Primary Care Nurse practitioner (NP) Role vs. APN Roles
Primary Care Nurse practitioner (NP) Role vs. APN Roles
Primary Care Nurse practitioner (NP) Role vs. APN Roles
Compare the primary care NP role with other APN roles. What are the similarities among the roles, what are the differences, and how would you communicate the role to a healthcare provider and a consumer?
The advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) has different roles and responsibilities that nurses can undertake depending on the nature of their training. An APRN can also be referred to as a nurse practitioner (NP). There are other designated roles other than the NP such as the clinical nurse specialist (CNS), the certified nurse-midwives (CNM), and certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNA) (Everett et al., 2016). These roles have similarities and differences and many cases of overlapping responsibilities and in some cases, the need for collaboration to achieve the desired patient outcomes. The primary care NP is a specific role within the purview of NPs in which the provider is a general practitioner without any specialty training (Butler et al., 2017). The NP has roles such as completing patient assessments including conducting a physical examination. The primary care NP can also undertake diagnostic approaches such as ordering lab works and imaging procedures and providing appropriate interpretation. The NP can provide treatment and monitoring of the patient and also provide health education and other primary prevention measures.
One similarity of the role of primary NP to other APRN roles is that they have the scope to conduct independent patient assessments. All roles of the APRN have the scope of taking the patient’s history, conducting a proper physical exam, and ensuring an appropriate differential diagnosis (Phillips, 2016). The APRN has completed competencies in the assessment of the patient and he/she can use these competencies to determine and fulfill patient needs. Another similarity of the role of the primary care NP to other APRNs is the role of providing patient education, mentoring, and advocating for the needs of the patient (Hanks et al., 2018). Each APRN has a responsibility to empower the patient by providing health education about their condition or the treatment process to support their autonomy. The patient is the primary decision-maker in the clinical area and providing them with education supports their ability to make proper healthcare decisions.
The role of the primary care NP is different from the role of certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNA) in the sense of anesthesia and pain management. The CRNA is a specialist in pre, intra and post-operative pain and anesthesia management and this is a role that the NP does not have scope for (Butler et al., 2017). The NP does not get involved in surgery and does referrals to required specialists for that care to be mediated. The primary care NP role is also different from the role of the clinical nurse specialist (CNS) whose primary role is quality improvement and patient safety in the clinical/hospital environment (Everett et al., 2016). The certified nurse-midwives (CNM) also exclusively care for women in their prenatal, delivery, and postnatal period and cannot provide care to patients with general health issues as an NP would.
The role of each APRN can be communicated to the public by specifically mentioning the area of practice for the practitioner when advertising services. Notice to the public such as “primary care Nurse practitioner” would suggest to the public that the NP provides primary care services. It is important to denote the type of service each provider gives to avoid confusion of the consumers of these services. For example, a certified nurse-midwife (CNM) should indicate that he/she provides midwifery services to ensure that those seeking midwifery services and prenatal and postnatal care can access the right practitioners. To healthcare providers, I can provide notice of practice scope on my online and outdoor platforms to ensure there is a general awareness of my services among local care providers. It is important to incorporate the training of the roles of APRNs among healthcare workers to influence understanding and proper interdisciplinary practice.
References
Butler, D. (2017). Dual Roles for this APRN. Tennessee Nurse, 80(2), 9-10.
Everett, C. M., Morgan, P., & Jackson, G. L. (2016). Patient characteristics associated with primary care PA and APRN roles. Journal of the American Academy of PAs, 29(12), 1-6.
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