. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 11 (5).

Kutzleb, J. (2015). Nurse Practitioner Care Model: Meeting the Healthcare Challenges with a Collaborative Team. Nursing Economics, 33, (6).

Stanik-Hutt, J. et al. (2013). The Quality and Effectiveness of Care Provided by Nurse Practitioners. The American Journal of Medicine, 9 (8), 492-500.