Role of the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner in Improving Patient Outcomes David Herbetko Thomas Jefferson University Role of the Advanced Practice Nurse NU605 Role of the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner in Improving Patient Outcomes Abstract This paper will explore the outcomes of using an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (ACNP) as a hospitalist in the critical care setting. Recent changes in health care policy allow for more implementation of non-physician staff to provide care in the critical care setting. The decrease in the amount of medical resident fellowships has also lead to a decrease in the amount of staff to safely provide care in the critical care setting. The benefits of evidenced-based practice (EBP) include cost savings, improved patient outcomes, and the translation of research findings to the bedside. EBP will demonstrate that patient care provided by an ACNP is equal or sometimes exceeds that of a medical resident. Keywords: Acute care nurse practitioner, evidenced-based practice, outcomes Role of the ACNP in improving patient outcomes There are more than 205,000 nurse practitioners (NPs) licensed in the U.S as of a survey in 2014 done by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) (AANP.org, 2014). Of this number of NP’s, acute care nurse practitioners (ACNP) account for …show more content…
These authors also note through literature review that that hospitalists “learn to recognize outliers and anticipate problems, become familiar with the key players in the hospital (such as medical and surgical consultants, discharge planners, nurses, and clergy), and become sufficiently invested in the hospital system to be accountable for its cost and quality and to lead its quality improvement efforts. The Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Competencies states that the ACNP diagnoses acute and chronic conditions that may result in rapid physiologic deterioration or life-threatening instability
I plan to pursue a career in nursing as a Family Nurse Practitioner. This career take many steps to complete. But it is different routes you can take and different programs you can enroll in for this profession. Family Nurse Practitioners can prescribe medication and diagnose patients and give treatment. They can work either in hospitals and or clinics as a primary healthcare provider. They can also order specific x-rays and test that need to be done for a patient. The nurse practitioners interact with less patients in a clinic than in a hospital. Np’s have privileges to prescribe medications in every state.
When I am older I would love to be a Nurse Practitioner, I enjoy helping people when they are sick and taking care of them. Another reason I want to be a Nurse Practitioner is because my sister is also a Nurse Practitioner.
A Certified Nursing Assistant has a very demanding job. It drains a person's physical strength by lifting residents but, it can drain the worker of emotions as well because of the loss, pain, and abandonment surrounding many residents. I am a Certified Nursing Assistant and I believe the hardest part of my job is getting attached to a resident as they pass away. The death of a resident leaves preparing their body the Certified Nursing Assistant's responsibility so their families can say goodbye and the funeral director can take them to the funeral home. The whole process takes a minuscule amount of time, thirty minutes or less, once someone knows the process. However, the body needs respect and care even after death.Preparing a body is emotional for the worker and the family. Start by gathering the supplies to prepare the body. First,
There is a shortage of all health care professions throughout the United States. One shortage in particular that society should be very concerned about is the shortage of Registered Nurses. Registered Nurses make up the single largest healthcare profession in the United States. A registered nurse is a vital healthcare professional that has earned a two or four year degree and has the upper-most responsibility in providing direct patient care and staff management in a hospital or other treatment facilities (Registered Nurse (RN) Degree and Career Overview., 2009). This shortage issue is imperative because RN's affect everyone sometime in their lifetime. Nurses serve groups, families and individuals to foster health and prevent disease.
Nurse practitioners (NPs), one type of advanced practice nurses, are licensed by the states where they practice and certified by private boards. Nurse practitioners hold advanced degrees in clinical practice and function in a wide variety of settings and across the life span. They provide a broad array of healthcare services ranging from managing treatment plans, to prescribing medications, to implementing health promotion services. As of 2014, 205,000 NPs were licensed in the United States with 86% of those prepared to deliver care to patients in primary care settings (NP Facts, 2015). The progression of the Nurse Practitioner movement that occurred in the 1960 and 1970s emerged as a creative and
o Type of healthcare worker: Nurse practitioner o When this type of work entered the market: The medical profession of nurse practitioner was developed in the mid 1960s. The job of nurse practitioners grew from implementing work from primary care physicians into that of traditional nurses. o Reasons for creation and growth: In the late 1950s and early 1960s, increased specialization amongst physicians was taking place, which led to many doctors exploring other avenues of medicine, resulting in a large shortage of physicians practicing primary care. This left many rural and inner city areas with very limited access to medical care.
