Family nurse practitioner (FNP) is my specialty. A family nurse practitioner can be defined as a registered nurse who has specialized clinical and educational training in family unit. FNPs work autonomously or collaborating with other health professionals to deliver family-focused care. FNPs are trained to work with infants, adults, and elderlies in the context of family unit practice and clinical setting. Family nurse practitioners are usually masters/doctoral-educated, certified nationally and state-licensed registered nurses who provide care for the patients/clients across their lifespan. FNPs provide health care services to family unit ranging from health promotion to direct care to disease prevention and counseling. Family nurse practitioners work with their patients on maintaining health as well as wellness with the main focus of preventative care (Barnes, 2015). Most family nurse practitioners choose to operate in underserved communities or populations.
FNP as a clinical role and how it promotes patients outcomes
Family nurse practitioner role is clinical. This is because FNPs perform various clinical duties such as treating minor injuries to family members, performing health diagnostics, managing their clients with various chronic conditions and prescribing medications to their clients. Family nursing practitioners improve patients’ outcomes in various families. They provide clinical and educational services to clients which improve their health status hence improving access to health care services and health information (DeNisco, 2018). Most family nurse practitioners like operating in underserved communities or populations to promote access to health care to all people. They provide education and training to their clients on various health conditions, their symptoms, preventative measures and measures they can take to stay safe. Family nurse practitioners also improve patient safety by providing one-of-a-kind quality care to their patients. Family nurse practitioners promote by involving patients in administering care (Blair, 2015). Patients feel involved hence satisfied with the type of care provided to them.
Advanced nursing practice concept in FNP
The concept of advanced practice describes an extended level of clinical nursing practice maximizing the use of deep nursing knowledge, Masters educational preparation and expertise and skills that meet the health needs of families, individuals, groups, communities, and populations. This concept involves analyzing and combining knowledge; interpreting and then applying nursing research and theory; advancing and developing nursing knowledge and the entire profession (Blair, 2015). The scope of advanced nursing practice is differentiated by the autonomy to practice especially in expanding the boundaries of nursing.
In advanced nursing practice, family nurse practitioners apply scientific theories which are drawn from the field of nursing, other disciplines, and current research and this enables articulation of sound and reasonable rationale when making nursing decisions or choosing nursing actions (Blair, 2015). Again, advanced nursing practice concept includes a direct care component. Family nurse practitioners apply this component to provide functions of their role as advanced nurse practitioners such as practice, research, education, leadership, and consultancy to family units.
Interview with an advanced practice clinician
In the third week, I will conduct an interview with an advanced practice clinician. The interview is set to take place on 10th October 2018. I will be interviewing Dr. Juliet Hollers, a Ph.D. holder in advanced nursing and working as a Cardiac Practitioner (APRN) in a healthcare organization. Below are some of the questions that I would like to ask her.
(i) How do you feel as a cardiac nurse practitioner?
(ii) What challenges did you encounter when pursuing the advanced nursing course from undergraduate to Doctorate level?
(iii) Why is Masters Education level a requirement for the advanced practitioner?
(iv) Why did you choose to become a cardiac practitioner?
(v) What is the most difficult aspect of being a practitioner?
(vi) How do you promote patient outcomes?
(vii) How do you cope with role uncertainty?
(viii) What skills are necessary for success as a nurse practitioner?
(ix) Have you ever experienced a disagreement with a physician over services provided to a patient? What did you do?
(x) What piece of advice would you give to an individual who wants to become a nurse practitioner?
Research articles to support findings
The first article for supporting my findings is titled “The role of the family nurse practitioner.” It discusses the functions of FNPs. According to American Nurses Credentialing Center, family nurse practitioners are credentialed to provide healthcare services for the entire family. Family nurse practitioners are semi-independent care providers and are usually supervised by physicians. The nurses diagnose illnesses, treat them and prescribe medications (Distler, 2013). They also provide research, education, and consultancy. The article defines family nurse practitioners, describe the role that FNPs play within the healthcare sector, how FNPs help in responding to a shortage of primary care physicians/nurse practitioners and future of FNPs (Distler, 2013). The articles use statistical methods of data collection to gather facts and statistics about family nurse practitioners. The article also descriptive and survey research design from different nursing bodies and agencies in the United States. The article also provide samples and results of the study and how demand of family nurse practitioners is expected to rise by 2025.
The second article for supporting my discussion on the concept of advanced nursing practice is titled “advanced nursing practice.” According to the article, advanced practitioners holds masters or doctoral levels in advanced practice and are assessed as an element in practice using knowledge and skills (Nursing, 2018). If I apply it to my specialty, advanced practice grants nurse practitioners, FNPs included, with authority and freedom to act and making autonomous decisions in assessing, diagnosing, treating patients and prescribing medications to them. Advanced practitioners usually providers advanced care to their patients.
References
Barnes, H. (2015). Nurse practitioner role transition: a concept analysis. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons. Blair, K. A. (2015). Advanced practice nursing: Core concepts for professional role development. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company. DeNisco, J. G. (2018). Role development for the nurse practitioner. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett. Distler, D. J. (2013). The role of the family nurse practitioner. Retrieved from https://www.healthcarecommunication.com/Main/Articles/The_role_of_the_family_nurse_practitioner_11775.aspx. Nursing, R. C. (2018). Advanced Nursing Practice. Advanced Nursing Practice Library.