Different Roles of Advanced Practice Nurses (APNs)

Different Roles of APNs
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Different Roles of APNs
Advanced practice nurses (APNs) hold significant responsibilities in the healthcare sector. They are also known as advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs). APNs are certified to diagnose illnesses, treat, and make critical medical decisions without the doctor’s supervision. For a nurse to become an APN, one must have a doctorate or master’s degree in nursing. Moreover, APNs are allowed to advise people on various health problems, engage in continuous education of the public, and manage chronic diseases. A registered nurse (RN) ought to have proper certification, training, and relevant experience to become an APN. My rationale for becoming a certified nurse practitioner (CNP) is to gain more knowledge and be able to help patients. The only way to give back to my community is by providing quality healthcare services to improve individuals’ well-being and patient safety. The paper focuses on the RN-CNP transition and the four primary roles of APN, namely CNP, clinical caregiver specialist (CNS), certified nurse-midwife (CNM), and certified registered caregiver anesthetist (CRNA), without forgetting their work environment and educational preparation.
APNs are critical to the healthcare sector since they diagnose diseases, treat, advise people on how to avoid various health problems, manage acute illnesses, and provide preventive medical care services. Since these specialists have pursued doctorate or master’s education, they have adequate knowledge required to handle different types of patients. For instance, CNMs offer gynecological, primary, and reproductive healthcare services (Woo, Lee, & Tam, 2017). In addition, APNs are certified to assess patients, analyze their diagnostic tests, and make medical decisions without consulting doctors. However, every state has specific regulations that APNs must abide by when attending to patients’ needs. The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) permits these specialists to offer their services in various settings, such as nursing homes, hospitals, and medical offices (MacLellan, Levett-Jones, & Higgins, 2015). The RN-APN transition usually takes a few years since an individual must pursue a bachelor’s or an associate degree in nursing. Some of the subjects that one is required to study are pharmacology, physiology, and anatomy. For a person to be a good CNP, one should have proper interpersonal communication skills and be able to explain various medical procedures to patients without forgetting their side effects if available.
APN has different roles, namely CNP, CNS, CNM, and CRNA. My rationale for selecting the CNP was based on my passion for interacting with different people and understanding their healthcare needs. While pursuing my undergraduate in nursing, I realized that caregivers could not take good care of patients without first developing a trusting relationship. On that note, being a CNP will enable me to offer proper medical services for sick individuals with primary, special, and chronic health conditions. Moreover, one can assess, diagnose, and treat various diseases...