Advanced practice nursing (APN) is one of the nursing fields that plays a critical role in the promotion of the health and wellbeing of patient populations. APN is regarded as the usage of a wider scope of logical, constructive, and research-based competence relating to patients’ health and wellbeing. This field incorporates knowledge and expertise from a variety of disciplines that are critical in the healthcare sector. Given the acute nursing shortage that characterize the modern healthcare environment, advanced practice nursing has emerged as an important components of the health sector. This is attributable to the key roles that advanced practice nurses play in enhancing health outcomes of diverse patient populations. This paper examines various issues relating to the field of advanced practice nursing in relation to the critical role it plays in the modern healthcare sector.
Regulatory Provisions to Full Deployment of Advanced Practice Nurses

According to Hain & Fleck (2014), advanced practice nurses play an important role in enhancing the health outcomes of diverse patient populations. Consequently, the full deployment of these nurses in the current healthcare setting is considered critical toward enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of the nursing workforce. However, the full deployment of APNs in current healthcare is governed by various regulatory provisions relating to the nursing profession and nursing practice. Safriet & Clark (2010) suggests that advanced practice nursing is characterized by conflicting and limiting state provisions that govern the prescriptive authority and scope of practice of advanced practice nurses.

One of the regulatory provisions to full deployment of APNs in current healthcare is state-based restrictions on the licensed scope of practice for these professionals. This regulatory provision is a major obstacle to the full deployment of APNs since it limits their ability to practice to the full extent of their capabilities (Safriet & Clark, 2010). State regulations seemingly prevent APNs from practicing to the full extent of their capabilities by imposing limitations on the basis of defining scope of practice. Some states have enacted regulations that determine APNs scope of practice based on their expanding skills, training, education, and abilities. On the other hand, some states rely on outdated regulatory provisions, which limit the total range of professional services provided by APNs. Some of these restrictions on scope of practice imposed by outdated regulatory provisions include limitations on prescription of medications, patient admission to healthcare facilities, and patient assessment. Lugo (2016) argues that limitations on APNs scope of practice in the United States are determined at the state level through rule making or legislation. Therefore, the full deployment of advanced practice nurses in current healthcare is dependent on state regulations on their scope of practice.

The second regulatory provision to full deployment of APNs in today’s health sector is payment or reimbursement policies. Such governmental or private regulatory provisions affect APNs’ full deployment through rendering them ineligible for payment or excluding them from receiving direct payment for their services. In addition, such regulatory provisions limit APNs’ full deployment through offering payments at significantly discounted rates for similar services rendered by physicians. Payment and reimbursement policies are vital in APNs scope of practice and full deployment since they influence their motivation to provide healthcare services to patient populations. States that adopt progressive payment and reimbursement policies for APNs enhance their involvement in the healthcare environment and improve their full deployment. On the contrary, states with outdated policies on payment and reimbursement limit the full deployment and motivation of advanced practice nurses in today’s healthcare. Payment and reimbursement also affect the ability of the health sector to retain APNs.

Principal Causes of Current Barriers to Removal of Restrictive Provisions of APNs

As shown in the previous segment, APNs scope of practice in the modern healthcare environment is characterized by restrictive regulatory provisions. The restrictive provisions are in their scope of practice and payment and reimbursement. Given the restrictive nature of these provisions, advanced practice nursing field requires removal of these limiting provisions in order to enhance its efficiency and effectiveness in the health sector. However, the removal of these restrictive provisions of APNs is hindered by some barriers. These barriers support the existence and protraction of these unnecessary restrictive provisions that limit APNs practice...…provisions. Prospective APNs need to examine the regulatory provisions of their specific state to determine their scope of practice and identify any existing barriers that limit their deployment in the health sector. Through this knowledge, a prospective APN will understand what is required of him/her in the clinical setting from a regulatory perspective. The prospective nurse will then determine the extent with which he/she can practice and apply his/her knowledge and skills in enhancing patient and health system outcomes. This implies that having this knowledge enables the prospective APN to avoid future confusion that could emerge in his/her scope of practice.

Application of this Knowledge by Prospective APNs

A prospective APN could apply this knowledge in implementing of his/her advance practice role through conducting a research on existing state laws regarding scope of practice and payment and reimbursement policies. In addition, the prospective APN should conduct research and integrate research findings into his/her specific practice. Integration of research findings into nursing practice would help enhance the effectiveness of the prospective APN in enhancing patient and health system outcomes (Pepler et al., 2006). The prospective APN could use information regarding regulatory provisions to advocate for changes in the healthcare setting or environment. Through advocacy, the prospective APN would play a critical role in the recognition of APNs full extent of abilities and their integration into nursing practice.

In conclusion, advanced practice nursing is a critical component of nursing practice in relation to enhancing patient and health system outcomes. However, APNs full scope of practice and payment and reimbursement services is affected by restrictive regulatory provisions. These provisions limit the abilities of APNs to practice to the full extent of their abilities. While the need for change is recognized by various stakeholders in the health sector, the removal of restrictive provisions of APNs is limited by some barriers. The principal causes of these barriers include deliberate or inertial retention of dysfunctions, lack of awareness of APNs roles and abilities, and ongoing opposition to expansion APNs authority. Prospective APNs need to understand this knowledge to help avoid confusion in their future advance practice.

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