Growing up, I was never really sure what career would fit best for me. I didn’t know which direction I was going to take and I always ended up pushing it aside because truly, it scared me. Coming into high school, I ended up with multiple injuries – I sprained my left ankle twice and my right ankle once; I also ended up spraining my elbow. This all happened through cheerleading and lacrosse. I was continually going to the hospital and started to realize what my passion was – being in the medical field. My passion for being in the medical field grew even more when my brother married his girlfriend, Yuko. She happened to be a nurse, as well as my other brother who worked as a physical therapist. Though I didn’t know what field I necessarily wanted to go into, and I still am a little conflicted, I knew my heart was in the medical field. One that I’ve specifically looked into recently has been emergency room nurses.
Licensed practical nurses (LPN 's) fill an important role in modern health care practices. Their primary job duty is to provide routine care, observe patients’ health, assist doctors and registered nurses, and communicate instructions to patients regarding medication, home-based care, and preventative lifestyle changes (Hill). A Licensed Practical Nurse has various of roles that they have to manage on a day to day basis, such as being an advocate for their patients, an educator, being a counselor, a consultant, researcher, collaborator, and even a manager depending on what kind of work exactly that you do and where. It is the nursing process and critical thinking that separate the LPN from the unlicensed assistive personnel. Judgments are based
The Nurse Practice Act or NPA was created to not only protect nurses during their practice, but the public as well. According to American Nurses Association (2012) "Acts are intended to protect patients from harm as a result of unsafe or incompetent practice, or unqualified nurses" (para. 4). These set rules and regulations are in place to allow safe and efficient nursing practice in any setting.
Current literature continues to reiterate the indicators of a major shortage of registered nurses (RNs) in the United States. The total RN population has been increasing since 1980, which means that we have more RNs in this country than ever before (Nursing Shortage). Even though the RN population is increasing, it is growing at a much slower rate then when compared to the rate of growth of the U.S. population (Nursing Shortage). We are seeing less skilled nurses “at a time of an increasingly aging population with complex care needs and an increasingly complex technological care environment” (Mion). According to recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Department of Health and Human Services, it is estimated that “more than a million new and replacement nurses will be needed over the next decade” (Diagnosis: Critical).
Advanced practice registered nurses play a significant part in extending access to health care by providing primary care and specialty care services to clients. Advanced practices registered are mentors, educators, researchers, and administrators. According to Health Resources and Services Administration, “Ninety-six percent of the NP workforce reported being in clinical practice, providing direct patient care” (Health Resources and Services Administration 2016). Furthermore, “Nearly three percentages were in faculty positions and approximately one percent was in administrative positions”(Health Resources and Services Administration 2016).
I want to be a nurse, specifically a nurse practitioner. I have always been fascinated with the medical field and see a bright future in it for me. I have the opportunity of meeting new people every day with a variety of personalities. There is always something new to discover in this field. A nurse practitioner's job is to be able to diagnose and treat illnesses. They also prescribe medicine and run physical exams. I am highly interested in pursuing the career of a nurse practitioner because the healthcare field is always in need for medical professionals, it pays well, and I am helping people at the same time.
The first key message that is discussed is that nurses should practice to the fullest extent of their education and training. Most of the nurses that are in practice are registered nurses. Advanced nurse practitioners are nurses that hold a master’s or doctoral degree and include nurse midwifes, clinical nurse specialists, nurse practitioners, and nurse anesthetists and consist of about two hundred and fifty thousand of the nurses currently working today. Advanced practice nurses are limited to what
What is the central component of advanced practice nurses (APNs) direct clinical practice and patient/families?
Saying that you are a registered nurse is a broad statement. Registered nursing is a job that has many aspects. Registered nurses work in many different settings and they carry out many different routines. As a registered nurse you could be exposed to many different opportunities. My goal is to be a registered nurse but, I need to learn a lot. Becoming a being a registered nurse requires a lot of hard work and effort but, if I focus on my goal I will be able to achieve it.